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JIM
I THINK AFTER MY LAST COLONOSCOPY I WENT DOWN TO THE
LOBBY, AND THERE'S A LITTLE STAND THAT SELLS COFFEE AND
DONUTS, AND I HAD A CHOCOLATE DONUT AND A CUP OF COFFEE
AS QUICKLY AS I COULD BECAUSE I FELT LIKE I WAS
MISSING SOMETHING.
YEAH, I'M OVERWEIGHT. MY BAD HABIT IS I EAT TOO MUCH.
I ENJOY FOOD, I ENJOY GOING TO RESTAURANTS, AND THAT COMES WITH
TRAVEL, AND I ABUSED MYSELF A LOT I'M SURE IN MY YOUNGER
YEARS.
I LED A GREAT LIFE, I HAVE NO REGRETS. WENT THROUGH THE 60'S
WENT THROUGH ALL THE CRAZINESS THAT GOES WITH THE 60'S, AND
THE 60'S, THE 70'S, AND JUST CONTINUED TOO.
I HAD THAT 'DON'T CARE' ATTITUDE BEFORE, 'IT'S NOT GONNA
'HAPPEN TO ME.'
YOU HAVE THIS SUPER WHATEVER YOU THINK YOU ARE.
MY DOCTOR, WHEN I WAS TOLD BY HIM TO QUIT SMOKING, I WAS
LAYING ON MY BACK LOOKING AT THE CEILING BECAUSE I WAS IN THE
EMERGENCY ROOM, I HAD A HEART ATTACK. AT THAT POINT I DIDN'T
KNOW WHAT I WAS HAVING. HE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID
'JIM I'M GONNA TELL YOU ONE THING RIGHT NOW, IF YOU GO BACK
'TO SMOKING I'M GOING TO GUARANTEE THAT WITHIN 1 YEAR
YOU WILL BE DEAD.'
I THINK THAT WAS A PRETTY GOOD WAKE UP CALL.
I HAVE NOT HAD A CIGARETTE GOING ON 10 YEARS NOW.
RIGHT NOW MY EXERCISE, IT'S, I GO ON A TREADMILL, I WALK
AND WALK FAST, AND THEY WANT 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR, WELL
A HALF HOUR IS ENOUGH.
WHEN I FIRST HEARD ABOUT COLON SCREENING, I WAITED ABOUT
3 YEARS.
AND THE REASON I WAITED 3 YEARS WAS, EVERYTHING IN LIFE WAS
MORE IMPORTANT.
WHEN I HAD MY FIRST COLONOSCOPY, THE DOCTOR SAID 'YOU DON'T KNOW
'HOW LUCKY YOU ARE.'
AND I SAID 'I DON'T UNDERSTAND.'
AND HE SAYS 'WELL WE FOUND 2 POLYPS, ONE VERY LARGE.'
WELL THIS OF COURSE SCARED THE HELL OUT OF ME.
WHAT'S EMBARRASSING ABOUT A COLONOSCOPY IS,
MOST MEN DON'T WANT AN INSTRUMENT INSERTED INTO THEIR
*** THAT'S PROBABLY 18 INCHES LONG OR SO.
I USED TO THINK ABOUT BEING AROUND NURSES AS EMBARRASSING,
BUT THIS IS THEIR JOB.
THERE'S GONNA BE NOTHING THEY HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE.
AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON UNLESS YOU'RE ONE OF THESE
PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SIT THERE AND LOOK AT THE CAMERA AND SEE
WHILE HE'S DOING IT, I'M NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
JUST GET ME IN, PUT ME ON THE SLAB, DO THE THING, AND GET
ME OUT.
I DON'T WORRY ABOUT A COLONOSCOPY ANYMORE AT ALL.
IT'S NOT THE MOST PLEASANT THING IN THE WORLD, BUT IT'S NOT THE
WORST THING THAT HAPPENS TO YOU EITHER.
IT DOESN'T HURT. I WILL DEFINITELY HAVE ANOTHER
COLONOSCOPY BEFORE I RETIRE, WHICH WILL BE WITHIN THE
NEXT YEAR OR SO, AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS, I WANT TO BE SURE.
I JUST WANT TO BE SURE.
THE COLONOSCOPY IS RECOMMENDED EVERY 10 YEARS BETWEEN 50-75
FOR COLON CANCER SCREENING.
BECAUSE EACH PERSON IS DIFFERENT, YOU SHOULD TALK TO
YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER TO DECIDE WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU.
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