It sat on my “to-do” list for a long time.
Then I made an appointment for last July, but after a work conflict, I easily canceled it and put it back on the “to-do” list, where it sat for several more months.
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Then, for no specific reason at all, last fall, I called Michigan Medicine and once again made an appointment for my first colonoscopy.
That appointment was on a Tuesday this March, which happens to be Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in our country. More cases of colon cancer are showing up in younger people, which is why the screening age has been dropped from 50 to 45 for people with average risk.
While I’m not big into New Year’s Resolutions, for 2023, I am making it a priority to make and keep medical appointments for myself and my family. That meant this colonoscopy appointment was not getting canceled again.
Three days before, I had to stop eating popcorn, corn, beans, nuts, fruits with small seeds, tomatoes, and celery. No problem. Around the same time, I was telling people what I was doing, and I kept getting a similar response. At work: “Oh yeah, I need to do that.” At the gym: “I have to do that too.” On the sidelines of my son’s soccer game: “You’re not old enough for that yet, are you?”
Yes, I’m old enough, and if I’m being honest, my first colonoscopy should have been a year ago. But I too kept saying “Oh yeah, I need to do that.”
The day prior to my procedure, I began the clear liquid diet. You can drink water, Gatorade, black coffee, carbonated soda, apple juice, broth, and Jell-O. I’m not a fan of Jell-O, but thank goodness for the broth because it got me through the day.
Then it was time to go home and start my bowel prep. I had to mix a powdered solution with four liters of lukewarm water. That night I had to drink half the solution and start doing so by 6 p.m. The instructions said drinking an eight-ounce glass every 15 minutes.
I’m not going to lie, drinking the bowel prep solution was difficult for me. It tasted awful, like bad Gatorade. I forced an entire glass down every 15 minutes, sometimes fighting the urge to gag. I chilled it, as the instructions recommended to make it easier to drink, but I don’t think it helped me. We won’t discuss what happens a short while later. You know.
Then, in the morning, I had to finish the solution. A new round of drinking eight ounces every 15 minutes. At one point, I did get sick, but I did finish it.
When I arrived at the Michigan Medicine location in Northville, checking in was quick and easy, and soon after, I was called back to change into a gown, get my vitals checked, and have an IV inserted. Everyone was very nice, giving me warm blankets and chatting about how much they love to shop and how they couldn’t understand why that wasn’t my favorite pastime too. It was a good distraction.
A nurse came and wheeled me to the procedure room where I met my surgeon. They walked me through the procedure before administering the drugs to put me out for the colonoscopy. I remember saying to my nurse, “You just gave me the Fentanyl, didn’t you …” And that was it. I woke up, and my first colonoscopy was complete.
At 46 years old, I was not too young to get this preventative procedure done. They removed three polyps including a larger one that required them to break it into pieces to remove. That means they recommend I return in six to 12 months for another colonoscopy to make sure they got it all.
A polyp in your colon is often benign, but they can grow over time and become cancer. This procedure and catching any polyps early can reduce your risk of developing colorectal cancer.
While I am not looking forward to gagging through the bowel prep so soon, it will be worth it to try to stay ahead of cancer.
I have a lot to live for, I’m a mom to an active teenager, a wife, I have family and friends and a job at Local 4 that is both demanding and very rewarding.
As March comes to an end, the awareness of colorectal cancer shouldn’t end. I’m sharing my first colonoscopy experience to hopefully let someone know if they have this screening sitting on their “to do” list, it’s time to make the appointment.
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