Have you been recently searching for a Brookshire TX colonoscopy near me? Perhaps your primary care doctor told you to schedule a colonoscopy soon. Or maybe you heard it was just one of the medical screenings you should do when you’re older.
Often, doctors will recommend a colonoscopy to patients over 50, whether or not they have symptoms of anything. That’s because this exam is a way to check if patients have colon cancer or not.
Colon cancer, also called colorectal cancer, is more common and severe than you may assume. From the cancers that can affect both men and women, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S after lung cancer. With a colonoscopy screening, doctors can prevent colon cancer or catch it early.
If you’re searching for a medical office that can do colonoscopies, look no further. You can schedule an appointment now with the office of Katy Stomach Doctor James Maher.
What Happens During a Brookshire TX Colonoscopy Near Me
What is a colonoscopy exactly? It’s an exam stomach doctors use to detect changes or abnormalities in patients’ large intestine (the colon) and rectum. The procedure itself only takes about 30 minutes to an hour, sometimes even less than that.
So what happens during a colonoscopy? The doctor will insert a long, hollow, flexible tube, about the width of a pen, into the rectum. A tiny video camera is at the tip of the line, which allows the doctor to view inside your colon.
The doctor will gently push the tube inside your colon while taking pictures. They’ll pump small tufts of air to keep your colon open as they search for any signs of any cancer or polyps.
What are polyps? They’re growths of tissue within the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Some may lay flat against the lining; others have stalks. While most types of polyps aren’t cancerous, some types are more likely to be.
If they detect any polyps or abnormal tissue, they can remove them during the colonoscopy. They’ll send the tissue to a laboratory for a biopsy. Once the results come back, they can tell you if it’s cancerous or not.
Although the procedure may only take a portion of your day, you may want to take off the entire day from work. Even if it doesn’t take long, you’ll want to use the rest of the day to get over the effects of the anesthesia. You’ll also want someone else to drive you home after the exam for that reason.
How to Prepare
To prepare for a colonoscopy, you’ll need to follow a special diet and take a laxative the day before the procedure. Further, if you take certain medications like blood thinners, you’ll need to reduce your dosage or stop the medicine completely at least one week prior to your exam.
The day before your colonoscopy, your doctor will put you on a liquids-only diet. Generally, this means you’ll be able to have clear or opaque liquids. For example, you can have water or broth but not milk or tea. Further, you may not have any red liquids. Unfortunately, red-tinted liquids in your colon may be mistaken for blood.
In addition to a liquid diet, you’ll take a strong laxative. Most patients take the laxative in multiple doses throughout the day. This process can be draining, so you may want to request the day off.
If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or certain other health issues, your doctor will likely make adjustments to your medicines. Some medications can prevent your blood from clotting, which is a serious hazard for internal procedures. Typically, doctors reduce the medications or stop them completely.
What Colonoscopies Can Detect
May patients hear the word colonoscopy and immediately worry that their doctor is searching for colon cancer. However, colonoscopies detect many different diseases. In fact, they are often the only way a doctor can confirm a diagnosis.
Confirming Diagnoses
For example, your doctor needs to look inside your colon and intestines to determine whether you have conditions like Chron’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Further, certain levels of inflammation point to a specific type of condition. For example, colonoscopies can be helpful in confirming Celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. Technically, this disease can affect any part of your digestive tract, but it’s commonly found at the end of the small intestine and the start of the colon. Although there’s no known cure, the proper treatment can manage the symptoms.
Ulcerative colitis, like Crohn’s, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. It causes inflammation and ulcers on the colon’s lining. This inflammation happens when the immune system is overactive and attacks the body’s own tissue. This type of disease only affects the colon and depending on what type, it may be mild.
Colon Cancer Screening
Colonoscopies can be used to both detect and prevent colon cancer. Often, colon cancer develops from polyps. However, that’s not the only way it can grow. Sometimes it can form as abnormal cells in the rectum or colon’s lining. As cancer grows, it spreads on the rectum or colon wall, affecting blood and lymph vessels.
Usually, patients develop polyps before they develop cancer. Your GI doctor will be able to remove any polyps during a colonoscopy and test them.
There’s an easy way to prevent any symptoms or the worst from happening. Schedule a colonoscopy today. You won’t need to search for a Brookshire TX colonoscopy near me. Please get in contact with our staff at Katy Stomach Doctor James Maher today to schedule an appointment.
Scheduling an Appointment with Us
Often, doctors recommend getting a colonoscopy if you’re over age 50. It’s the most straightforward and surest colon cancer screening method that we currently have. Not only can it detect and prevent colorectal cancer, but it can also detect a few other diseases relating to the colon or rectum as well.
Please schedule an appointment with Katy Stomach Doctor James Maher today, and stop looking for a Brookshire TX colonoscopy near me.
Brookshire, TX Fun Facts:
- Brookshire is part of the Interstate 10 Energy Corridor.
- In 1946, Brookshire was incorporated, comprising of two different land divisions (from the town of Kellner and the town of Brookshire).
- The city was named in honor of Nathan Brookshire, a captain in the Texas Army who stormed and captured Bexar.
- For more information, visit Brookshire’s official site.