In a recent blog post Seth Godin linked to a company that’s using colonoscopy awareness in its marketing. (“Wear your ass on your sleeve. Every purchase helps fund colonoscopies for the underinsured.”) From their mission statement.
Colonoscopies prevent colon cancer, they don’t just diagnose them early. This makes them the best cancer screening EVER, hands down. Unlike other diagnostic screening tests, a colonoscopy can also remove polyps in the colon that can grow into fatal tumors. Super inspiring, right? But many people are wary of the procedure because of how it’s been talked about for 50 years: “invasive”, “hassle”, “awful”. And maybe that was true in the past, but today, it’s more like a spa appointment than a scary hospital visit: it’s essentially a fast, a cleanse, and a nap!
You can request laxative pills instead of the dreaded “colonoscopy cocktail.” Fasting can include gummy bears, and the end flush is often calm, comfortable, and non-dramatic. So given the choice between a mildly unpleasant doctor’s visit or a potentially fatal diagnosis, we will back that ass up every time!
I’ve had two colonoscopies in the last two weeks (one was a sigmoidoscopy) and the prep wasn’t pleasant but a small price to pay for a life-saving procedure. The GI doc removed a small polyp (non-malignant) and biopsied a small mass (also non-malignant). A week from tomorrow I’ll have surgery to remove that bad boy before he has a chance to turn badder. Stay tuned.
