Why do people get colonoscopy

So, how do you know when to get a colonoscopy? That means you should not eat dried or raw fruit, seeds, nuts, whole grains, beans, brown rice or raw vegetables. This should consist of soup broth, gelatin, coffee or tea, clear drinks, popsicles, water and juices without pulp such as apple juice. Be sure to wear loose clothing, stay near the restroom and prepare with medicated wipes to soothe your skin afterward. This guideline must be strictly followed. The tube will inflate your colon with air or carbon dioxide to provide your medical professional with a better view of your colon lining.

Simultaneously the small camera on the end of the tube will transmit photos to a monitor for the doctor to view. The procedure takes approximately 30 — 60 minutes. There could be bloating or minimal bleeding following your exam and this is completely normal. And watch out for those at-home colon cancer screening stool tests. Some people are tempted to try fecal immunochemical tests FITs because they think the colonoscopy prep and procedure are far worse than they actually are.

At-home colon cancer detection tests are highly sensitive for cancer only when you already have the disease. Colonoscopies detect precancerous lesions and prevent them from growing into anything detectable by a home stool test. Both are inflammatory diseases of the intestines. Identifying them early helps reduce the long-term damage they can do, including scarring and bleeding in the colon, malnourishment, pain and intestinal blockages that require surgery.

These diseases also might increase risk of colorectal cancer. Diverticulosis is a condition that arises when pockets form on the inside lining of the colon. Finding diverticulosis early allows doctors to make suggestions for simple dietary changes, such as eating more fiber, that can prevent the condition from ever causing painful symptoms. If left unaddressed, the pockets can become inflamed and infected, leading to painful complications.

The procedure is typically done at an endoscopy center, and all the patients are there for gastrointestinal care. In other words, everyone is in the same boat. Yes, everyone is there to have something done that may feel embarrassing. But you can relax—this is regular, everyday work for the clinical staff that will be taking care of you. Also, the anesthesia will help you relax, it will be over before you know it, and did we mention it is a virtually painless procedure?

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that the removal of cancer-causing polyps during a colonoscopy reduces the chance of death from colorectal cancer by 53 percent. Colon cancer is more serious and more common than you might think. A colonoscopy is painless. As you age, your risk of developing colon cancer increases. Colon cancer is on the rise among those younger than 45 , and the reason for this is unclear.

A history of adenomatous polyps adenomas increases the risk of developing colon cancer. This is especially true for those who have had large polyps, many polyps, or if any of them show dysplasia.

After polyps are found and your results determined, your gastroenterologist will recommend a screening schedule based on your individual risk. Those who have survived colon cancer, even if it was completely removed, are more likely to develop new cancers in the colon. Those who had their first colorectal cancer when they were younger are even more likely to develop new cancers.

Though most colon cancers are found in those without a family history, as many as one-third of people with colon cancer have family members who also had it. Having a first-degree relative parent, sibling, or child with a history of colon cancer increases the risk. That risk is even higher if the first-degree relative was diagnosed when they were younger than 50 or more than one first-degree relative has had colon cancer.

Higher colon cancer risk is also linked to having family members who had adenomatous polyps, the types of polyps that can turn into cancer. Cancers can occur in families because of genes, environmental factors, or a combination.