4 reasons why it is important to get a colonoscopy

3:21 PM, Nov 07, 2017
11:30 AM, Dec 12, 2018

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">A colonoscopy is a lifesaving procedure and a necessity for nearly everyone at some point in life. Yet people aren't lining the halls of the hospital, eagerly awaiting their turn. For many, it sounds painful and embarrassing.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Though there may be jokes and puns aplenty, the state of your colon is not something to take lightly. Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States among men and women, according to the </span></span>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</span></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">. For men, who die around an average of six years earlier than women, the risk is greater. The only way to change this statistic is to make your health a priority and </span></span>to take preventive measures<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">, such as undergoing a colonoscopy.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Here are four reasons it is important to get a colonoscopy.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Colon cancer is common</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Colon cancer is so common that experts recommend anyone over age 50 get tested, even if they don't have symptoms, according to </span></span>Dr. Angeli Chopra</span></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">, a gastroenterologist at </span></span>TriHealth Digestive Institute<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">. During the procedure, your doctor will look for growths that look like cancer or could become cancer. If caught early, </span></span>colon cancer's five-year survival rate is 90 percent.

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Colon cancer runs in families</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">If you have a family history of colon cancer, your chance of being diagnosed doubles. If a first-degree relative was diagnosed with colon cancer before age 65, a colonoscopy is necessary once you are 10 years younger than they were upon being diagnosed, Chopra said.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">"If Mom was diagnosed at 50, you actually need to come at age 40 for your colonoscopy," Chopra said.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">If you've been diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, such as colitis or Crohn's disease, </span></span>you also need to start screening earlier than 50</span></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Colon cancer can occur randomly</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">It is important to pay attention to troubling symptoms, regardless of family history or a personal history of inflammatory bowel disease. Symptoms that warrant a visit include abdominal pain, changes in bowel movement, weight loss, blood in your stool, or black and tarry stools, according to </span></span>TriHealth</span></span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">.</span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Chopra was inspired to study gastroenterology after her father's diagnosis.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">"He just wrote it off for six months because he kept telling my mom ... it's probably just hemorrhoids," Chopra said. "... When my mom finally pushed him to get checked out, he actually had a pretty bad colon cancer."</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">There was no history of colon cancer in Chopra's family.</span></span></span></span>

 

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<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Colonoscopies are simple and noninvasive</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">No matter your reason for needing a colonoscopy, it's a simple procedure, not surgery, Chopra said. The preparation — skipping solid food for one day and taking a bowel prep — may cause anxiety, but it's improved over time.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">"Even during my own fellowship training, I've seen that the prep has decreased markedly in volume," Chopra said.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Additionally, there aren't many preventable cancers, as most occur without warning. Colon cancer is one of the few that can be prevented so, while a colonoscopy may not sound fun, it's much easier and more comfortable than dealing with cancer.</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">Chopra, whose father has been cancer-free for 13 years, encourages people to take control of their health and pay attention to symptoms. For those who are hesitant, she has one question: "Do you have something to live for?"</span></span></span></span>

<span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Verdana&quot;,sans-serif">If the answer is yes, this simple procedure that can take as little as 20 minutes, could save your life.</span></span></span></span>

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