Yes, I had an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy during the same hospital visit in South Korea. But the two procedures were not performed for the same reason.
Recurring indigestion was why I wanted my stomach checked. The colonoscopy was a separate screening decision. I was already at an age when I needed to pay closer attention to colorectal screening, and the timing of the two examinations happened to overlap.
Instead of arranging two appointments, I decided to have both procedures on the same day. That allowed me to complete the fasting, hospital visit, sedation, and recovery in one appointment.
No polyps were found during my colonoscopy, and I do not have a family history of colorectal cancer. The experience still changed how I think about screening. I learned that Korea’s annual stool test, a personal colonoscopy, and surveillance after polyp removal are three different situations—not one universal schedule for everyone in their 50s.
- My indigestion led to the upper endoscopy, not the colonoscopy.
- I added the colonoscopy because it was also time to review my colorectal screening.
- The bowel preparation was more troublesome than the procedures themselves.
- No polyps were found, and I have no family history of colorectal cancer.
- Korea and the United States use different starting ages and screening frameworks.
1. Why I Needed an Upper Endoscopy
The story began with indigestion. I had been experiencing recurring discomfort and decided that it was time to have my upper digestive tract checked.
An upper endoscopy examines the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. A colonoscopy examines the colon and rectum. Although the two procedures can be performed during the same visit, they are not interchangeable and do not answer the same medical question.
This distinction matters in my case. I did not have a colonoscopy because indigestion automatically meant that something might be wrong with my colon. My stomach symptoms were the reason for the upper endoscopy. The colonoscopy was added because I was reviewing my colorectal screening at the same time.
The two procedures were connected by timing and convenience, not by a single diagnosis. I needed an upper endoscopy for recurring indigestion, while the colonoscopy was a separate screening decision based on my age and screening history.
That distinction helped me understand why simply listing symptoms and tests can be misleading. The important question was not whether indigestion required a colonoscopy. It was whether I had another reason to check my colon while I was already arranging an endoscopic examination.
2. Why I Added a Colonoscopy
In South Korea, many adults first encounter colorectal screening through the national health screening system. The national program generally offers an annual fecal immunochemical test, or FIT, to adults aged 50 and older.
FIT checks a stool sample for blood that may not be visible. It is a useful screening test, but it is not the same as looking directly inside the colon. If the result is positive, further evaluation—typically including a colonoscopy—is needed.
I had been paying attention to stool-based screening through my regular health checkups. When I scheduled my upper endoscopy, I also considered my age and colorectal screening history. I decided it was a reasonable time to check the colon directly instead of arranging another hospital visit later.
I do not have a family history of colorectal cancer, and I was not responding to a dramatic new bowel symptom. This was a screening decision rather than an emergency evaluation.
Having both procedures on the same day reduced the practical burden. I could complete the fasting, hospital visit, sedation, and recovery in one appointment. That convenience mattered to me, but it does not mean that everyone should automatically schedule both procedures together.
Whether the two procedures can be performed together depends on the medical reason for each test, the clinic’s scheduling system, the patient’s health, medications, sedation plan, and preparation instructions. My experience shows that it was possible in my situation, not that it is necessary or appropriate for everyone.
3. What the Preparation and Procedures Were Like
Before the appointment, I assumed that the procedures themselves would be the most difficult part. In practice, the bowel preparation required more attention.
I had to adjust what I ate beforehand and take the bowel-cleansing solution according to the hospital’s schedule. At first, I wondered whether the preparation was working well enough. I resisted changing the timing or amount on my own and followed the instructions I had been given.
Good bowel preparation matters because residual stool can make it harder to examine the colon lining. Preparation products and schedules can differ, so another person’s online routine should not replace the instructions provided by the medical facility performing the examination.
On the day of my appointment, the upper endoscopy and colonoscopy were completed during the same visit. From my perspective, the actual procedures passed more calmly than I had expected. Completing both at once also meant that I did not have to repeat the fasting and hospital scheduling on a second day.
My colonoscopy did not find any polyps. I did not need polyp removal or a pathology examination. Hearing that result reduced the vague concern I had carried into the appointment.
The result was reassuring, but the larger lesson was not simply that nothing had been found. I understood that screening involves two separate questions: what did this examination show, and when should I be checked again?
4. Colorectal Screening in Korea and the United States
The central purpose of colorectal screening is similar in both countries: to find colorectal cancer or precancerous changes before they cause obvious symptoms. The public screening frameworks, however, do not begin in exactly the same way.
Korea’s national screening program generally offers annual FIT screening to adults aged 50 and older. A positive result leads to further evaluation, usually including a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy may also be performed separately because of symptoms, previous findings, medical advice, or an individual screening decision.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening for average-risk adults beginning at age 45. Options include annual FIT, stool DNA-FIT at specified intervals, CT colonography, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy.
The difference is not that one country believes in screening and the other does not. Korea’s national program has traditionally introduced screening through annual stool testing from age 50. The U.S. recommendation begins at age 45 and presents several screening strategies that patients and clinicians can consider.
In the United States, a colonoscopy every 10 years is one screening option for average-risk adults when the examination is normal and high quality. That interval is not a universal rule for someone with symptoms, inadequate bowel preparation, previous polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, or certain family histories.
Korea’s annual FIT schedule should not be interpreted as an annual colonoscopy schedule either. A stool test and a colonoscopy are different screening methods, with different preparation requirements, intervals, and follow-up pathways.
Korea’s national program made annual stool screening familiar to me. Looking at the U.S. recommendations made the distinction between a screening method and a screening interval clearer. In either country, the appropriate plan depends on the chosen test, actual findings, symptoms, family history, and individual risk.
Recurrent rectal bleeding, persistent changes in bowel habits, unexplained iron-deficiency anemia, unexplained weight loss, or worsening abdominal pain should not simply be held until the next routine screening date. These symptoms can have many causes, but they warrant medical evaluation.
5. How I Now Decide When to Be Checked Again
Before this experience, I tended to remember screening as a collection of simple numbers: every year, every three years, every five years, or every ten years.
I now see those numbers as belonging to different situations. An annual FIT through Korea’s national program is not the same as repeating a colonoscopy. A routine colonoscopy after a normal examination is not the same as surveillance after a polyp has been removed.
Because no polyps were found during my examination and I have no family history of colorectal cancer, I do not assume that I need another colonoscopy every year or automatically choose an interval I saw online.
The quality and completeness of the examination, bowel preparation, new symptoms, family history, and the medical recommendation associated with the result can all affect the next step. I plan to continue participating in the health screenings for which I am eligible and to discuss the next colonoscopy using my actual examination history.
Was it routine screening, follow-up, or evaluation of a symptom?
What did the examination actually show?
Was the examination complete, and were any polyps or other findings reported?
What kind of screening comes next?
Is the next step a routine stool test, another colonoscopy, or no immediate additional test?
What could change the schedule?
New symptoms, family history, previous findings, and examination quality can all matter.
Turning 50 did not make me believe that more testing is always better. It made me pay more attention to why a test is being done, what its result means, and what should happen afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy be performed on the same day?
They can be performed during the same visit in some situations. I had both procedures on the same day in South Korea. Whether this is appropriate depends on the reason for each procedure, the patient’s health, medications, sedation plan, and the medical facility’s instructions.
Does indigestion mean that I need a colonoscopy?
Not necessarily. Indigestion commonly leads to evaluation of the upper digestive tract. A colonoscopy may be considered separately based on age, colorectal screening history, bowel symptoms, previous polyps, family history, and medical advice.
If my FIT result is negative, do I still need a colonoscopy?
FIT is an important colorectal cancer screening test, but it does not detect every cancer or advanced polyp. The need for a colonoscopy depends on symptoms, previous findings, family history, and the screening strategy chosen with a healthcare professional.
When should I repeat a colonoscopy if no polyps were found?
A normal, high-quality colonoscopy is not usually repeated every year. The next examination depends on the quality and completeness of the procedure, bowel preparation, symptoms, family history, and individual risk. The recommendation associated with the actual examination should take priority over a general interval found online.
The upper endoscopy addressed my recurring indigestion. The colonoscopy was a separate screening decision. I had the two procedures during the same visit because their timing overlapped, not because indigestion and colorectal disease were assumed to have the same cause.
No colon polyps were found, and I do not have a family history of colorectal cancer. That result was reassuring, but it did not give me one screening interval that applies forever.
The most useful lesson was learning to separate an annual stool screening test from a personal colonoscopy schedule. After 50, I find it more helpful to understand why I am having a test and what its result means than to follow a screening number without context.
• National Cancer Information Center, South Korea — Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
• U.S. Preventive Services Task Force — Colorectal Cancer Screening