Well, since this topic was brought up, I thought I'd share my own little story...

Because of a kidney stone about a year and half ago, I ended up going to a urologist for that care. For a bit of time, I had been putting off going to a doctor for a check up, mainly out of worry of the dreaded digital exams.

So, during the time in the pre-doctor interview, I'm sure I told the nurse my grandfather and father both had had colon cancer.

So in the follow up with the urologist, the subject eventually came around to the dreaded digital exams. I told him I had been meaning to go to a regular doctor for a check up, but just hadn't yet mainly out of worry about the big exam. With a smile (why do these guys always have this huge smile?) he told me that he could do the digital right then and there. So he did.

Then he scheduled me for a PSA and another digital exam and said I should probably be having these every six months for the rest of my life.

Hey, he's the doctor right? So this went on for the next year. All this time my father has been urging me to get a colonoscopy, or to at least ask about getting one.

So this time around, right after the regular six month intrusion, I bring this topic up. My doctor tells me that these usually start at around fifty years of age and that I should probably wait until then and then he asks me if my family has a history of prostate cancer, why am I asking about getting a colonoscopy? I tell him that my family doesn't have a history of prostate cancer, but of colon cancer.

He then looks at me stunned and says to me, "Then these digital exams have probably not been needed."

I swear, this is a true story.