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Removing polyps early prevents the masses from continuing to grow and potentially becoming cancerous. It typically takes a polyp five to nine years to become cancerous.

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If any polyps are located, doctors will either snip them or burn them off, retrieving the growths to be biopsied. The procedure lasts about a half-hour to an hour. The vast majority removed are not cancerous, Polito stressed.

TIP Po 4: ly Ps

No polyps found. Youre clear to skip ahead one spaCE. If polyps were found

Doctors scout for polyps, fleshy masses growing on the lining of the colon or rectum. Usually, they are small lumps, anywhere from a quarter-inch to the size of an acorn.

move one space.

Patients shouldnt drive the day of the procedure because of the sedation, but can be back to work the next day in most cases. Or you can draw the whole I had a procedure thing out a bit and catch up on missed seasons of Breaking Bad.

ike eating liver, having a tooth pulled or cleaning the hair out of the bathtub drain, getting a colonoscopy just isnt something most people mark on their calendars with delight. First, theres the daylong, liquids-only fast (a drag). Then, theres the procedure itself which is, yes, a little gross. Its got stigma for sure, said Dr. Joseph Polito, a doctor at Albany Gastroenterology Consultants. But its really not that bad. Ick factor aside, the procedure is also a simple and low-risk way to help prevent colorectal cancer. So how do you make a dreaded but life-saving test fun? Turn it into a game board, of course. Theres nothing like a little competition over game night to make you forget whos putting a camera where.

By Kristen Brown

Youre doing good so far.

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You drove yourself? Go back to start and find someone to drive you. If you designated a driver

TIP 5: SCREENING
The ACS estimates that in 2013 there will be 102,480 new cases of colon cancer, 40,340 new cases of rectal cancer and about 50,830 deaths from colorectal cancer. And its a very preventable cancer, said Polito.

TIP 3: CANCER
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers that we have, said Polito. According to the American Cancer Society, about 1 in 20 people will get colon cancer in their lifetime.

skip ahead one space.

TIP RIS 2: K

A tube, known as a colonoscope, is inserted into the rectum and passed through to the colon. And its every bit as great as it sounds, but you dont know it because youre twilight sleeping. The tube is fitted with a camera that takes digital images and relays them in real time to doctors. And youll get a huge laugh from the guys when you sneak one of the images into that big PowerPoint at work.

ns! o i t a l u t a Congr
The test is over. See, it wasnt so bad. Be sure to schedule your next appointment, because you know you will put it off.

Complications during a colonoscopy are extremely low. Polito says the risk is about 1 in 500, or 1 in 1,000 for more serious complications like excessive bleeding or You are off in a perforated la-la land having the bowel. best sleep you have
had in weeks. Enjoy it!

TIP 1 : Age
The American Cancer Society recommends adults start receiving colonoscopies every 10 years beginning at age 50. Polito said that patients with a family history of polyps or who showed polyps on an initial screening should get screened every three to five years. For those with family members who died of colorectal cancer at a young age, screenings should begin 10 years before the age of the death of the family member.

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re: The day befoure,

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The patient is given an IV, usually through the hand, with a sedative, putting the patient into conscious sedation, or twilight sleep.

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