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Scott Webb (Host):  Colorectal cancer is a potentially deadly disease, but lifestyle changes can help you prevent it and screening can detect it early when it’s small and easier to treat. My guest today is Stephanie Waller. She’s a Registered Nurse at the CGH Digestive Health Center.

This is the About Your Health podcast from CGH Medical Center. I’m Scott Webb. Stephanie, thanks so much for joining me today. How serious is colorectal cancer?

Stephanie Waller, RN, BCN, CGRN (Guest):  Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States. So, it happens quite a bit. That’s according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. So, it is one of those cancers that we really want to get in there and get in there early to take care of before they can become any worse. It affects all ethnicities, all racial groups, but you will find where there’s a really big commonality is where people get to be age 50 and over. So, statistically, that’s why that number was picked 50, because if you look back, that’s when most of these polyps are going to occur. So, that’s men and women. That sounds kind of what you would say dismal to be thinking about that, but there is good news. If people who are age 50 and older just got regular screenings at least 60% of deaths could be prevented. That’s one of the reasons I’m here today talking. I want to encourage everybody who hears this, they are hearing it for themselves, that they are encouraged to go out and get screened and that they encourage others in their lives who are at that age to also be screened. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself.

Host:  I’ve wondered why 50 is the magic age for screening. I know you said that screening saves lives but let’s go through the reasons why it’s so important.

Stephanie:  Screening is important because it’s the best way to prevent colorectal cancer. Just by doing those regular screenings that start at 50. That’s not the only time you are going to have a colonoscopy for that screening. There will be intervals, you will continue having them throughout your lifetime and depending on how your history is with polyps; some people are done when they are at age 80. We have a lot of patients who look forward to that time when okay, this is the last one, right? And that’s between the patient and the doctor but I see a lot when patients hit that age and they are not having a big colon polyp history, doctors will usually say, oh, I think it’s time, you wont have to do this. not saying you can’t have it; but they will usually say don’t feel like you have to have it done.

But getting back to why screening is important is it is important because that’s how we find polyps. And when we find polyps; that is the way – we remove them all. If we find any little polyp. It doesn’t matter if the doctor thinks it look cancerous or if they think it’s what they call a hyperplastic which is a benign not a harmful polyp. Regardless, the doctor will take them off because they can’t always be guaranteed by what they are looking at that it’s not a cancerous or a precancerous type of polyp. So, any polyps that get removed get sent to the laboratory for biopsy. So, this is how colon cancers start or most colon cancers start. They start as these abnormal growths that are called colon polyps and this is just a little bit of tissue that grows on the lining of the intestine or the large bowel. They can be removed before they become anything at all which getting at the cancers and that’s what we don’t want them to do. So, that’s why we take out whatever we find and then once patients are found to have possibly a cancerous polyp; we can almost be sure that it is going to be something that we’re finding in the early stages and that is when cancer treatment is its most successful.

According to the American Cancer Society; survival rates for cancers is like a very, very dramatic drop if they can do it at the beginning in the early stages. But once cancer spreads to other areas of the body; then the survival rates are not very good.

Host:  It seems like the consistent theme today for everybody is to get screened. Are there symptoms for colorectal cancer?

Stephanie:  Diarrhea when you are not used to having diarrhea. Or constipation when that’s not a normal thing for you either. If it lasts for two weeks or greater; that’s when a patient should see a doctor about it. Also if a patient notices a change in the way their bowels are looking, their stool is looking, change in the color. When you notice a change and it’s not going away, that is when you need to get looked at also as far as the bowels go. If you are having a cramping or abdominal pain that’s very, very steady, if there is blood in the stool itself or maybe rectal bleeding, also weightloss; that can be a sign of a colon cancer too.

Now, not saying anybody who has these things is definitely going to have colon or colon rectal cancer. But that is something that should be checked out. These are some of the commonalities that we find for people who have been found to have colon rectal cancers or these are the group of symptoms that come up often.

Host:  I know we all want to take your advice and get screened. So, in terms of CGH, how and where do we do that?

Stephanie:  Screenings start at the clinic. A patient must be seen by either the physician or we have some nurse practitioners, some physician’s assistants in the GI department at CGH Medical Center Clinic at Miller and Locust and that’s where it would start. 625-4790, ask for the GI department and you just have to let the receptionist know this is what I want to do, this is what I want to be set up for. And you will be seen probably within, I can’t say for sure, but probably within a month’s time a patient would be seen and then within a month after that, they would get their colonoscopy screening.

Host:  And just to clarify that number, we’ll give it again later is 815-625-4790 and CGH also has a state-of-the-art Digestive Health Center, right?

Stephanie:  That’s right, we do and that would be located over at the Medical Center, the main campus hospital. We are located here on the first floor. We have all the latest scoping equipment and supplies. We do other things too as far as the GI tract is concerned. We’ve got Dr. Rahsaan Friend and Dr. Jorge Monteagudo. They are very popular physicians. Our patients have a lot of confidence in them. Their patient ratings happen to be 4.8 stars out of 5. That’s a pretty good number.

Host:  I think you’re right, Stephanie. Trust is so important when it comes to this procedure in particular. I want you to tell our listeners about CO2 insufflation and how it’s used in colon screenings.

Stephanie:  It used to be patients would be injected, that’s what that insufflation means. It means air is pumped in, but it used to be just plain old air that got pumped in and it made it safer. It’s kind of like inflating the colon. And it made it safer for the scope to move through the colon. Because it would increase the lumen or the size. Think of crawling through a tunnel but you don’t want to go through a tiny, tiny tunnel. You want to be able to move through there freely and so that means we could do it safely. Something new that came along a few years ago, is where they started using CO2 or carbon dioxide insufflation in place of air. This is something that dissipates on its own within the colon and patients are very, very comfortable afterwards. Patients are sitting up right away. They are smiling. They are asking is it over? It is done? Did you do it?

So, yeah, they stay very comfortable that way. And again, it inflates the colon, makes it very safe for the scope to move through the colon and patients are very comfortable. It’s been a really good change.

Host:  Stephanie, I’m sure listeners want to know what can we do to prevent colorectal cancer?

Stephanie:  We can start getting screened at age 50 for male or female. And again, it doesn’t matter your ethnicity, racial, anything. Just please get in there at age 50, at least by age 50. Encourage your family members and friends to also get in and get screened. Stop smoking if you are already smoking. And please do stay away from secondhand smoke, that can be just as bad. Especially over a long term period of time. We find one of the commonalities with people who have colon cancers or who make a lot of polyps; are people who eat a lot of red meat, people who eat a lot of processed foods and processed meats, things like that. And then just a lot of physical activity, eating healthy, okay or better than what you are used to. It really is worth it. You’ll notice it in the caliber of your bowel movement, if you are more physically active. When your diet improves, that seems to improve also, how often a patient has a bowel movement. How easy they have a bowel movement. Those things really do help.

Those are the highlights of things that you can easily, easily do to take care of to prevent colon rectal cancer.

Host:  That’s all great information. Thanks Stephanie. It’s just so important for everyone to get screened at 50 and CGH can certainly help with that, right?

Stephanie:  Oh yes, definitely. We’re here. We really do want to help everybody, and we want to help as many people as we can honestly. The hardest part about having a colonoscopy is actually probably going to be the prep. Everything gets cleaned out of the colon. The doctor is able to see everything very clearly. That would probably be the most difficult part. The rest of it is actually quite easy. Patients come in, they have a very, very nice nap. We try to make people feel at home. I think we are a really friendly department. We really do enjoy our patients. We enjoy taking care of them. Afterwards, we get you something to drink. You can watch a little television. You have a few cookies. And you are on your way.

Host:  Thanks so much for your time today Stephanie. That’s CGH Registered Nurse Stephanie Waller. The CGH Digestive Health Clinic is located on the main campus of CGH Medical Center and our GI team see patients at the CGH Main Clinic. If you or someone you know would like to schedule an appointment with a CGH gastroenterologist, please call 815-625-4790 or visit www.cghmc.com/services/gastroenterology. This podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Please consult with your healthcare professional for specific recommendations About Your Health. Thanks and we’ll talk again next time.