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March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month

March is soon upon us, and I have the privilege of discussing Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with you. But first a story. A word of caution, if you don't want to hear a long speech, don't ask a physician to tell you a story. Once started, it's hard to get them to stop.


I've been in practice for about 25 years. Early on in my practice, Bill came in as a new patient. He was in his late fifties at the time, and very active. On his first visit, we discussed his prior health screening and he had never had colon or prostate cancer screening before. He agreed to have a digital rectal exam performed as I assured him that if it was any consolation, it was no more pleasant from my end.

Unfortunately for him, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, I found microscopic amounts of blood in his stool. I referred him for a colonoscopy and he was found to have an early stage of colon cancer. He had a successful partial colectomy and did very well.

For the next 25 years, I saw Bill about once every three months. We would talk about how he went out square dancing every weekend, and every visit, he thanked me for the fact that he was still alive. He was always matter-of-fact about it. He had a great life, always telling me about his experiences square dancing each weekend where he was quite a hit with the ladies. He passed away recently, and the fact that he lived life fully for a couple of extra decades is something that gives me great satisfaction.


While most of medicine is quite rewarding, other aspects are incredibly difficult. No textbook or medical school adequately prepares you to give people awful news. After all these years, it remains the hardest thing I have to do. When the report comes in, I immediately get a sinking feeling in my stomach. It's hard to sleep, knowing what you have to tell the patient the next morning. When you sit with them and say "it's cancer", most everything you say afterwards gets tuned out. In the scheme of things, performing a digital rectal exam is infinitely more pleasant than trying to comfort someone during one of the most traumatic moments of their life. It is made even worse knowing that, despite all your admonitions, they skipped basic screening that could have prevented it or caught it much earlier.


That brings me to Colorectal Cancer Awareness month.

If you are fifty years old or older, you should be getting routine screening for colon cancer. As opposed to most other cancers, colon cancer is largely preventable. While not all colon polyps turn cancerous, most cancers start as polyps. These typically take years to turn cancerous. When found early, they can be easily removed, thus never developing into cancer. If screening does detect cancer, it tends to find it in earlier, treatable stages.

There are several common ways to screen for colon cancer:

1. Yearly testing for occult blood through testing of stool specimens
2. Sigmoidoscopy ( looking with a short scope every five years

and the gold standard

3. Colonoscopy every ten years.

If you have a first degree relative (parent, sibling or child) with colon cancer or adenomatous polyps before the age of 60, or two first degree relatives diagnosed at any age, screening should start at age 40 or 10 years younger than earliest family member's diagnosis, whichever comes first. Some patient's, like those with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis or Inflammatory Bowel Disease need even more aggressive screening, and should be seeing their physician regularly.

For those members who take the initiative to get screened, post here and you will get a neat badge next to your name. I believe that those who participated last year get one as well. I'll get the satisfaction of knowing that I helped convince a few members of this great place to get checked. If even one of you gets a couple extra decades as productive as Bill's were, this will have been the best post I've ever written here.
 
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AND..............

For those of you who sign up to get tested, have been tested in the last 6 months, or were tested last year ( you already have the great badge !) you will be entered in a drawing for one of three great prizes......


Drumroll Please..........

1. 100.00 gift certificate at WCS
2. 50.00 gift certificate at WCS
3. Doc Devine is throwing in a Badger and Blade Essential boar brush sent from WCS


for those sabbaticans I declare that if you win one of these....it's a free spend !!!!!

I'm scheduled for the 1'st week of April...... who's next !!!!!


Forgot to say... why Check 6?

Fighter pilot speak for there's an enemy behind you !

We need to treat this the same way the fighter pilots do..... Flame him before he gets you!!!!!!
 
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One of the funnest time of the B&B Calender, Im a bit young to go out and get checked out yet, but a big shout out to all you guys who not only do it, but also share here on B&B and encourage others to do the same. It saves lives, and we like keeping everyone around the forums in this community.

Have a gas Gents

Check your Six
 
Big props to everyone who gets checked. It seems unfaltering and no one really wants to do it, but it's necessary and could save your life. Looking forward to seeing check 6 badges take over the forum again.

Check your six
 

rockviper

I got moves like Jagger
I'm 47 and have talked about it with my family doctor since about 10 years ago or so (I think). With no history of colon cancer in my family, he recommended the standard finger test on my bi-annual checkups. Doesn't bother me any; nothing embarrassing about being alive. Since I'm turning 50 soon, should I be requesting those extra tests? I'll soon be converting to annual check-ups sometime in the next 5 years as well.
 
I had a colonoscopy performed on me last year because of a bloody stool. quite the scare. luckily that's all it was. A scare, thank goodness. It definitely is NOT pleasant, but the peace of mind is worth the temporary discomfort
 
My dad had polyps (benign) in his early 40's, but no matter, 35 to start getting checked is creeping up on me. I won't be embarrassed and neither should anyone else!
 
No history in my family, but I'm 49 this year. Doc does the digital yearly, next year will be full up periscope.
Get it checked if you're of a certain age. What the heck do you have to lose? :)
 
I'm 54. I had a colonoscopy last week with a new doctor. Third time for me. Dad had polyps -- benign. I've had one or two at each previous screening -- so far, all of them benign. Three this time. I got to watch two of them disappear live on the video monitor courtesy of the anesthesiologist who decided I'd napped long enough. Waiting to get a clean path report.

The gastroenterology group that performed my previous scope was so worried that I might not have a repeat procedure at the proper interval that they sent me a certified letter today. I was glad to tell them that I'd taken care of it already. (I only switched docs due to proximity of their offices.)

The prep isn't fun, but the stuff they had me take this time was easier than the previous times. For those of you who are being silly over the prep, PLEASE, PLEASE consider how much more unpleasant it would be to have your doctor discover something too late. This procedure is really no big deal. Honest. Get it done.

And, if my word that you can and should do this soon isn't enough to convince you, damn, there are prizes, too. So, schedule that appointment.

Anyway, I'm now on a three-year interval. That means just three yucky nights of prep in nine years to know that I'm okay. A worthwhile equation in my mind.
 
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No history in my family, but I'm 49 this year. Doc does the digital yearly, next year will be full up periscope.
Get it checked if you're of a certain age. What the heck do you have to lose? :)

Tony is right.... What do you have to lose?.... What do you have to gain ? I'll tell you

26 years ago I beat Colon Cancer !!!

Because of getting checked..... I'm still here

Get checked, the life you save could very well be your own !!
 
The prep isn't fun, but the stuff they had me take this time was easier than the previous times. For those of you who are being silly over the prep, PLEASE, PLEASE consider how much more unpleasant it would be to have your doctor discover something too late. This procedure is really no big deal. Honest. Get it done.

And, if my word that you can and should do this soon isn't enough to convince you, damn, there are prizes, too. So, schedule that appointment.

Anyway, I'm now on a three-year interval. That means just three yucky nights of prep in nine years to know that I'm okay. A worthwhile equation in my mind.


Nicely said, Rob. I've heard stories about guys who've drank the prep as "shots" to make it seem fun. Whatever it takes, right?
 
I had my first test done within the last year since my sister was found with polyps (non cancerous). I was only 46 and had to do a little run around with the insurance company since I wasn't 50, but since I had a family history they covered the procedure.

I'm clean, but they want me to get the exam every 5 years instead of 10.
Here's to the lovely drink and the hours on the toilet......bottoms up :a17:
 
Sometimes, the insurance company run-around is even worse than the colon cleansing prep.

To those of you sitting on the fence: If you are brave enough to shave, you are brave enough to do this. So, just do it.

Think about it. Every day, most of us wield an implement sharp enough to amputate our noses or slice off our lips. No reason to be shy or scared of a little laxative.
 
Thanks for the reminder. I need to fill the few hours I'm not on the road, with tubes in certain orifices (Orifeces?). :blink: Although I do enjoy the drugs...I think I do...I never remember. :blush: Maybe they're renting me out to aliens. :bored:
 
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