If you have people in your life who you love, you do not want to cause them unnecessary and undue stress. This is something that I try to live my life by. I have people who I love, and it's with myself and them in mind that I ensure I do my annual "checks and balances" wellness checks. Because as we age, the risk for certain diseases and health conditions changes, and regular checkups and screenings help to catch warning signs early on. The earlier a health issue is detected, the easier it is to treat.
While there are screening exams that are gender-specific, there are some health screenings that men and women must both have done - one of which is the colonoscopy, a visual examination of the large intestine (colon), using a lighted, flexible tube with a camera at the end.
Colonoscopy screening is a part of health maintenance and everyone aged 45 and older should be screened. People with a familial history of colon cancer should begin screening even earlier.
A colonoscopy helps to diagnose and treat colon cancer (a serious but highly preventable malignancy, which is curable if caught early); polyps (fleshy growths, which are noncancerous at first but can become cancerous); colitis (a chronic inflammation of the colon); diverticulosis (pockets that develop along the intestinal wall over time and can become infected); and bleeding lesions (which may occur at any point in the colon).
A colonoscopy can also be used to investigate possible reasons for abdominal symptoms such as pain or discomfort, particularly if associated with weight loss or anemia; abnormal x-ray exam; chronic diarrhea, constipation, or a change in bowel habits; and anemia.
It is performed to identify and/or correct a problem in the colon. The test enables the physician to make a diagnosis and give a specific treatment. If a polyp is found during the exam, it can be removed at that time, potentially eliminating the need for a major operation later. If a bleeding site is identified, treatment can stop the bleeding. Other treatments can be given through the endoscope when necessary.
It was during my annual wellness check that the gynecologist inquired whether I had done a colonoscopy, as yet. I hadn't.
While I have reported over the years on colon cancer and spoken to people diagnosed with colon cancer and what they had to go through, like the ostrich, I "buried my head in the sand".
The doctor spoke to me about the importance of having a colonoscopy and whether I had preference for a referral. I immediately thought of internal medicine and gastroenterologist Dr. E. Marcus Cooper at GastroCare Bahamas in the Centreville Medical Centre, 68 Collins Avenue, with whom I have had many conversations on colonoscopies and colon cancer, and who has been advocating for primary physicians and general practitioners to encourage patients to do a colonoscopy at the recommended age, as early detection prevents colon cancer, and saves lives.
For years, Cooper has said that colon cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable - if caught early. By the time symptoms are evident, in most cases, he said, it is simply too late.
During Colon Cancer Awareness Month in March, in speaking with Cooper once again, it just clicked - I needed to have my first colonoscopy as I was years past due. And there was the fact that if my colonoscopy results were normal, I would not have to repeat this necessary screening for another seven to 10 years. And if an abnormality was found, it could be dealt with.
I'm approximately two and a half weeks out of my colonoscopy, and happy to report that Cooper has given my colon a clean bill of health - and no masses, polyps or mucosal lesions were seen in my entire visualized colon. No diverticulosis noted throughout the colon, and no internal hemorrhoids seen on retroflexion.
I breathed a sigh of relief at learning of my positive results.
I also now know that I have nothing to fear from this all-important screening and that my fear was simply irrational because it was uncharted territory.
With my first colonoscopy done, I also realize that it's really not a big deal and that we have made this procedure out to be a "monster" through our own thoughts about what we think it is. It is entirely comfortable and painless.
The most difficult part of the whole procedure was, well ... drinking that CoLyte to prepare my colon for the exam is a whole other story.
A normal colonoscopy takes between 15 to 20 minutes if the doctor finds nothing that has to be cleaned up. You are unaware due to the sedation. As it's outpatient, you wake up and go home the same day. But you are not allowed to drive home after the procedure and you are not allowed to take a taxi home alone, due to the sedation. You are also not allowed to operate a motor vehicle or any equipment for 24 hours following the procedure, or engage in activities requiring alertness such as cycling, using power tools, or making important decisions for 24 hours.
Colonoscopy prep
Prior to the procedure, a history and physical were performed, and a review of any medications I might have been taking and my allergies were reviewed. Risks and benefits of the procedure were discussed. As with any medical procedure, there is a risk of complication, which is rare and minimal, and was explained by the nurse staff who made every effort to ensure I calm the nerves she saw me exhibit. They also advised that I would be monitored carefully during and after the procedure and that my heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturations and blood pressure were monitored throughout the procedure. My physical stats were reassessed after the procedure.
As well as the instructions to prepare my colon for the colonoscopy which included filling a prescription for the CoLyte in order to prepare my colon for the procedure.
People who take medications are also given specific instructions on what to do and what not to do.
My food intake was also limited a few days out ahead of the procedure to ensure that nothing that could be mistaken for a polyp was visible, so that meant no nuts, whole grains and foods with seeds like grapes, berries, corn, popcorn, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and kiwi. The day before the colonoscopy, I was off solid foods and allowed to only drink clear liquids and broth (beef and chicken). It was stressed to not intake any red liquids.
With these instructions, I went home to do my self-preparation, which included mixing the CoLyte with white grape juice (apple juice is also recommended) two days ahead of drinking it and placing it in the refrigerator to chill, to help make it more palatable.
So, if that helped to make it taste better, goodness only knows what this tastes like mixed with straight water and at room temperature! I ingested the CoLyte over a four-hour period, during times given to me, which was the final step ahead of the actual procedure.
On the morning of the colonoscopy, I presented at Outpatient Endoscopy Center located at Palmdale Avenue and Patton Street where the staff made me feel completely comfortable before I was wheeled into the procedure room, where I was fitted with a breathing mask and told to turn to my side. That was the last thing I remember before a nurse woke me up in the recovery room. I didn't remember anything.
Cooper checked on me before I was discharged to let me know that I did very well through the procedure, and to give me his findings which was that my colon appeared "very healthy" and that I had done a great job with my preparation. (I'm patting myself on the back, because I followed those instructions to a "T".)
To obtain the full benefits of the exam, the colon must be clean and free of stool. To accomplish this, means drinking a solution - in this case, CoLyte - with sufficient water to flush the colon clean. Usually, the patient drinks only clear liquids and eats no food for one day before the exam.
The procedure itself is a visual examination of the large intestine (colon), using a lighted, flexible tube with a camera at the end. The colon begins in the right-lower abdomen and looks like a big question mark as it moves up and around the abdomen, ending in the rectum. It is five to six feet long. The colon has several functions, including absorbing water from the liquid stool to produce a more solid, well-formed stool.
I did my colonoscopy as March, which is observed as Colon Cancer Awareness Month, which serves to get people aware of what colon cancer is, how it can be prevented and how it can be treated, came to a close.
I'm happy that I've done it, especially as Cooper said in The Bahamas, people are being diagnosed younger and presenting at a much later stage when there is very little that can be done. He said steadily, because of poor dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles, and unknown family histories, medical professionals are starting to see more colon cancers every year and starting to see them present at earlier stages.
Cooper said in recent years that medical professionals have seen an uptick in colon cancer diagnoses. And that to have the best possible outcome, people need to be screened before they develop any symptoms, and that asymptomatic people should be screened. The doctor said that ideally, they want people to have their colonoscopies or screening before they develop any symptoms.
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