What's Up Your Butt?

The defining reason why colorectal cancer is on the rise is the fact that signs and symptoms present as your typical upset stomach.  People with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) often mistake their cancer symptoms for that of IBS, but that goes for everyone else as well.

This year the number of colorectal cancer cases appearing in the ER have notably increased, many of which the patient had no idea there was a tumor.  We can deduce from this that a small growth in the colon was dismissed by the patient as irritable bowels rather than seeking treatment for it.  However, when the tumor invades and deteriorates the intestinal lining the tumor becomes extremely aggressive, malignant, and metastatic; from which it is very difficult to treat.

Essentially, not every upset stomach means you have colorectal cancer, and not every tumor means you had a bad upset stomach for a while, and that's why we have screening procedures.  "Screenings"  are best described as routine examinations that survey colon health to determine if suspicious substances are present or not.  We have our own screening procedures that have successfully detected persons who would benefit from a colonoscopy and who can wait.

A FIT kit or FOBT kit are screening tools that allow each patient to go home and collect their own "sample" and securely send it back to the lab to test for blood.  If either test is Positive for blood we then suggest a colonoscopy to determine the source of the blood.  Any noticeable abnormalities like Polyps are removed during that procedure.  It also is the gold standard of detecting colon cancer.

Some people would rather not deal with anything to do with the "butt", BUTT let me ask you which is more uncomfortable:  A 20 minute colonoscopy or losing your colon - maybe your life?

If you are 50 years or older and do not have health insurance we may be able to provide you with a free colon cancer screening.  If you are 50 years or older and have health insurance - what are you waiting for?!

For further information regarding colon cancer screenings and procedures please feel free to call our office at 1-800-992-1817 ext. 1