Colonoscopies can save lives
Since March isNational Colorectal Cancer Awareness month,I am sitting here writing this article as both advice and a warning to you, because I didn’t follow the protocol for adults over 50.
I waited far too long to get a routine colonoscopy. I was reluctant because cancer was not part of my family medical history on either side. Because I failed to do the right thing, I will pass along my personal experience that may help you prevent colorectal cancer.
Just two short months ago, I was recommended by my doctor to have a colonoscopy done because there was trace blood discovered in my stool sample. He also had set up an appointment two years prior, one that I was reluctant to fulfill, and one I missed. During the colonoscopy in late January, a larger than normal cancerous polyp was discovered within my sigmoid colon. I now wonder if I had the test done two years prior could all that I went through be avoided. The diagnosis concluded that surgery was required to remove this polyp in order to prevent any spread of the cancer.
So, now I am scheduled for surgery. Since I am 60, I had to go through rigorous testing in order to be cleared medically for this surgery. I needed bloodwork, a chest x-ray, a CT scan, a physical, stress testing, which all lead to a heart catheterization as a final clearance. Needless to say, there was great fear that I may never awake from this surgery, there may be complications, and I would be a burden to my family.
The good news was that my faith in God assured me that I was in his hands. My surgery took place at the Uniontown Hospital on Feb. 29. The surgery, which took five hours, removed my sigmoid colon; which is the lower part of the entire colon. My experience was minimal and my care was excellent. I progressed very quickly and was discharged just four days after my surgery.
If you are reading this and are over 50, please take the time to talk with your physician in order to schedule a routine colonoscopy. The worst part of the procedure is the clear liquid diet the day before and the solution you must drink to flush the colon the night before your procedure. The procedure itself isn’t bad. I don’t even recall it.
So, please get a colonoscopy even if cancer is not part of your medical history or that of your family’s. Colorectal cancer is a silent killer. I didn’t even have any symptoms or complications. Had I not acted appropriately this time, the cancer would have been undetected and would have eventually ended my life. The 24 hours of inconvenience is far better than having major surgery that removes part of the colon and reconnects the remaining portions. My case was very successful, however; things may have gone wrong in many different ways. Risks included infection, leakage, bleeding, nerve damage, damage to other organs, and death.
Because of my surgery, I am now on a restricted soft diet. Although there are many things I can eat, some things like chocolate, nuts, fresh fruits or vegetables, any bean, or fatty meats are forbidden for the next six weeks. On the positive side, I lost 12 pounds, because of the restrictive diets before and after the surgery. Please take time to schedule a colonoscopy. They are inconvenient, the flushing solution tastes bad, however; it is far more reasonable to avoid what I went through.
Michael J. Volek is a resident of Uniontown.