She was long over-due by some fifteen years for a baseline colonoscopy.  At sixty-five, she was feeling great but knew that she needed surgery for an irritating hemorrhoid problem. She almost cancelled the scheduled colonoscopy but recognized that her doctor would never address her hemorrhoids until the procedure was done so she went on with it.  When she woke up after the colonoscopy the first words she heard from the doctor were, “We found cancer.”

My friend was shocked.  She had not suffered from the common signs of colon cancer such as diarrhea or constipation.  Her doctor’s final words to her after he instructed her that she would need surgery were, “I wish you would have come in five years earlier – removal of the polyp that is now cancerous would have fixed your problem.”

My friend was lucky. Surgery revealed a stage 2 colon cancer requiring only that the tumor be removed and no further follow-up, except for a yearly colonoscopy, was necessary.  But she came very close to developing full blown colon cancer.  Had she cancelled her colonoscopy, there is no telling how far her cancer would have spread by the time it was found.

Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer deaths, which is a sad statistic. A simple colonoscopy, done at the age of 50 and repeated every five to ten years, can identify and treat the colon polyps that usually take 5 years to develop into colon cancer.  This simple test, if done on a regular basis, could eradicate colon cancer in the wide majority of cases.  So, why aren’t people scheduling themselves for a colonoscopy?

The first reason is denial and fear.  Some of my nurse friends have never had a colonoscopy – and they should know better.  It is so much easier to deny the possibility of colon cancer happening to us than to find out for sure.  Other people would like to have the procedure but don’t have the money or insurance to pay for it.  And some people are just afraid that the preparation for the colonoscopy or the colonoscopy itself will cause discomfort.

The reality is that the colonoscopy prep, usually a combination of medications such as Ducolax, Miralax, and lots of fluids or Golytely, a 4000cc electrolyte solution that must be consumed in a 4 hour period, is really not that bad.  All of the ‘colon preps’ as we call them cause frequent bowel movements until the movements are clear water.   The colonscopy itself is painless, done under light anesthesia and quick.  From beginning to end, the colonoscopy takes between 30 to 45 minutes.  One wakes from the procedure feeling rested and suffering from no side effects.

There is something wonderful about hearing that you are cancer free after the colonoscopy. You can feel assured that you will remain free from colon cancer for at least five years or perhaps even longer.  So go ahead – schedule that colonoscopy that you have been putting off.  Make an effort to save your own life.