If you feel ill with fever, flu-like symptoms or respiratory illness, please call us to reschedule your appointment. Please Do Not Bring Children Under age 16 to Appointments.
If you feel ill with fever, flu-like symptoms or respiratory illness, please call us to reschedule your appointment. Please Do Not Bring Children Under age 16 to Appointments.
Gastroenterology Condition
At Granite Peaks Gastroenterology, the health and well-being of our patients drive our practice, especially when it comes to serious conditions like colon cancer. Our experienced team of gastroenterology specialists is adept at diagnosing this challenging disease.
It is recommended to start routine screening at the age of 45 or younger, if you have a family history of the disease.
Colon cancer, a type of cancer that begins in the large intestine (colon), is among the most commonly diagnosed cancers. It typically affects older adults, although it can occur at any age. The early stages of colon cancer often present with minimal, if any, symptoms. This makes regular screening vital, particularly for those over the age of 45, or younger if they have a family history of the disease. At Granite Peaks Gastroenterology, we emphasize the importance of early detection. Our specialists utilize a colonoscopy screening, still considered the gold standard for colon cancer detection, to identify and remove colon polyps before they develop into cancer.
Prevention is key. Research shows that colon cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer. With a rise in colon cancer among younger adults, it is important to remain vigilant about your health and discuss any symptoms or known family connection to the disease with your doctor.
Most of the time, patients don’t experience symptoms with colon cancer until it is quite advanced.
Knowing your family history and whether it puts you at a higher risk of developing cancer is important. Consider these risk factors as you plan to schedule your colon cancer screening:
Additionally, people may ignore symptoms or changes in their GI health that should be evaluated by a gastroenterologist to rule out serious illness, such as:
A colonoscopy allows the doctor to perform a visual examination of the inside of the entire colon.
The doctor may take biopsies from the lining of the colon and send them to pathology to determine what is causing symptoms.
If polyps are found during a colonoscopy, the doctor will remove them and send them to pathology for testing to determine whether they are benign, precancerous or cancerous. The lab tests provide accurate information for the doctor whether they are diagnosing colon cancer, determining an increased possibility of cancer or determining there is no present risk to the patient.
During a colon cancer screening, your gastroenterologist is looking for polyps, which can look like a tiny, flat growth on the lining of the colon or they could be larger and have additional growths on them, looking like a tiny tree or mushroom. Any polyp is suspicious, but most polyps do not necessarily lead to a colon cancer diagnosis.
Like all cancers, early detection is critical, which is why regular colon cancer screening is so important.
In most cases, the removal of polyps is the only treatment required. Removing polyps stops them from developing into cancer.
If a colon cancer diagnosis is made, patients will be instructed to see an oncologist for the appropriate treatment for their type of cancer. Depending on the diagnosis and the type and stage of the disease, the oncologist will suggest the appropriate therapy and treatment for the best possible outcome. Regular, follow-up colonoscopies with a gastroenterologist to watch for new polyps are usually part of the care plan.
Granite Peaks Gastroenterology is dedicated to offering exceptional digestive health care and is committed to preventing and detecting colon cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in men and women combined in America. Screening by colonoscopy can prevent cancer by finding precancerous growths at an early stage. During screening, a doctor looks for polyps (abnormal tissue growth) or cancer. If polyps are found, they can be removed immediately. Precancerous polyps are removed before they have the opportunity to develop into cancer.
The colonoscopy normally takes about 20-30 minutes. If polyps are found, the doctor will remove each one, properly preserving it for laboratory testing. This can take another 5-15 minutes, depending on the number of polyps.
Bowel preparations are chosen after speaking with the patient and determining whether there are health risks preventing them from using certain preps.
There are over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription preps available. OTC options work for most patients, are usually less expensive, and may be ordered as a one-day or two-day preparation, depending on the patient’s bowel habits.
The doctor may have a preference they feel is most effective, but they will also consider patient preference if the patient has normal bowel patterns and no adverse health considerations.
The following is an example of one of the bowel preparations we sometimes use. There are additional instructions on our resources page. We offer video instructions of our most common colonoscopy preps in English and Spanish on our YouTube channel found here.
A couple of days before, purchase the supplies to prep for the procedure, which consist of a box of Dulcolax laxative tablets, a 238-gram bottle of MiraLAX and a 64-ounce bottle of Gatorade (sugar-free or regular, or something similar). Just don’t choose anything red or purple, as that can alter the visual exam of your colon.
The morning before the procedure, stop eating solid foods and dairy products, until after your procedure. Drink 64 ounces of clear liquids throughout the day and evening, in addition to your bowel prep mixture. At 4 p.m., take four of the Dulcolax laxative tablets. At 5:30 p.m., you can prepare and drink the bowel prep. To do so, just mix the MiraLAX with the Gatorade (or other clear drink you chose). Drink half of the solution over the next two hours. Set aside the rest of the solution for the next morning. It’s important to stir or shake the solution well before each time you drink the solution to ensure you’re getting an even dose of the MiraLAX.
4 hours before your arrival time, drink the remaining Gatorade and MiraLAX solution (ensuring to shake or stir it well) within two hours. Take your regularly prescribed medications, except diabetic medications no less than 2 hours before your arrival time. If you’re diabetic, don’t take your insulin or oral medication. Instead, bring your morning blood sugar reading with you to the appointment. And if you use an inhaler, please also bring that to your appointment.
Two hours before your arrival time, do not drink or ingest anything else. This includes water, ice and gum. Arrive on time and we will take it from there.
Granite Peaks Gastroenterology serves the communities along the Wasatch Front. Our Board Certified Doctors and Certified PA GI Specialists include:
Certified Gastroenterology Locations
Our Services
Resources
Available Language Assistance
