Last week, I was able to check off something that has been on my to-do list for 19 years!
To be entirely truthful, as a more than mildly neurotic type A first-born physician daughter, it has been on my list of things to make my mother do for almost two decades.
She did make a few attempts to follow her doctor's advice to screen for colon cancer over those years. That was her explination for the dozen or so "stool test cards" that I found stashed in the back of her nightstand. She said she knew screening was important enough not to throw them away. Hmmm...
After all, her children co-authored the book "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time!" She has heard the statistics. According to the CDC, 60 percent of colon cancer deaths could be prevented through timely screening.
So - why now? She made the appointment before the recent news report that the cancer death rate is decreasing largely due to screening colonoscopies. I could argue that it was the influence of the cute young male physician she is seeing - who looks to be closer in age to her oldest grandson than her daughter (that's me.) It could be that she actually read our book cover to cover, and wants to hang around for her grandsons that adore her. But, knowing my Mom, it was a reason to break up the monotonous winter months with a celebration. Colonoscopy Party!
Sitting in the waiting room amidst other "designated drivers" was an experience unto itself. Unlike a typical doctors office where eyes seldom meet, it was more like a book club experience. Conversation flowed fluently. Watching people leave the waiting room with relief spread across their faces (both the patients and the drivers), reminded me of that solaceful look on kids faces as they throw their caps in the air at high-school graduation. Something was completed, and they could move on and forward to the next step in their lives. As for my mother, she looked like she had just competed her PhD! One small polyp later, she can move on. Ten years if it was a hyperplastic polyp, five if it was an adenomatous (pre-cancerous) polyp, before she has to let the thought of scheduling a colonoscopy clutter her busy mind again.
Perhaps if we recommended colonoscopies be followed with a celebration - like graduation - fewer people would be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, and many would have polyps removed even before they become cancerous. Just think, the greeting card industry could play a role in cancer prevention!
For more information on cancer prevention, visit our web site, and make sure to read our book, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer."
To be entirely truthful, as a more than mildly neurotic type A first-born physician daughter, it has been on my list of things to make my mother do for almost two decades.
She did make a few attempts to follow her doctor's advice to screen for colon cancer over those years. That was her explination for the dozen or so "stool test cards" that I found stashed in the back of her nightstand. She said she knew screening was important enough not to throw them away. Hmmm...
After all, her children co-authored the book "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time!" She has heard the statistics. According to the CDC, 60 percent of colon cancer deaths could be prevented through timely screening.
So - why now? She made the appointment before the recent news report that the cancer death rate is decreasing largely due to screening colonoscopies. I could argue that it was the influence of the cute young male physician she is seeing - who looks to be closer in age to her oldest grandson than her daughter (that's me.) It could be that she actually read our book cover to cover, and wants to hang around for her grandsons that adore her. But, knowing my Mom, it was a reason to break up the monotonous winter months with a celebration. Colonoscopy Party!
Sitting in the waiting room amidst other "designated drivers" was an experience unto itself. Unlike a typical doctors office where eyes seldom meet, it was more like a book club experience. Conversation flowed fluently. Watching people leave the waiting room with relief spread across their faces (both the patients and the drivers), reminded me of that solaceful look on kids faces as they throw their caps in the air at high-school graduation. Something was completed, and they could move on and forward to the next step in their lives. As for my mother, she looked like she had just competed her PhD! One small polyp later, she can move on. Ten years if it was a hyperplastic polyp, five if it was an adenomatous (pre-cancerous) polyp, before she has to let the thought of scheduling a colonoscopy clutter her busy mind again.Perhaps if we recommended colonoscopies be followed with a celebration - like graduation - fewer people would be diagnosed with late-stage cancer, and many would have polyps removed even before they become cancerous. Just think, the greeting card industry could play a role in cancer prevention!
For more information on cancer prevention, visit our web site, and make sure to read our book, "Avoiding Cancer One Day At A Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer."
