Almost all of us from birth received an invaluable gift - health.. As long as the body is working normally, people do not really think about what treasure they have.. However, life makes its own adjustments: constant stress, lack of sleep, irregular meals, deteriorating environmental conditions - all these factors affect our well-being in the most negative way.. And then there comes a moment when the body begins to protest against the barbaric treatment of it.. If you do not listen to the first bells, then you will have to pay a very high price for it, according to the online publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net I will not be unfounded and will give examples from the life of my family. My parents survived the siege of Leningrad, they had not the best time in the life of our country: the famine of war, post-war devastation, unsettled life in a crowded communal apartment, saving on food - this is not a complete list of what determined their living environment. By the age of fifty, my mother had a large “bouquet” of various diseases, among which were problems with the digestive system. She never went to the doctors, relying on the Russian “maybe it will carry over”. However, it did not pass. A few years later, she began to lose weight dramatically, there were pains in the intestines.. She still had to visit a doctor, the diagnosis was disappointing: rectal cancer. An operation was performed, after which metastases began, and after 6 months she died at the age of 57..

I never thought about the fact that if someone in the family died of cancer, then direct descendants have a high probability of finding the same disease in themselves.. Many years later, I began to experience all sorts of discomfort in my digestive system.. By that time, I already lived in the USA, and somehow I told my husband about my family inheritance. He grabbed his head and rushed to call the proctologist. When I came to the doctor, he asked me in detail about all the details, including about family illnesses of my parents.. When he learned that my mother had died of rectal cancer, he asked me when was the last time I had a colonoscopy.. I replied that I never did. The doctor's eyebrows became a "

Colonoscopy is a visual examination of the large intestine using a highly flexible endoscope equipped with a computer chip, LED, video camera and instruments capable of taking a biopsy, removing a polyp, giving an injection, etc.. Colonoscopy is preceded by preliminary preparation, the purpose of which is to clean the intestines as much as possible with a laxative electrolyte solution. This preparation did not seem too tiring to me, the only inconvenience is that it takes several hours, and you have to constantly be near the toilet.

The next day, early in the morning, my husband brought me to the hospital, where the doctor was to perform a colonoscopy.. I registered at the surgical department, showed my ID and health insurance. I was handed a pager and told that I could walk around, and when everything was ready, they would send a signal to the pager. Indeed, after 15 minutes the pager buzzed that it was time to go.. I was taken to a large hall, along the perimeter of which there were cabins with curtains.. They took me into one of these booths, there was a bed on which lay a shirt. My sister explained that I should change into a hospital " Then I lay down in bed, my sister brought a heated blanket and covered me.. It should be noted that it was a sultry June outside, and it happened in the state of Arizona. The sister was found to be talkative, she perkyly fitted a dropper, stuck oxygen tubes into her nostrils, fixed a pressure sensor on her finger.

Then, in tubes and wires, they brought me to the operating room, where they connected me to several monitors.. Finally, my doctor appeared, we exchanged greetings, and then I don’t remember anything. I must have been anesthetized.. When I woke up, everything was already over, they helped me get dressed, put me in a chair on wheels. I remember that all the time I tried to dodge this chair, because a lady of respectable years had to take me to her husband in the waiting room. I was uncomfortable that an elderly woman would carry a young aunt. My husband has already received a doctor's report and color photographs of my colon..

It turned out that with the help of colonoscopy, I was diagnosed with colitis (inflammation of certain areas of the inner lining of the large intestine), diverticulosis (hernial-like protrusions of the mucous membrane outside the intestinal wall) and two polyps that were removed during the procedure. The doctor gave me a prescription on what diet to follow.. The main emphasis was to be placed on plant foods containing many fibers.. It contributes to good intestinal motility and prevents the development of many diseases of the colon..

The doctor explained that drug treatment of colon polyps is useless. Any polyp found on colonoscopy should be removed and examined under a microscope.. Later, after digging through the literature, I found that patients with polyps have colon cancer much more often than people without polyps, so the timely removal of small, “harmless” colon polyps is the main measure for preventing colon cancer.. I can only add that the histological examination of my polyps showed that they are benign. I was ordered to repeat the colonoscopy examination after 3 years.

I recently had another colonoscopy. The inflammatory process of the intestine disappeared, diverticulosis was detected again, but to a much lesser extent, and two next small polyps were removed. The doctor's verdict is that I can do my next colonoscopy in five years.. This is my little victory!

So when should a colonoscopy be done

If there is a suspicion that a malignant tumor is developing in the colon.

If polyps have been previously detected, which may be precursors of cancer.

When monitoring colitis - an inflammatory process of the inner lining of the large intestine.

With diverticulosis of the intestinal walls, since protrusions (or pockets) are a source of infection due to the accumulation of feces in them.

With bleeding in the rectum, which can be caused by various reasons.

For abdominal pain and any discomfort associated with weight loss.

For chronic diarrhea or constipation or changes in stool consistency.

I wish all readers excellent health, but do not forget to treat yourself carefully and observe all the changes that occur in your body.. Timely examination will help you avoid big problems in the future..

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