A colonoscopy from your gastroenterologists in Lehighton and Carbon county area can protect your health.
Have you thought about having a colonoscopy? Chances are you haven’t given it a lot of thought, but you should. A colonoscopy can save your life by preventing colorectal cancer. At LGA we have Dr.Ahmed Hasan, Dr. Andrew Schwartz, and Dr. Mahreema Jawairia, who are board-certified in Gastroenterology and perform colonoscopies locally.
Colorectal cancer can be deadly. In fact, it is estimated that over 49,000 people die of the disease each year, according to the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer is the third highest cause of cancer-related deaths. Having a colonoscopy can help prevent you from becoming a statistic!
So, who should have a colonoscopy?
People who are:
- Anyone over the age of 45 who has not had a colonoscopy before
- Abdominal pains
- Change of bowel habits with diarrhea or constipation
- Rectal bleeding
- Noticing blood in the stool
- People who have had colon polyps before need a repeat colonoscopy every 3 to 5 years
- People who have had a normal screening colonoscopy need a repeat colonoscopy every 10 years till age 75
- Anyone with a family member with colon polyps or colon cancer
- People with Ulcerative colitis or Crohn"s disease need regular colonoscopies
The colonoscopy procedure
During a colonoscopy, most people are sedated, so you will need to bring someone to drive you home after your procedure. A colonoscopy typically requires about 45 minutes, but because of sedation, you may be in recovery for one to two hours afterward.
Your gastroenterologist uses a colonoscope to do a colonoscopy. It’s an ultra-thin, flexible tube with a camera on one end. The colonoscope is inserted into your rectum and guided up into your colon and intestine. Your gastroenterologist can then view the inside of your colon and look for abnormal tissue or growths. If any abnormal tissue or growth is found, your doctor can remove it and send it off for a biopsy. The biopsy can determine whether the tissue is benign, precancerous, or cancerous.
Early diagnosis of colorectal cancer is critical to survival. The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can begin, and the better the outcome. To find out more about how a colonoscopy can protect you against colon cancer, call the gastroenterologists of Lehigh Gastroenterology in Lehighton and the Carbon county area at (610) 379-0443 now!