Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: Dispelling the Top 3 Fears

In honor of March being Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Charmaine Edwards, Board Certified Gastroenterologist at Red Bud Regional Hospital, dispels the three biggest fears about getting a screening colonoscopy.

Fear 1: It’s going to be embarrassing.

Truth: Your care is provided by professionals who value your health and privacy. Most of the focus is on the monitor in the room, not your backside.

Fear 2: It’s going to be painful.

Truth:  The colonoscopy procedure itself is performed with a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end. The patient is under sedation during the procedure. It is not painful.

Fear 3: I’m afraid to get the results.

Truth: This is a common fear, but the goal is to protect yourself by having preventative screenings when your doctor recommends it. We want to identify diseases in the early stages so treatment is more effective and curative.  Lives are saved every year from this preventive screening. 

A screening colonoscopy is recommended for people 45 years and older or for people with a family history of colon cancer.