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Anne and Julie's Story
Mother-daughter come to same conclusion: having a colonoscopy is really "no big deal".
Anne Livingston of Longmont didn’t realize that colorectal cancer is a “condition” just as common in women as it is in men. She only knew that screening for the cancer was a procedure that her forty-something-year-old daughter, Julie, had been forever nagging her to do.
“For years I tried talking her into a screening but she refused to budge,” explains Julie. “She kept putting it off because she thought the doctor might find something wrong. My dad died of colorectal cancer and the thought of getting bad news was very scary for her.”
So Anne went on avoiding the procedure—until Julie’s physician encouraged Julie to have her own screening done. While colonoscopies are generally recommended for all people at age 50, those with a family history, such as Julie, are encouraged to do so earlier.
“I had the procedure and couldn’t believe how painless it was. There’s nothing during or after the procedure that’s the least bit uncomfortable,” Julie says. “People who have had a colonoscopy should just go home, pick up the phone and tell all of their friends to not put it off.”
Luckily, Julie’s positive colonoscopy experience—and her thumbs-up screening results—was enough to turn Anne around. Anne went ahead and scheduled a screening colonoscopy.
As did Julie, Anne also learned that the experience wasn’t scary or overwhelming.
“It was silly that I had waited so long. I was acting like an ostrich with my head buried in the sand,” she now admits. “The procedure is really nothing. You don’t remember a thing. Even the new preparation drink isn’t bad. It’s a small quantity of solution and the flavor is palatable.”
Fortunately, Anne didn’t wait much longer to have her screening. The colonoscopy revealed four polyps—one precancerous—which were immediately removed.
“There are no warning signs for this cancer. And I always thought of it like prostate cancer, a man’s disease. I’ve since learned the truth,” explains Anne. “Now that my screening is over, I feel a sense of relief because I don’t have to worry.”
Julie is also relieved to know her mom doesn’t have colorectal cancer, thanks to the easy screening.
