Alright, we are back with nurse
Christine Brannick, the oncology
outreach manager with cone health,
and she's talking about
everything we need to know about
colonoscopies and colon cancer.
So just how concerning is it that
people have put off colonoscopies
because of COVID and things like that?
It is very concerning because
as I mentioned earlier,
that we find if we find a
colorectal cancer later, it does.
It does decrease the options
for treatment and can decrease
the chance of survival,
so it's it's very important
not to let COVID delay.
You get your screenings
right. So what age?
Let's talk about this.
What age should we start
getting our colonoscopy and
then how often do you get them?
So we recommended age 45.
Now if you have some of those.
Risk factors that we mentioned earlier
than obviously it would be sooner
a lot of times we look at 2:00.
If you've had a family history,
usually around 1010 years prior to that
youngest family member being diagnosed.
And again if you have any of those other,
then you would need to talk to your
provider about the best time for you.
Alright, let's talk about the
procedure itself because I think
when people hear colonoscopy,
they're like, Oh my goodness.
What is that?
So let's kind of talk about what
someone should expect with a colonoscopy,
and that what will that
procedure day kind of be like?
So it all starts usually a few.
Usually your doctor is going to give you
what they call a bowel prep regimen,
so a few days before they're gonna
usually recommend you eat more of a
low fiber diet diet during that time,
then usually around the day before
they'll still tell you to start drinking,
but basically eating clear liquids,
which, because of things like broth,
maybe jello or popsicles.
But if you do eat jello and popsicles,
not the red ones,
and then usually the night before,
or depending on what time of the day it is,
they'll tell you start period of
time that you'll need to have.
Nothing to eat or drink before
that procedure you will start
drinking with that foul pep regimen,
usually around the day before to
make sure your bottle is cleaned and
the more clean that your bottle is,
the better,
easier it will be for the doctor
to see your colon.
And if they were to find anything any polyps,
then they would be able to remove those.
Usually pull colon cancer does
typically start as a polyp,
so if we can get them out before
they become cancer,
then again usually that's all that
needs to be done and we just watch that.
Alright, so this is an outpatient
procedure, so you're going to
do the preparation beforehand.
You go in that day,
and then you're home that night.
Yes, usually you go home right
after the procedure and usually
pretty much after the procedure.
You can pretty much eat and drink
'cause you feel comfortable.
Sometimes you may feel a
little gassy afterwards,
but usually you don't remember
anything they're gonna give
you medication and you either.
If you are awake,
you won't remember anything about it,
right? You need someone to drop
you off and you need someone to
pick you up and take you home.
That is for sure alright.
Yes you do. Any recommendations
to help calm our nerves before
we do this kind of procedure?
Basically, my biggest recommendation
is follow the diet instructions
your doctor gives you.
So as they tell you to go clear
liquids when they tell you not to eat
anything or eat or drink anything,
make sure you follow those
recommendations and it will
make it a much smoother process
and you said no red,
yellow or red things to drink,
that kind of thing.
Yes, that red dye is not good in your
system when it comes to this stuff.
Alright, So what steps can
people take to reduce their
risk for colon cancer? The
biggest thing is to eat a healthy
diet which is low in fat.
High in fiber you know. Stop smoking,
you know limit your alcohol intake.
Obviously, exercise screenings are so
important because if we can get polyps
out before they turn into anything also.
You know, know your family history.
If you have a family history,
you know talking to your provider
about the best times to get screen.
As I mentioned, there is genetic testing.
If you are somebody that has
that strong family history
and this is one of those times
because some people have been
keeping it off right for for
COVID and stuff like that.
But sometimes now when you
call the doctor's office,
they're scheduled months and
months out so we don't want
people to wait to make the call.
Well, it is important to
know what's normal for you.
So if you notice any changes,
make sure you report that.
And let your provider know because
that way they can get you in
when you need to be screened.
Great. Thank you so much for
your time and your expertise.
We so appreciate that if
you missed any of this,
you can find the information on
our website thatswnynews2.com.