A little grossness follows… bodily functions and the like. But maybe it’ll save someone’s life.
A little more than 15 years ago, my mom had colon cancer. Looking back at it, it really should have not been a surprise – this definitely ran in her family. However, my mom, like most people, never got checked for it.
The reason nobody gets checked for it is a colonoscopy (and the prep for it) isn’t the most pleasant thing to think about. And yes, a “colonoscopy” is exactly what you think it is. And since the view needs to be clear, the day before your procedure you can’t eat anything (save for broth and Jello… and I despise Jello). And, besides not eating, you have to drink this stuff that… yea.
Basically, I’m saying it’s not fun at all. Because I’m going through it right now – my last food was a Peanut Butter (JIF Creamy) and Jelly sandwich last night at midnight… it’s now 4:14pm as I type (and I’m an hour into drinking the “purging stuff”). I go in at 7am tomorrow. Let me tell you – there isn’t much worse than this. But I’m doing it. In fact, I do it every five years, because the doctors say since my mom had it, her kids are prime candidates. I’m 42, and this is my third one.
So, why am I telling you this? Because colon cancer is easily one of the most detectable forms of cancer out there. Early detection almost ensures not just survival, but a fairly simple removal (my mom survived, but it was a hell of a year in doing such – happily, she’s now 67 and healthy as a horse… ummm… the healthy kind of horse…. just saying I never got that expression.)
In fact, if you get the test, they can snip out whatever “polyps” they find, which could prevent you from ever getting the cancer in the first place.
So again, I’m mentioning this because maybe someone says “hey, if somebody as cool and awesome as Dan isn’t afraid to get this test (and publically say so), maybe I won’t be either”. At least that’s what I think they’ll say.
Now, not everyone who’s 42 needs to get this test – they say most people should get it around 50 – but if there’s family history (like mine), you should get it earlier. It’s a day of hell, but I’d rather go through that than what my mom went through.
Ok, I’d say “I gotta go”, but that’s a really bad pun. So I’ll just say “later” instead.