My Colonoscopy: A Pleasant Experience!
The importance of cancer screening
March is colorectal cancer awareness month, and this year I finally decided to call my friend, gastroenterologist Dr. Leo Treyzon, and confess that I had never undergone one before. Since the age of 50, I have been undergoing annual noninvasive stool tests to detect blood in the stools. In recent years, I have opted for the new Cologuard test, which not only detects the presence of occult hemoglobin but also offers qualitative detection of DNA markers associated with colorectal neoplasia. The test has an overall sensitivity of 92% to detect colorectal cancer at all stages and even some advanced precancerous lesions.
My colonoscopy experience
As a good preventive medicine physician, I was not without any screening! However, I had never looked for polyps or other potential anatomical lesions in my colon, which only a colonoscopy can detect and allow the operator to treat.
Prior to scheduling the procedure, I received a very detailed questionnaire to fill out and return to the medical office for review, as well as a 7-page document explaining the preparation and the procedure itself at length. After reading it I felt that I knew the exact sequence of events and I was well prepared to go.
So here I am, a Thursday late afternoon, rushing home from my office to start the “prep.” I admit that I was a bit apprehensive as I had heard so many horror stories about it from patients or friends.
Well, I am honest when I say that it was an easy step. The new drink that Dr. Treyzon prescribed for me was fully tolerable. I followed the protocol carefully as this is an important step to clean the gut. You must drink a few glasses that night and again early the next morning. Yes, you have to make a few trips to the bathroom, but I personally did not have to wake up during the night and had a good night's sleep before the procedure. You cannot eat anything but liquid broth for one day before the test which is fine as it helps detox the body at same time.
Ask a driver to come with you ahead of time as you will not be able to drive yourself back home after the procedure which requires quick anesthesia with propofol.
My colonoscopy was Friday at 12pm. I opted to have an upper endoscopy performed at the same time to check for any esophageal and gastric abnormalities. Why not? I was going to be under anyway so better to check everything at once. I arrived at the center a bit early and yes, like any other patient, as I was waiting to be called in, I was a bit apprehensive of what was going to happen. I never had any anesthesia in my life except when I was ten years old for a wrong diagnosis of appendicitis!
The care nurse opened the door and invited me into a very nice pre-op room where several comfortable individual spaces were prepared to receive the patients. Everyone was so welcoming… my little one-minute stress perceived in the waiting room immediately disappeared and I was now fully “ready to go.” I want to emphasize the fact that the medical staff at the facility is constantly focused on your physical and psychological well-being: the staff was the nicest I ever met, the rooms are very silent and warm, the beds are comfortable and heated before your arrival, and you even receive a pair of nice socks to keep your feet warm too! I remember these pre-op rooms in community hospitals during my residency where everything was so noisy and cold! Nothing to compare here. The quality of care is such that I felt treated like a princess and happy to enjoy that moment, having fun speaking in French with the nurses while they were doing my assessment.
Everything then went very fast. My anesthesiologist Dr. Russel Gilbertson, a very reassuring physician (no wonder he works with Dr. Treyzon, as they both are so personable), came to talk to me briefly in the pre-op room about the quick propofol intravenous infusion that I was going to get; and the next thing I know is that I am in the operating room with five nice nurses making sure that I am comfortably lying down on the table, Dr. Gilbertson talking to me about his trips to France and his interest in French history and …
I wake up 35 minutes later, back on my heated bed in the pre-op room.
All done!!!
Dr. Treyzon came shortly after to give me his report; I was lucky to have a clean bill of digestive health and I am now “good for 10 years,” just following up with a Cologuard stool test every three years to be safe.
I felt that it was important to share my story to demystify a lot of misconceptions and wrong beliefs that exist about the colonoscopy procedure.
Why is screening for colorectal cancer so important?
I want to emphasize the critical need for colorectal cancer screening. It ranks as the second most common cause of cancer death among both men and women in the US, following breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Yet, it is the most preventable form of cancer, as many cancerous lesions stem from benign colon polyps that progress over time. The key to preventing colorectal cancer is regular screening.
While stool tests like Cologuard and virtual colonoscopies may be useful, only traditional colonoscopies allow for the actual visualization and removal of polyps. Therefore, any individual over 45 years old (or even earlier if there is a family history) should undergo a screening colonoscopy. Follow-up screenings will be recommended based on the findings of the initial procedure.
Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read strongly encourages discussing this during your next visit. She will provide guidance on lifestyle recommendations and behavioral modifications that can reduce your risk over time.
Stay tuned for next month when Dr. Read will dive into the importance of gut health and the connection to colon cancer, brain health and more.