positive cologuard test

[sue27]

I've been strictly vegan since 6/18 with very limited oils. I just did a Cologuard test and it came back positive. I'm very surprised as I thought my body would be in a very good state with things. They are recommending a Colonoscopy. Could I have your thoughts as to why I would have a positive reading and whether or not I should follow up with the Colonoscopy? I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis 26 years ago, but am symptom free. Thanks.

[Ltldogg]

I've been strictly vegan since 6/18 with very limited oils. I just did a Cologuard test and it came back positive. I'm very surprised as I thought my body would be in a very good state with things. They are recommending a Colonoscopy. Could I have your thoughts as to why I would have a positive reading and whether or not I should follow up with the Colonoscopy? I was diagnosed with Collagenous Colitis 26 years ago, but am symptom free. Thanks.

Hi sue27,

Being strictly vegan does not mean you are healthy. Oreos, soda, chips and more are ALL vegan; yet none of them are healthy for human ingestion. The key to being healthy is following The McDougall Program strictly. Neither myself or any other forum member can give you medical advise. You could email Dr. McDougall for a second opinion or check his past newsletters and writings on Cologuards and Colonoscopies. What we can do is help you follow the program. Please list everything you eat for a week and we can tell you what is and is not on program.

I hope you follow up with your food list and wish you good health,
Scott

[sue27]

Hi sue27,

Being strictly vegan does not mean you are healthy. Oreos, soda, chips and more are ALL vegan; yet none of them are healthy for human ingestion. The key to being healthy is following The McDougall Program strictly. Neither myself or any other forum member can give you medical advise. You could email Dr. McDougall for a second opinion or check his past newsletters and writings on Cologuards and Colonoscopies. What we can do is help you follow the program. Please list everything you eat for a week and we can tell you what is and is not on program.

I hope you follow up with your food list and wish you good health,
Scott

Thank you Scott,

I do not eat junk food and I eat minimally processed foods. I drink smoothies for breakfast with greens, fruit and oatmeal. Tofu soups or tofu rice dishes for lunch , and pasta with vegetables or rice with beans for dinner. I try to eat organic as much as possible. I do not drink caffeine and I have one glass of wine at night. I understand McDougall's program well and follow it tightly.

[Ltldogg]

Thank you Scott,

I do not eat junk food and I eat minimally processed foods. I drink smoothies for breakfast with greens, fruit and oatmeal. Tofu soups or tofu rice dishes for lunch , and pasta with vegetables or rice with beans for dinner. I try to eat organic as much as possible. I do not drink caffeine and I have one glass of wine at night. I understand McDougall's program well and follow it tightly.

Hi Sue,

I am glad you are committed to the McDougall Program, but let me point out some ways in which you are not following the program:

1. Smoothies are NOT on program. Eat your food, not drink it. Smoothies are highly processed destroying the fiber and thus making you passively over-consume calories.

https://www.facebook.com/JeffNovickRD/p ... 77885125:0

2. Tofu should be used as a light condiment and sparingly because it is processed stripping much of the fiber and also it is a high fat food.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/pdf/dr-mcdo ... nglish.pdf

3. Alcohol is NOT on plan, NOT healthy and should be used very sparingly. 1 glass a wine a night is not sparingly. No amount of alcohol is safe and even the smallest amounts can lead to cancer. Moderation kills.

https://www.facebook.com/JeffNovickRD/p ... 953546434/

4. The devil is in the details. Even though you listed general foods you eat, you did not list the details, which we need to help you make corrections. For example, what kind, if any, pasta sauce do you use? Does it or any other condiments you use have oil, salt and added sugars? How much do you use. What other packaged products do you use? Everything matters. It IS THE FOOD!

5. Lastly, here is an article form Dr. McDougall on Cologuard and Colonoscopy:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2016nl/jul/colon.htm


If I was you, I would do the following:

1. Go to the HOW TO BEGIN sub-forum and read all of Jeff Novick's stickied threads, in order: viewforum.php?f=14
2. Make changes to my eating habits so I actually was following the program strictly; including no alcohol, minimal if any tofu, no smoothies, etc.
3. Follow Dr. McDougall's recommendations for conservative colon cancer screening as outlined in the Colon cancer article I linked above.

I hope all this helps and that you enjoy great health. Let us know if you have any questions.

Cheers,
Scott

[pundit999]

Cologuard test has a high false positive rate.
Relax and do the colonoscopy.
It is probably nothing.

This test has a very low false negatives, but high positives.

I got this test done and luckily had a negative result.

But when I was doing the research on the test before the test,
I found that lots of people were complaining that the result was positive but nothing was found in a subsequent colonoscopy.

[pundit999]

13 percent
It does have about a 13 percent false positive rate. If a patient has a positive Cologuard test, it is recommended that they then undergo a colonoscopy to evaluate further.Mar

[Lyndzie]

*I typed this up while Pundit was responding as well.*

Hi, Sue. From what I understand the Cologuard test can have a high false-positive result. I’m not sure if a colonoscopy is the best next step or not, but it is important to remember that 15 months of better eating does not erase everything that came before.

I enjoy smoothies, and blended foods can be a part of this way of eating, but, as Scott pointed out, they are allowed, not recommended. Same with soy (I also eat tofu). I don’t think these details are the reason for your positive test results.

All alcoholic beverages are carcinogenic, unfortunately. Until you get this squared away I’d highly encourage you to switch to something different in the evenings. Maybe a warm cup of camomile tea?

[sue27]

Thanks Scott for the info. I will look into it. I make my own sauces and strive to eat SOS with minimally packaged foods. I do buy pasta and rice in packages and canned beans that are no salt . I also try to buy all organic.

Thank you pundit for your research. I too found a high positive rate.

Thank you Lyndzie for your research also. I appreciate your dietary feedback.

I'll have to really give this some thought. I'm 57 and am trying to do less and less diagnostic testing, but every time I have something done, something shows up and I feel like I have to follow through with it. My blood work is good as is my BP and my weight.

Sue

[openmind]

I guess I have to ask the obvious: if you're not going to follow up, why do the diagnostic testing in the first place?

I personally choose NOT to do colon cancer screening. I feel the risk is low, but even waiting for the test result causes stress and will I really do anything if a I get a positive test result?

If I were where you are, though, I'd probably follow up. And if it turns out to be a false alarm, I would consider it a lesson learned.

[debknott]

I remember that Dr. McDougall uses a less invasive and dangerous version of a colon test - no colonoscopy. You can search for it on the website.

[sue27]

Thank you openmind and debknott for your replies. Honestly, I had the test done because of my past diagnosis of Collagenous Colitis. I no longer have symptoms, but it was a debilitating disease that I had for years before finding the "right" answer in foods. I tried many many "healthy" eating styles before I found plant-based. So getting a screening done was not far fetched for someone with my history. Thanks you all for your input. I really appreciate it.

Sue

[debknott]

Sue,

The test Dr. McDougall recommends instead of a colonoscopy is called sigmoidoscopy. Read about it, and maybe you'll be better able to tell your doctor what you want done.

Deborah

[viv]

I would get the colonoscopy. As I have mentioned before, my sister had refused a colonoscopy and a year later was having stomach discomfort and distention. She eventually did have the colononscopy, was diagnosed with stomach cancer and was dead six weeks later. She was slim and worked out daily, however she did not follow anywhere close to the McDougall Diet as her two main food groups were chicken and yogurt.

Viv

[sue27]

Thanks, debknott. I did see that about the sigmoidoscopy.

viv, I''m so very sorry for your loss and really appreciate your sharing.

Sue

[sue27]

To further this discussion,

Does anyone know if Dr. McDougall delineates between people who have had screenings where something comes up and those who have not, prior to starting a plant-based diet? My collagenous colitis is an example, or what if someone had mammograms that showed something and was being monitored for that? Does he recommend foregoing further screening once you start a plant-based diet?

Sue