{"id":8504,"date":"2020-02-03T08:00:58","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T14:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=8504"},"modified":"2022-01-28T15:59:59","modified_gmt":"2022-01-28T21:59:59","slug":"colon-cancer-screening-easy-and-worth-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/colon-cancer-screening-easy-and-worth-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Colon cancer screening: Easy and worth it"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Know your risk<\/p>\n

Take the colorectal cancer assessment\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Getting screened for colon cancer<\/a> is never at the top of anyone\u2019s list of favorite things to do, but Pat Peterson took it in stride.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a colonoscopy before,\u201d she said. \u201cYes, it\u2019s unpleasant, it\u2019s disruptive, but you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it was time for Pat, 68, to get her latest screening, her doctor recommended Cologuard\u00ae. This new at-home screening test involves testing your stool for DNA changes that may indicate colon cancer or precancerous polyps.<\/p>\n

The Bloomington, Illinois, woman found the process easy. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the most fun in the world, but it was no big deal,\u201d she said. \u201cThe presentation of the product and the instructions were very clear. There was no confusion about what you were supposed to do when.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Pat\u2019s Cologuard test came back with a positive, indicating she needed a follow-up screening. This time, it would have to be a colonoscopy.<\/p>\n

\u2018Colonoscopy has come a long way\u2019<\/h2>\n

Many people are hesitant to have a colonoscopy<\/a>, which is the gold standard of screening for colon cancer. Using a colonoscope, a flexible tube with a light and small video camera, the doctor looks at the entire length of the colon and rectum. A clear liquid diet and colon cleanse is required the day before. You are sedated during the procedure. The doctor takes tissue samples or removes any polyps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a fear of the process and some urban legends around colonoscopy, so some people are reluctant to jump at the option of doing it,\u201d said Omar Khokhar, MD<\/a>, a gastroenterologist at OSF Medical Group \u2013 Gastroenterology<\/a> in Bloomington.<\/p>\n

\"Colonoscopy<\/p>\n

\u201cColonoscopy has come a long way since the early 1990s,\u201d he said. \u201cThe instruments are different. A lot of folks come to me and are hesitant based on their previous experience and other people\u2019s experience, but the sedation used is a lot easier to induce and wake up from, and our scopes are much softer and more flexible, so the risk of any kind of injury is much less than it used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat had a colonoscopy in the mid-2000s and wasn\u2019t afraid to have another, but she lives alone and doesn\u2019t have family nearby and wasn\u2019t sure who to ask to drive her to the appointment, wait, and then take her home. A friend offered to help.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really a stumbling block for me for a while,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a personal thing to ask someone to help you with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Khokhar performed the colonoscopy and was able to remove the precancerous polyps in Pat\u2019s colon.<\/p>\n

Make a plan<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re due for colon screening<\/a> and you haven\u2019t yet made an appointment, Pat recommends sticking to a schedule and just getting it done. Think about the advice you\u2019d give someone else in your situation and make sure you stay on top of your health.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t stew on it. I stewed on it for too long, and I ended up with some pathology,\u201d she said. \u201cThe doctor was able to get rid of it, but who knows where that could have gone?\u201d<\/p>\n

People with an average risk of colon cancer should start getting screened at age 45, depending on the recommendation of a doctor. If you\u2019re not sure whether a colonoscopy or an at-home screening method is right for you, talk to your doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best test,\u201d Dr. Khokhar<\/a> said, \u201cis the one you\u2019re willing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Getting screened for colon cancer is never at the top of anyone\u2019s list of favorite things to do. But today, there are at-home test options.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":57,"featured_media":8543,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[101,223,735],"tags":[414,415,756],"coauthors":[726],"class_list":["post-8504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cancer","category-patient-story","category-preventive-health","tag-colonoscopy","tag-colorectal-cancer","tag-osf-medical-group"],"yoast_head":"\nColon cancer screening: Easy and worth it | OSF HealthCare<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Getting screened for colon cancer is never at the top of anyone\u2019s list of favorite things to do. 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