Open Access Colonoscopy: the easy way!
What is colon cancer screening?
“Screening” is a term used to describe a test for the early diagnosis of common cancers. Screening tests are ordered before symptoms develop. Colon cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA. The incidence is equal in both men and women. The current recommendation for colon cancer screening by the American Cancer Society is a colonoscopy at age 50 for Caucasians and 45 for African Americans. If there is colon cancer in your family, your first screening should occur 10 years before the age of diagnosis of your relative or age 40, whichever is youngest. Future exams are planned based on the findings. If a screening colonoscopy is normal and there are no other confounding factors such as a strong family history of colon cancer or specific gastrointestinal symptoms, the next exam would be recommended at 10 years.
What is a colonoscopy?
A colonoscopy is the procedure recommended by the American Cancer Society for colon cancer screening. There are 3 basic parts to a colonoscopy procedure. The day before the exam, you will follow a clear liquid diet; otherwise the day’s activities are unrestricted. That evening, you take medication that will induce diarrhea to cleanse the colon for the next day’s exam. The next morning you are brought to the designated facility where an IV is started and you are sedated in a monitored setting for the procedure. The procedure is simply the passage of a flexible thin tube with the camera on the tip through the large intestine or colon for inspection and potential removal of or biopsy of polyps or abnormal growths. Following the exam and a short recovery period, you are discharged home with your escort and are instructed to relax the rest of the day. Typically there are no restrictions after that.
Why should I choose colonoscopy for screening?
Colonoscopy is the “gold-standard” method for screening for colon for polyps and cancer. There is no better test for finding polyps, because colonoscopy examines the entire colon. Also, colonoscopy is the only test that allows us to remove all polyps from the colon. When performed at the appropriate intervals, colonoscopy may reduce your risk of colon cancer by up to 90%. In other words if you have an average risk for colon cancer, the risk can be reduced from 1 in 18 to as low as 1 in 180.
Aren’t there down sides to colonoscopy?
Yes. Colonoscopy is usually done with mild sedation (twilight sleep) and takes about 30 minutes. Most patient’s are pleasantly surprised by how simple and painless the procedure is. The biggest complaint is the laxative preparation the night before, which may sometimes cause nausea, vomiting, bloating and abdominal cramps in addition to the expected diarrhea and urgency to reach the bathroom. When you arrive for the procedure, you will need an IV catheter placed in your arm or hand. If you and your Doctor choose to use sedation during the procedure you will be required to wait in the recovery room for about an hour after the test, and you will not be allowed to drive, use dangerous machinery or be responsible for others for the remainder of the day. You will lose a day of work (or play) and you will need to impose on someone to drive you home and be with you after the procedure. The risk of serious complications of colonoscopy is about one in 1500.
What is open access colonoscopy?
In order to make this effective and important screening procedure more easily accessible to everyone we have developed this open access colonoscopy program. The program is designed to allow well patients without significant gastrointestinal symptoms to have a colonoscopy without the inconvenience of a preliminary office visit. There are many groups across the country with similar programs and we believe it to be safe and appropriate for the right patients. To qualify, you must complete the medical questionnaire following. It is important that patients 65 and older have a history and physical on file with their primary care physician within 30 days of their open access colonoscopy. This can be easily obtained through your primary care provider. After your questionnaire is reviewed, you will be contacted and set up for either a colonoscopy or an office visit. Participation in the open access colonoscopy program is contingent upon preprocedure communication with the endoscopy clinic and a good colon prep.
How can I access the open access colonoscopy program at Winn Army Community Hospital?
If you’ve read over the above information and feel you would be a good candidate for this program, simply complete the short medical questionnaire below. It may be faxed or mailed to the general surgery clinic at:
Surgical Endoscopy Center: Open Access Colonoscopy Program
Winn Army Community Hospital
1060 Harmon Ave
Ft. Stewart, GA 31314
Fax: (912) 435-6999
