Health & Medicine - County Woman Newspapers

Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy
are excellent
screening exams for colorectal
cancer (commonly
referred to as “colon cancer”).
But false information
and a misplaced sense of
modesty have scared some
people away from these lifesaving
tests. Here are some
questions you might have
and some answers for them:
WHAT IS A COLONOSCOPY?
A colonoscopy is an
exam that allows a doctor to
see and closely look at the
inside of the entire colon for
signs of cancer or polyps.
Polyps are small growths
that over time can become
cancer. The doctor uses a
slender, flexible, hollow,
lighted tube about the thickness
of a finger. This
“colonoscope” is gently
eased inside the colon and
has a tiny video camera,
which sends pictures to a TV
screen. Small puffs of air are
put in the colon to keep it
open and allow the doctor to
see clearly.
The exam itself takes 15
to 30 minutes. Patients are
usually given medicine to
help them relax, which often
puts them to sleep during the
procedure. Your doctor
decides how often you need
this test, usually once every
10 years, depending on your
personal risk for colon cancer.
It’s important for people
to talk with their doctor to
understand their personal
risk for getting colon cancer,
the guidelines they should
follow for testing, and
whether they need to start
being tested at age 50 or earlier.
WHAT IS A SIGMOIDOSCOPY?
During a sigmoidoscopy,
a doctor closely inspects the
lower parts of the colon,
called the sigmoid colon and
the descending colon, for
signs of cancer or polyps.
Polyps are small growths
Mercer County Woman
March is Colon Cancer
Awareness Month
◆ ◆ Frequently Asked Questions
which can over time become
cancer. The doctor uses a
slender, flexible, hollow,
lighted tube about the thickness
of a finger. This “sigmoidoscope”
is gently eased
inside the colon and has a
tiny video camera, which
sends pictures to a TV
screen. Small puffs of air are
put in the colon to keep it
open and allow the doctor to
see clearly. The exam takes
15 to 20 minutes and
the patient usually doesn’t
need medicine.
WILL IT HURT?
No, these two exams are
not painful. For the most
part, patients are given medicine
to sleep through
the colonoscopy, so they
won’t feel anything.
Sigmoidoscopy doesn’t
require medicine to make the
patient sleepy, so some
patients find the air pressure
to be uncomfortable. Air is
pumped into the cleaned-out
colon so it will hold its normal
size and doctors can get
the best pictures. While it
may be slightly uncomfortable,
it should not hurt.
WHO WILL DO THE EXAM?
A colonoscopy is almost
always done by a doctor,
usually a gastroenterologist
or a surgeon. Sigmoidoscopies
are often done by
primary care doctors (general
practitioners, family doctors,
and internal medicine
doctors) in their office.
Studies show that a welltrained
clinical nurse specialist,
nurse practitioner, or
physician’s assistant can do
sigmoidoscopies very effectively
too.
WILL I BE IN A PRIVATE ROOM?
Sigmoidoscopy is always
done in a private room; no
other patients are around.
Doctors and nurse specialists
are professional and very
careful to respect the
patient’s privacy.
Colonoscopy is also performed
in a private area; it
may be done in a hospital
outpatient department, a
clinic, an ambulatory surgery
center, or a doctor’s office.
The patient’s privacy is a
top concern.
HOW DO I PREPARE? WILL
I NEED TO MISS WORK?
The preparation for the
colonoscopy requires you to
go the bathroom a lot! You
follow a special diet the day
before the exam and take
very strong laxatives in the
hours before the procedure.
You may also need an enema
to cleanse the colon. The
key to getting good pictures
is to have the colon cleaned
out. Preparation for a sigmoidoscopy
is much the same.
Because colonoscopy is
usually done under sedation,
people usually will miss a day
of work. People should ask
their doctors whether they’ll
need to miss work before a
sigmoidoscopy. For either
test you’ll need to stay close
to a bathroom. You might
want to schedule the proce-
dure for a Monday, so you
can be at home the day
before without taking a day
off work.
HOW WILL I FEEL AFTER-
WARD? WILL I NEED SOME-
ONE TO DRIVE ME HOME?
Most people feel OK
after a colonoscopy. They
may feel a bit woozy. They’ll
be watched and given fluids
after the procedure as they
awaken from the anesthesia.
They may have some gas,
which could cause mild discomfort.
Because of the sedation
that is given for the test,
most facilities ask that you
bring someone to take
you home.
After a sigmoidoscopy,
you get up and walk out.
There should be no problem
driving yourself home, as
long as you have not had any
drugs to make you sleepy
during the test.
WHAT IF THEY FIND
SOMETHING?
If a small polyp is found,
your doctor will probably
remove it because it could
eventually become cancer-
◆ ◆
About Colonoscopy and Sigmoidoscopy
ous. If your doctor sees a
large polyp, a tumor, or anything
else abnormal, a biopsy
will be done. For the biopsy,
a small piece of tissue is
taken out through the
colonoscope or sigmoidoscope.
It is sent to a lab to be
checked under a microscope
for cancerous or precancerous
cells.
WHY ARE THESE TESTS SO
IMPORTANT?
Removing polyps prevents
colorectal cancer from
ever starting. And cancers
found in an early stage are
more easily treated. Nine out
of 10 people whose colon
cancer is discovered early
will be alive 5 years later.
And many will live normal
lifespans.
But too often people
don’t get these tests. Then
the cancer can grow and
spread unnoticed, like a
silent invader. In many cases,
by the time people have any
symptoms the cancer is very
advanced and very difficult
to treat.
7 March / April 08