If you need an appointment for Sealy TX colorectal cancer screening, you can schedule one with our office. Perhaps you’re wondering what colorectal cancer is. It obviously sounds dangerous, considering it is a type of cancer.

However, there’s no need to panic just yet. Colorectal cancer is the term for cancers that occur in your colon or rectum. If you want to be specific, you can split colorectal cancer into either colon cancer or rectum cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. However, both colon and rectum cancers are entirely preventable. And, even if your doctor can’t prevent it, these cancers are treatable in their early stages.

With a simple screening procedure, your doctor can either catch early signs of cancer or completely prevent it. And the average risk factors only increase as you age. That’s why doctors recommend screening tests for it as you get closer to age 50. And, if your family has a history of cancer, you may want to get a screening test done even earlier, even if you’re in good health.

Sealy TX Colorectal Cancer Screening

One of the procedures for colorectal cancer screening is a colonoscopy. Essentially, the stomach doctor will use a hollow, thin tube with a built-in camera. They’ll insert it through your rectum and observe the inside of your large intestine and rectum.

What they’re on the lookout for are suspicious growths and tissue. Both colon and rectum cancers start as growth or lesions in the inner lining of your intestine or rectum. They can appear in two different forms: raised polyps or slight indentations.

Commonly, polyps are growths that are similar to mushrooms in appearance. They have stalks that attach themselves to the inner lining of your intestine or rectum. In some rarer cases, they won’t have stems and will grow as slight indentations.

If there is anything of the likes, they can remove the growths during the procedure. And, if they can’t, they can also take samples for a biopsy. They can tell you if it’s cancerous or not once the results come back.

In some cases, a doctor may not recommend a colonoscopy. Their reason may be because you have a preexisting health condition that stops you from getting one. But there’s no need to worry. There are also a few other cancer screening options.

These screening methods include stool tests, where the doctor will detect any abnormal signs of blood or DNA in your stool. Another method for those who can’t undergo a colonoscopy is a specialized x-ray.

This x-ray process may include you drinking a solution that’ll highlight the inner lining of your intestines and rectum under an x-ray. Or they may use a CT scanner to take various pictures of your colon and rectum, which the doctor will then piece together to see if there are any unusual growths.

Other Disorders and Diseases We Can Detect During the Screening

During the process of a Sealy TX colorectal cancer screening, the stomach doctor may also pick up signs of other disorders. Although they’ll primarily be on the lookout for signs of cancer, they may also see signs of other diseases.

Some stomach and digestive disorders show very similar symptoms. So colorectal cancer can share a symptom with an inflammatory bowel disease. Your doctor won’t know the exact disorder without running some tests first.

A few of the disorders your doctors can also catch with a colonoscopy screening are Crohn’s disease, inflammation, ulcers, infection, or hemorrhoids. Although your doctor can’t treat all of these during a screening, knowing about it will allow them to offer better treatment options afterward.

However, one of the disorders that your doctor can’t detect with a colonoscopy is irritable bowel syndrome. Although it may have overlapping symptoms with other disorders, it doesn’t change your bowel tissue. Since it doesn’t change anything internally, your doctor can’t detect it visually or with a biopsy.

The Prep and Process of a Colonoscopy

Procedures like colonoscopy reduce the need for surgery. Although a bit intrusive, there’s no need for the doctor to cut you open to inspect anything. And, since the doctor will give you a sedative, you shouldn’t feel anything during the procedure.

Honestly, the most unideal part of this procedure is the preparation necessary. Once you schedule an appointment, your doctor will prescribe you some laxatives and instructions that you’ll need to take the day before the procedure. This part is necessary for ensuring that there’s nothing in your system that can obscure the doctor’s vision during the procedure.

And, on top of that, you may want to change your diet for a bit before the appointment. A few days before the procedure, you should start eating a low-fiber diet. That means cutting out whole grains, nuts, seeds, dried and raw fruits, and raw vegetables from your diet.

The day before the procedure, you should stop eating solid foods. Try to consume only clear liquids. Clear broths or bullion, black coffee or tea, clear juice like apple or white grape juice are some of your options. You can even eat Jell-O or popsicles if you want.

As for the day of the procedure itself, you should keep up your diet from the night before. Once you only have a few hours left, stop eating and drinking anything.

Contact Our Office to Meet with a Certified Stomach Doctor

Colorectal cancers are preventable so long as your doctor catches them before it forms. The risk only increases as you grow older. That’s why screenings are recommended. Visit or call a trusted stomach doctor soon for routine screenings.

For medical procedures and screenings, you want to visit someone who you know is capable. In the case of medical specialists, you’ll want to visit someone who you know is certified. Dr. James Maher is a board-certified gastroenterologist with the American Board of Internal Medicine.

So please don’t wait until it’s too late. Prevent what your doctors can prevent. Schedule a Sealy TX colorectal cancer screening with the office of Katy Stomach Doctor James Maher today.

Sealy, Texas Fun Facts:

Sealy is part of Austin County, which, of course, is west of both Katy and Houston.
The city is named after George Sealy, a business tycoon who was a stockholder of the Gulf, Colorado, Santa Fe Railroad.
In 1881, Daniel Haynes started his now world-reknown mattress company, Sealy Mattress Company.
For more fun facts, visit Sealy’s official website.