Rescue Rick the Grass Cut Man promotes colorectal cancer awareness. I had a colonoscopy four years ago, and I will have another one next year.
March
is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal (colon cancer) is
the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in men and women. But what many
people don't know is that it's largely preventable. You can
significantly reduce your risk with regular screening, and by watching
your weight and being physically active. (Source: American Cancer
Society
http://www.cancer.org)
Colorectal
cancer is cancer that starts in either the colon or the rectum. Not
counting skin cancers, colorectal cancer is the third most common
cancer found in men and women in this country. Rescue Rick the Grass
Cut Man promotes colon health and colorectal cancer awareness. I have
pasted several excerpts from the American Cancer Society website on
Colorectal Cancer. Please visit the American Cancer Society website (
http://www.cancer.org) for more detailed information.
The
American Cancer Society and several other medical organizations
recommend earlier testing for people with increased colorectal cancer
risk. These recommendations differ from those for people at average
risk. Even though medical professionals do not know the exact cause of
most colorectal cancers, it is possible to prevent many colorectal
cancers. For more information, talk with your doctor.
Colorectal Screening
Regular
colorectal cancer screening or testing is one of the most powerful
weapons for preventing colorectal cancer. Screening is the process of
looking for cancer in people who have no symptoms of the disease.
Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy are screening exams for colorectal cancer (commonly referred to as "
colon cancer").
But false information and a misplaced sense of modesty have scared
some people away from these lifesaving tests. Since Rescue Rick the
Grass Cut Man had a colonoscopy, I will focus on the the colonoscopy
screening exam. Once again, please refer to the American Cancer
Society website (
http://www.cancer.org) for comprehensive cancer information.
A
colonoscopy is an exam that allows a doctor to closely look at the
inside of the entire colon. The doctor is looking for polyps or signs of
cancer. Polyps are small growths that over time can become cancer.
The doctor uses a thin (about the thickness of a finger), flexible,
hollow, lighted tube that has a tiny video camera. This tube is called a
colonoscope. The colonoscope
is gently eased inside the colon and sends pictures to a TV screen.
Small amounts of air are puffed into the colon to keep it open and
allow the doctor to see clearly.
The exam itself takes about 30 minutes. Patients are usually given medicine to help them relax and sleep during the procedure.
Your
doctor decides how often you need this test, usually once every 10
years, depending on your personal risk for colon cancer. It's important
for people to talk with their doctor to understand their risk for
colon cancer, the guidelines they should follow for testing, and
whether they need to start being tested at age 50 or earlier.
For
the most part, patients are given medicine to sleep through the
colonoscopy, so they won't feel anything. Air is pumped into the
cleaned-out colon to keep it open so that doctors can get the best
pictures. While it may cause slight discomfort, it should not hurt.
A
colonoscopy is almost always done by a doctor, usually a
gastroenterologist (a doctor whose specialty is the digestive tract) or
a surgeon.
Colonoscopy is done in a private area; it may be a
hospital outpatient department, a clinic, an ambulatory surgery
center, or a doctor's office. The patient's privacy is a top concern.
The
preparation for the colonoscopy makes you to go the bathroom a lot!
The doctor will give you instructions. Read these carefully a few days
ahead of time, since you may need to shop for special supplies and get
laxatives from a pharmacy. If you are not sure about any of the
instructions, call the doctor's office and go over them step by step
with the nurse. Many people consider the bowel preparation (often
called the "
bowel prep") the
most unpleasant part of the test. You follow a special diet the day
before the exam and take very strong laxatives before the procedure.
You may also need enemas to clean out the colon. The key to getting good
pictures is to have the colon cleaned out.
Because
colonoscopy is usually done with drugs that make you sleepy, people
usually will miss a day of work. You'll need to stay close to a
bathroom. You might want to schedule the exam for a Monday, so you can
be at home the day before without taking that day off work.
Most people feel OK after a colonoscopy.
They
may feel a bit woozy from the drugs (anesthesia). They'll be watched
and given fluids as they wake up. They may have some gas, which could
cause mild discomfort. Because of the medicines given for the test,
most facilities require that you bring someone to take you home.
If
a small polyp is found, your doctor will probably remove it. Over
time some polyps could become cancer. If your doctor sees a large
polyp, a tumor, or anything else abnormal, a biopsy will be done. For
the biopsy, a small piece of tissue is taken out through the
colonoscope or sigmoidoscope. It is sent to a lab to be checked under a
microscope for cancer or pre-cancer cells.
Colorectal cancer screening helps people stay well and save lives.
Regular
colorectal cancer testing is one of the most powerful weapons for
preventing colorectal cancer. Removing polyps prevents colorectal cancer
from ever starting. And cancers found in an early stage are more
easily treated. Nine out of 10 people whose colon cancer is discovered
early will be alive 5 years later. And many will live a normal life
span.
But too often people don't get these tests. Then the
cancer can grow and spread without being noticed, like a silent
invader. In many cases, by the time people have any symptoms the cancer
is very advanced and very hard to treat.
Rescue Rick the Grass
Cut Man is grateful for the talents of the medical professionals who
performed his colonoscopy. Thank you!
Richard T. Mudrinich
Rescue Rick the Grass Cut Manhttp://www.rescuerick.com
