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.

Dress in Blue, Presidential Proclamation & Screening Day

On February 28th, 2014, President Barack Obama proclaimed March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and said, “I encourage all citizens, government agencies, private businesses, non-profit organizations, and other groups to join in activities that will increase awareness and prevention of colorectal cancer.” (Click for full Proclamation)

In an effort to raise awareness for colon cancer, today (the first Friday of March) is National Dress in Blue Day.  Why Blue you ask?  According to the Colon Cancer Alliance , “the nationally-recognized blue star represents the eternal memory of the people whose lives have been lost to the disease and the shining hope for a future free of colon cancer.”

In addition to National Dress in Blue Day, March 7th, 2014 is also National Colonoscopy Screening Day! Click to watch a video to learn what a colonoscopy screening is really like.  Here’s a hint: it’s much easier than you are imagining. 

  • Colorectral cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
  • Your likelihood is 1 in 20 (this will vary based on family history, first degree relatives, and lifestyle)
  • 136,000: the number of new cases of colorectal cancer each year in the U.S.
  • 1 in 3 American adults (roughly 23 million) aren’t screened for colon cancer, as recommended.
  • Colon cancer is 80% curable when detected early, and most colon cancers can be prevented with appropriate screening.
  • Colon cancer claims more than 50,000 Americans each year.
  • The recommended age for a screening is 50, however, if you have a family history of colon cancer, your first screening should be 10 years before the relative was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Please call Granite Peaks Gastroenterology to get scheduled for your colonoscopy, if not for you, do it for those you love.  

Phone: (801) 619-9000 or simply request an appointment by clicking here

Happy Colon Cancer Awareness Month!

Welcome to March, National Colon Cancer Awareness Month!

  • Colon Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
  • On average, your risk is about 1 in 20 (varies according to individual risk factors, i.e., family history)
  • 90% of new cases occur in people 50 or older, however, colon cancer does not discriminate and can happen to men and women at any age. Colonoscopy screening at this age is crucial.
  • People with a first-degree relative (parent, sibling or offspring) who has colon cancer have two to three times the risk of developing the disease.
  • Currently, there are more than one million colon cancer survivors in the U.S.

Upcoming Events:

Granite Peaks Gastroenterologist, Dr. Kyle Barnett will be doing interviews on throughout March to raise awareness for colon cancer.

  • March 11th: Channel 4 mid-day
  • March 13th: Channel 2 afternoon
  • March 19th: Channel 5 afternoon

Granite Peaks Gastroenterology accepts all insurance plans and performs screening colonoscopies at the following locations:

Schedule your life-saving procedure by calling (801) 619-9000, then press number 1 when prompted. You can also request an appointment by clicking here. Someone will contact you within 24 hours of submitting your request. Schedule an appointment today, if not for you, do it for those you love. 

Learn about our Endoscopy Center by clicking here.

Let My Heartache Be Your Wake-Up Call

“I miss his hands. He had these really strong, loving hands that always made me feel safe. When I see others with similar hands, I always think of my dad,” reflects Jenny Chavez, who lost her dad, Joe, to colon cancer four years ago. “He really should still be here. We still need him,” adds Jenny, who regrets that they were not more aware of this kind of cancer and how easy it is to prevent.

Joe was the loving patriarch of a family that included six kids and a plethora of grandchildren as well as stepchildren and step grandchildren. He babysat his grandchildren and surprised them with mini-adventures. Jenny’s son, Cameron, was always close to his grandfather’s side. “Dad called Cameron his little sidekick,” recalls Jenny, pointing out her dad’s enthusiasm for family road trips and adventures hiking or riding snowmobiles or four-wheelers. “He embraced life and loved his life,” says Jenny. “He worked hard and played hard always including his family.”

Despite Joe’s enthusiasm for life, he was stubborn about going to doctors. “He was a tough guy and always had the attitude of ‘I’m fine, I can handle this,’” admits Jenny. She attributes some of his hesitancy to seeking out medical care to being self-employed and scarce health insurance options. Joe was an electrical contractor. It was only when Jenny found him at home, feverish and sick and barely being able to walk, that she got him to the hospital. He was diagnosed with diverticulitis and an infection had formed; when the doctors went to drain the abscess they found a tumor. He had Stage 4 colon cancer and passed away four years later at 60.

“If he had gone in for a colonoscopy at 50, which would have been six years prior to the diagnosis, I honestly believe that it would have saved his life or at least caught the cancer earlier allowing for a better prognosis.” Jenny laments that she knew so little about the importance of colon cancer screenings yet was well-educated and diligent regarding screenings for breast cancer. No one in her family had ever had colon cancer before.

“I would have really pressed my dad to get screened if I had been more educated,” says Jenny, who now reminds her brothers regularly to get screened as they approach 40 (the age appropriated to those with a family history). She herself has had three colonoscopies as a result of other conditions. “It’s so easy, especially considering the alternative. Watching my dad die was painful.” Jenny talks openly now with her children and other family members about the screenings and being more educated about the risks of colon cancer in their family. “My kids know as they get older that this is just something we do—it is part of the routine of how we take care of ourselves,” explains Jenny.

When Jenny misses her father—especially on his birthday or Father’s Day—she visits his grave or re-visits memories or meditates to be with him again. Grateful for what he modeled, Jenny has learned to live life in a similar way. Joe was a fair and honest man who put a high value on integrity and put 100% into everything. Jenny adds, “he showed up unconditionally for others; always available as a support system for others.”

“Taking care of yourself is not only about you; it is about everyone that surrounds you,” stresses Jenny. “If you were to be gone, how is that going to affect the people that love you?”

Let My Heartache be Your Wake-up Call is part of a Centers for Disease Control Campaign to build awareness about the importance of colon cancer screenings. 

 

March 8th: National Colon Cancer Screening Day

March 8th is National Colon Cancer Screening Day!

Colorectal cancer is most common in people 50 and older and those with a family history of the disease or a personal history of colorectal cancer, polyps or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Unfortunately, by the time symptoms are present, colorectal cancer can be in an advanced sage. The good news, however, is that colorectal cancer is highly survivable… if it is diagnosed and treated early.

Protect your health with regular screenings…
It can save your life!

Colorectal cancer generally begins as small noncancerous growths called polyps. But with regular screenings, our board-certified gastroenterologists can find and remove these polyps before they become cancerous.

The best defense against colorectal cancer is regular screenings. The American Cancer Society recommends routine colorectal screenings beginning at age 50, earlier for people with higher risks (such as family history). Because it allows direct visual examination of the inside of the entire colon, colonoscopy is considered the “gold standard” screening method.  Also, any precancerous polyps found during the screening can be removed during the procedure, preventing their progression to colorectal cancer.

Granite Peaks Gastroenterology accepts all insurance plans and can see patients in about one week for a colonoscopy screening.

Call (801) 619-9000 or schedule an appointment today!

Granite Peaks Media March!

Granite Peaks Commercial

Dr. R. Kyle’s Live TV Interviews:Granite Peaks Commercial Dr. Barnett
Granite Peaks has a local celebrity! Dr. Kyle Barnett, a Granite Peaks GI specialist, has been featured on several news stations and will have another live interview tomorrow, March 5th at 11:30am on Studio 5 (Channel 5). Be sure to tune in as Dr. Barnett answers colonoscopy myths.

Granite Peaks has also filmed a commercial! The big debut is tonight during the 6:30pm news on KSL 5 tonight, March 4th and will air all month long on ABC 4 and KSL 5.
The Spring Edition of ‘Your Health Matters’ Newsletter has been posted to our website and sent via email. If you’d to receive future newsletters by email, please click the link below!

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Ask Me Why I’m Blue – March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month!

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, a national acknowledgement to help stop the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The ‘Ask My Why I’m Blue’ campaign spans the month of March to observe and teach the public about colon cancer. March 1st is National Dress in Blue Day and the 8th is National Colon Cancer Screening Day.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 102,480 cases of colon cancer will be diagnosed and is expected to cause 50,830 deaths during 2013.

When to get screened:

1. If you have a family history of colon cancer, you should either have a colonoscopy 10  years before the age that your your family member was diagnosed or at 40 years of age, which ever comes earlier.

2. If you don’t have a family history, most people have their first screening colonoscopy
at age 50.

If it’s time for your colonoscopy, schedule today. Be healthy, be conscious, be preventative. If not for you, do it for those you love.

Call (801) 619-9000 for an appointment.

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