{"id":1495,"date":"2015-08-28T22:56:21","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T22:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/?p=1495"},"modified":"2019-02-06T14:00:54","modified_gmt":"2019-02-06T20:00:54","slug":"colonoscopy-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/colonoscopy-myths\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonoscopy Myths"},"content":{"rendered":"

Colon cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in this country. \u00a0Approximately 1 in 3 people who develop colon cancer die from this disease. \u00a0But colon cancer is preventable<\/strong>. \u00a0A screening can save your life!<\/strong> \u00a0So why have only two-thirds of Americans over the age of 50 been screened for a colonoscopy? \u00a0Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about colonoscopies which may discourage people from undergoing this life-saving procedure.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0It hurts.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0With the use of the sedative propofol, there is no<\/em> pain. \u00a0Most people say, “That was the best sleep I have had in years.” \u00a0There may be some mild cramping after the procedure which quickly goes away when you pass gas.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0The preparation is unpleasant.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0While many people say this is the worst part of the process, the fact is that bowel preps today really have minimal taste. \u00a0And you no longer need to drink an entire gallon. \u00a0Most preps are about 1\/2 gallon given in a split dose; half the night before the procedure and half the morning of the procedure.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0It is embarrassing.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0A colonoscopy is an invasive test. \u00a0But your doctor and nurse will do everything possible to ensure the most private, respectful, and modest experience for you.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0There are risks.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0When performed by specially-trained physicians (gastroenterologists), colonoscopies are extremely safe. \u00a0The risk of perforation (tear in the colon) is less than 1 in 1,000, and the risk of bleeding is less than 1 in 100.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0It takes too long. \u00a0I’ll miss too much work.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0You will need to arrive 45 minutes before your scheduled procedure to fill out paperwork, have an IV started, and give your medical history to the nurse. \u00a0The actual procedure only takes 15-20 minutes. \u00a0You will then spend 15-30 minutes in recovery. \u00a0So the total time you are at the medical facility is usually less than 1 and 1\/2 hours. \u00a0You are advised not to drive for 4 hours. \u00a0After that, it’s back to normal.<\/p>\n

Myth: \u00a0<\/strong>Colon cancer only affects men.<\/p>\n

Fact: \u00a0<\/strong>Men and women have nearly an equal risk of developing colon cancer.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0I don’t have any symptoms. \u00a0I’m not at risk for colon cancer.<\/p>\n

Fact: \u00a0<\/strong>Colon cancer starts as a precancerous growth in your colon called a polyp. \u00a0Most polyps don’t cause any symptoms. \u00a0A colonoscopy detects polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer.<\/p>\n

Myth:<\/strong> \u00a0It costs too much.<\/p>\n

Fact:<\/strong> \u00a0Medicare and Medicaid cover 100% of a screening colonoscopy if you are age 50 or older. \u00a0Almost all private insurances cover colonoscopies as well. \u00a0And even if you don’t have insurance, many physicians offer a private pay discount.<\/p>\n

Don’t delay. \u00a0Call the experienced specialists at Granite Peaks Gastroenterology and schedule your colonoscopy today<\/a>. \u00a0It could save your life. \u00a0Join the many who have said, “If I had known how easy this procedure was, I would have scheduled it a long time ago!”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Colon <\/a>cancer is the 2nd leading cause of cancer death in this country. \u00a0Approximately 1 in 3 people who develop colon cancer die from this disease. \u00a0But colon cancer is preventable. \u00a0A screening can save your life! \u00a0So why have only two-thirds of Americans over the age of 50 been screened for a colonoscopy<\/a>? \u00a0Unfortunately, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":1537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[72,332,60,365,350,352,206],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1495"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1495\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.granitepeaksgi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}