Wade Hayes poses for a publicity shot before his diagnosis. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Country singer Wade Hayes was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in November Hayes is 42 years old and has no family history of gastrointestinal disease Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women (CNN) — He thought the bleeding was a hemorrhoid, brought on by a strenuous weightlifting session at the gym. He thought the fatigue was due to his life on the road, performing coast-to-coast with the band Alabama’s lead singer, Randy Owen. He thought at 42, he was too young to get a colonoscopy. Then the excruciating pain hit. Wade Hayes, the country musician best known for his No. 1 hit “Old Enough to Know Better,” spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. His intestine had collapsed in on itself — a condition called intussusception. Intussusception blocks food and liquid from passing through the intestine and cuts off the blood supply to the rest of the digestive tract, according to the Mayo Clinic. Normally found in children, it’s rare in adults unless caused by an underlying condition. For Hayes, that underlying condition was stage IV colon cancer. Doctors discovered a large tumor had caused the collapse. And that wasn’t the end of the bad news. You just don’t expect a man in his young 40s, who was perfectly healthy in every other way, to get this kind of diagnosis.Mike Robertson, Hayes’ manager The cancer had metastasized, or spread. Surgeons removed approximately 70% of Hayes’ liver and more than 20 inches of his large intestine. “You just don’t expect a man in his young 40s, who was perfectly healthy in every other way, to get this kind of diagnosis,” says Hayes’ manager, Mike Robertson. “There was a part of me that was going, ‘Surely this can’t be happening.’ ” Colorectal cancer — often referred to as colon cancer — is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s also the most preventable. Colorectal cancer usually develops slowly, over the course of 10 to 15 years, from noncancerous polyps. Approximately 90% of new cases occur in people over the age of 50. The American Cancer Society recommends colonoscopies every 10 years for people beginning at that age, unless they have high risk factors such as a family history of colorectal cancer or another gastrointestinal disease. Colonoscopies can spot and remove polyps before they become malignant. Coming clean about my first colonoscopy “Oftentimes, [colorectal cancer] has no symptoms,” says Dr. Paul Limburg, a gastrointestinal cancer prevention specialist at the Mayo Clinic who has not treated Hayes. “The most important message is that people really should understand that screening should be done regularly. It could make a substantial difference in the number of lives saved.” Hayes had no family history of gastrointestinal disease, which is one of the reasons he ignored his symptoms for so long. In fact, when he walked into the hospital in November, he was in better shape than everyone in the waiting room, Robertson remembers. Since then, Hayes has lost 50 pounds and is struggling to regain a sense of normalcy through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. He’s fighting an uphill battle — a 2004 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute estimated the five-year survival rate for stage IV colon cancer to be 8.1%, and an institute study of cancer data put the survival rate at 6%. “It hurts like hell,” Hayes says of his recovery. “I always thought of myself as a man’s man, but I just discovered what a wuss I am.” Wade Hayes performs at the Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer benefit on March 6, 2012. Thankfully, Hayes is anything but alone in Nashville. Willie Nelson called from Hawaii to wish him well. Kix Brooks helped him connect with the best doctors in the city. Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts arranged for a private room at Vanderbilt hospital. “That part of it has been really shocking for me. I had no idea how many people cared about me or even knew I existed.” Robertson says that’s the kind of person Hayes is — modest to a fault; an introvert who enjoys reading detective dramas and has no desire to just sit around. Hayes lives with his dog, Jack, a boxer he found as a stray, eating out of the garbage at a filling station 75 miles from Nashville. He loaded the starving, tick-covered dog into the back of his truck and took him home, where Jack proceeded to chew on everything in sight. “He’s very lovable but a pain the ass — just like me,” Hayes says with a laugh. Hayes’ scans were clear of tumors in early March. But the musician still has four more months of chemotherapy to go. Chemo has left his hands and mouth incredibly sensitive. Food tastes funny, and touching anything cold feels like “being electrocuted.” Some days, he has trouble gripping his guitar. He performed at the Stars Go Blue benefit concert for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month on March 6 but had trouble singing because of the chemo’s effects on his vocal cords. If I had caught it early, I wouldn’t be where I am now.Wade Hayes He’s eager to get back to writing music, but the chemotherapy chemicals invading his body make it difficult to concentrate. “He’s seen something taken away that he’s very passionate to get back to,” Robertson says of Hayes’ impatience. “He’s always bounced back from everything. I think he thought he’d have the surgery, and then. … The recovery has taken longer than he expected.” Still, Hayes is doing his best to help the process along. Studies have shown that environmental and dietary factors can influence your risk of colorectal cancer, according to Limburg. A low-fat, high-fiber diet is good, as is regular exercise. “In general, things that are healthy overall, are healthy for your colon,” Limburg says. So Hayes is eating less red meat, more fruits and vegetables. He’s sold his house in the city and is hoping to buy a small farm in the country. Most importantly, he’s speaking out about getting screened early and often. “If I had caught
Tag Archives | colorectal
Musician battles stage IV colon cancer
Wade Hayes poses for a publicity shot before his diagnosis. STORY HIGHLIGHTS Country singer Wade Hayes was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in November Hayes is 42 years old and has no family history of gastrointestinal disease Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women (CNN) — He thought the bleeding was a hemorrhoid, brought on by a strenuous weightlifting session at the gym. He thought the fatigue was due to his life on the road, performing coast-to-coast with the band Alabama’s lead singer, Randy Owen. He thought at 42, he was too young to get a colonoscopy. Then the excruciating pain hit. Wade Hayes, the country musician best known for his No. 1 hit “Old Enough to Know Better,” spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. His intestine had collapsed in on itself — a condition called intussusception. Intussusception blocks food and liquid from passing through the intestine and cuts off the blood supply to the rest of the digestive tract, according to the Mayo Clinic. Normally found in children, it’s rare in adults unless caused by an underlying condition. For Hayes, that underlying condition was stage IV colon cancer. Doctors discovered a large tumor had caused the collapse. And that wasn’t the end of the bad news. You just don’t expect a man in his young 40s, who was perfectly healthy in every other way, to get this kind of diagnosis.Mike Robertson, Hayes’ manager The cancer had metastasized, or spread. Surgeons removed approximately 70% of Hayes’ liver and more than 20 inches of his large intestine. “You just don’t expect a man in his young 40s, who was perfectly healthy in every other way, to get this kind of diagnosis,” says Hayes’ manager, Mike Robertson. “There was a part of me that was going, ‘Surely this can’t be happening.’ ” Colorectal cancer — often referred to as colon cancer — is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s also the most preventable. Colorectal cancer usually develops slowly, over the course of 10 to 15 years, from noncancerous polyps. Approximately 90% of new cases occur in people over the age of 50. The American Cancer Society recommends colonoscopies every 10 years for people beginning at that age, unless they have high risk factors such as a family history of colorectal cancer or another gastrointestinal disease. Colonoscopies can spot and remove polyps before they become malignant. Coming clean about my first colonoscopy “Oftentimes, [colorectal cancer] has no symptoms,” says Dr. Paul Limburg, a gastrointestinal cancer prevention specialist at the Mayo Clinic who has not treated Hayes. “The most important message is that people really should understand that screening should be done regularly. It could make a substantial difference in the number of lives saved.” Hayes had no family history of gastrointestinal disease, which is one of the reasons he ignored his symptoms for so long. In fact, when he walked into the hospital in November, he was in better shape than everyone in the waiting room, Robertson remembers. Since then, Hayes has lost 50 pounds and is struggling to regain a sense of normalcy through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. He’s fighting an uphill battle — a 2004 study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute estimated the five-year survival rate for stage IV colon cancer to be 8.1%, and an institute study of cancer data put the survival rate at 6%. “It hurts like hell,” Hayes says of his recovery. “I always thought of myself as a man’s man, but I just discovered what a wuss I am.” Wade Hayes performs at the Stars Go Blue For Colon Cancer benefit on March 6, 2012. Thankfully, Hayes is anything but alone in Nashville. Willie Nelson called from Hawaii to wish him well. Kix Brooks helped him connect with the best doctors in the city. Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts arranged for a private room at Vanderbilt hospital. “That part of it has been really shocking for me. I had no idea how many people cared about me or even knew I existed.” Robertson says that’s the kind of person Hayes is — modest to a fault; an introvert who enjoys reading detective dramas and has no desire to just sit around. Hayes lives with his dog, Jack, a boxer he found as a stray, eating out of the garbage at a filling station 75 miles from Nashville. He loaded the starving, tick-covered dog into the back of his truck and took him home, where Jack proceeded to chew on everything in sight. “He’s very lovable but a pain the ass — just like me,” Hayes says with a laugh. Hayes’ scans were clear of tumors in early March. But the musician still has four more months of chemotherapy to go. Chemo has left his hands and mouth incredibly sensitive. Food tastes funny, and touching anything cold feels like “being electrocuted.” Some days, he has trouble gripping his guitar. He performed at the Stars Go Blue benefit concert for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month on March 6 but had trouble singing because of the chemo’s effects on his vocal cords. If I had caught it early, I wouldn’t be where I am now.Wade Hayes He’s eager to get back to writing music, but the chemotherapy chemicals invading his body make it difficult to concentrate. “He’s seen something taken away that he’s very passionate to get back to,” Robertson says of Hayes’ impatience. “He’s always bounced back from everything. I think he thought he’d have the surgery, and then. … The recovery has taken longer than he expected.” Still, Hayes is doing his best to help the process along. Studies have shown that environmental and dietary factors can influence your risk of colorectal cancer, according to Limburg. A low-fat, high-fiber diet is good, as is regular exercise. “In general, things that are healthy overall, are healthy for your colon,” Limburg says. So Hayes is eating less red meat, more fruits and vegetables. He’s sold his house in the city and is hoping to buy a small farm in the country. Most importantly, he’s speaking out about getting screened early and often. “If I had caught it early, I wouldn’t be where I am now.” For more information on colorectal cancer, visit Cancer.org.
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky I had a symptom. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a colonoscopy until I was at least 50 — and who knows how long I would have put it off after that. “Colon cancer is one of the few cancers that can actually be prevented, mainly because it goes through this polyp stage before it turns into colon cancer,” Yoon says. Given what he’d found, Yoon suggested that my younger brother also have a colonoscopy. Craig had his colonoscopy when he was 36; the doctors didn’t find anything. Two important people in my life, my husband’s stepfather and my trainer, have had colon cancer. For both of them, the
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky I had a symptom. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a colonoscopy until I was at least 50 — and who knows how long I would have put it off after that. “Colon cancer is one of the few cancers that can actually be prevented, mainly because it goes through this polyp stage before it turns into colon cancer,” Yoon says. Given what he’d found, Yoon suggested that my younger brother also have a colonoscopy. Craig had his colonoscopy when he was 36; the doctors didn’t find anything. Two important people in my life, my husband’s stepfather and my trainer, have had colon cancer. For both of them, the cancer was detected during routine colonoscopies. I thank God they were proactive about their health. Polyps are slow-growing and asymptomatic, Yoon says. The cancer can also be slow-growing and asymptomatic — until it starts spreading. “Usually once you start developing symptoms from colon cancer, things are way too late,” he said. Eating a high-fat diet, consuming red meat and smoking will increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer, as is a familial history of the disease. Doctors recommend exercising and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fiber. At Hopkins, researchers are looking into the role that curcumin – a spice commonly used in India – may play in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Preclinical and laboratory tests show it may be useful, Kalloo said. I’ve always loved curry, and I’m thinking about ways to incorporate this spice into our meals. But even if you play by the rules of healthy living, it’s important to get screened. “We have to do better,” Kalloo says. “Family care physicians and everyone who sees patients should ask someone over 50, ‘Have you had a colonoscopy?’ It’s just not a convenient test. Even physicians tend to procrastinate.” After Yoon called me with the results, I sent a thank you note to my family doctor, telling him how much I appreciated him referring me for a colonoscopy. Yoon’s office called me recently to set up another appointment. I’m not looking forward to it, but there’s no question I will do it again. Considering the alternative, I’d be crazy not to.
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky I had a symptom. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a colonoscopy until I was at least 50 — and who knows how long I would have put it off after that. “Colon cancer is one of the few cancers that can actually be prevented, mainly because it goes through this polyp stage before it turns into colon cancer,” Yoon says. Given what he’d found, Yoon suggested that my younger brother also have a colonoscopy. Craig had his colonoscopy when he was 36; the doctors didn’t find anything. Two important people in my life, my husband’s stepfather and my trainer, have had colon cancer. For both
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky I had a symptom. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a colonoscopy until I was at least 50 — and who knows how long I would have put it off after that.
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky I had a symptom. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had a colonoscopy until I was at least 50 — and who knows how long I would have put it off after that. “Colon cancer is one of the few cancers that can actually be prevented, mainly because it goes through this polyp stage before it turns into colon cancer,” Yoon says. Given what he’d found, Yoon suggested that my younger brother also have a colonoscopy. Craig had his colonoscopy when he was 36; the doctors didn’t find anything. Two important people in my life, my husband’s stepfather and my trainer, have had colon cancer. For both of them, the cancer was detected during routine colonoscopies. I thank God they were proactive about their health. Polyps are slow-growing and asymptomatic, Yoon says. The cancer can also be slow-growing and asymptomatic — until it starts spreading. “Usually once you start developing symptoms from colon cancer, things are way too late,” he said. Eating a high-fat diet, consuming red meat and smoking will increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer, as is a familial history of the disease. Doctors recommend exercising and eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and fiber. At Hopkins, researchers are looking into the role that curcumin – a spice commonly used in India – may play in reducing the risk of colon cancer. Preclinical and laboratory tests show it may be useful, Kalloo said. I’ve always loved curry, and I’m thinking about ways to incorporate this spice into our meals. But even if you play by the rules of healthy living, it’s important to get screened. “We have to do better,” Kalloo says. “Family care physicians and everyone who sees patients should ask someone over 50, ‘Have you had a colonoscopy?’ It’s just not a convenient test. Even physicians tend to procrastinate.” After Yoon called me with the results, I
My first colonoscopy experience
This x-ray shows the intestines of an unknown patient; a colonoscopy provides a much closer look. STORY HIGHLIGHTS March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month The lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20 Adults should be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50 (CNN) — In my 20s, after my doctor performed a laparoscopy to examine my uterus and ovaries, he gave me a videotape of the procedure. I dubbed it “Madame Ovary,” threw a party and screened it for my friends. Three years ago, when my doctor sent me to have a colonoscopy, the last thing on my mind was seeing footage from the exam. At 39, I was mortified about having a procedure that I associated with older people. I didn’t even want to talk about it, let alone see it. But March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m coming clean. While drinking two liters of liquid that tastes like dirty sea water to evacuate my bowels doesn’t rank highly on my list of things to do, neither does dying from colon cancer. And having a colonoscopy, although unpleasant and embarrassing, was one of the best things I have ever done for my health. Of all cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer — cancer of the colon or rectum — is the second-leading killer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is 1 in 20, and up to 150,000 new cases a year are reported in the United States, the American Cancer Society says. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that removing precancerous growths spotted during a colonoscopy can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer in half. More than 95% of tumors are detected during a colonoscopy. Lisa O’Neill Hill and her husband, Toby, pose for a photo at a dinner in 2011. Yet despite these statistics, people feel squeamish about the exam and tend to put it off. “It’s a potentially embarrassing procedure. It’s not like an eye exam in terms of personal exposure,” said Dr. Anthony N. Kalloo, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The American Cancer Society and the American College of Physicians recommend that adults be screened for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Doctors urge people with a family history of colon cancer to begin screening much earlier. I guess I’m an overachiever. While I don’t have a family history of that kind of cancer, I did have one of the common symptoms — bleeding, a change in bowel habits, weight loss, poor appetite, bloating and/or abdominal pain — that sent me running to my family doctor. He referred me to St. Jude’s Knott Family Endoscopy Center in Fullerton, California, for a colonoscopy. I can’t describe the pure joy I felt at receiving THAT news. I didn’t know too much about the procedure but what I did know sounded horrible. During a colonoscopy, a doctor examines the inside of the colon and rectum by inserting a colonoscope, a thin, flexible instrument that sends images to a TV screen or computer. In order for the doctor to do a thorough exam, the patient needs to prepare by fasting; I drank only liquids the day before the exam. He or she may also be required to chug down a solution that will … let’s just say keep them at home, near a bathroom. “It literally takes a whole day away from your life, where you could be doing normal things and instead you are drinking this bowel prep that is uncomfortable and that limits your social life,” Kalloo said. Following the instructions I was given, I started fasting the day before the procedure. I was restricted to certain fluids and particular colors of Jell-O (nothing red or purple.) I spent the morning longing for my usual massive cup of coffee and substantial breakfast and instead downed water, Gatorade and chicken broth. Around 5 p.m., the fun really started. I began drinking a liter of a polyethylene glycol (PEG) bowel prep. I had to down 8 ounces of this stuff every 15 minutes followed by 16 ounces of clear liquid. I drank another liter several hours later while trying not to vomit. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day. Dr. Gene Yoon, my gastroenterologist, concedes that for most patients, the preparation is the worst part. Yoon and other physicians now use magnesium citrate, which he said requires patients to drink less, is easier to tolerate and works just as well. By the time I arrived at the Knott Family Endoscopy Center the next morning, I was nervous and praying the worst was over. It was. I don’t remember anything past the point where I was sedated. An IV solution sent me into a “twilight sleep.” It also made me forget the procedure, which no doubt was for the best. When I woke up, I was groggy but I also felt incredibly well rested. I had only a small amount of discomfort, including abdominal cramping that doctors say is normal. The manufacturers said the solution was lemon-flavored; it really resembled a noxious mix of chemicals that I can still taste to this day.Lisa O’Neill Hill I don’t remember getting dressed or leaving the hospital. But in my daze, I asked my father to swing by Starbucks to pick up a cup of coffee and a sandwich. When I got home, I dozed for a few hours and that was that. Yoon called the next day with my results: He’d found and removed a 1.5 centimeter villous adenoma polyp from my sigmoid colon. After examining the polyp, Yoon estimated that there was a more than a 50% chance of that polyp becoming malignant. Yoon removed the polyp before that had a chance of happening. Of all the polyps, villous adenomas are associated with the highest mortality and morbidity rate. I consider myself extremely lucky
