Your colonoscopy could save your life—here’s how to make it easier

When I got the call that my 65-year-old father was in the hospital, I wasn’t overly concerned. Despite spending years of my childhood plagued with gastrointestinal issues he was generally healthy. Additionally, his ability to create his own reality in all aspects of life was truly an art form. His “what I don’t know can’t affect me” attitude steered him just fine and consequence never seemed to touch him. I was quite certain whatever it was couldn’t be too serious.

Seven weeks later, he passed away from colon cancer.

It’s impossible to know how long he’d had it or how long he’d been experiencing symptoms. When he called from the hospital in late May, I reluctantly offered to fly down from Vermont to Florida to help. I breathed a sigh of relief when he didn’t hesitate to decline–he had plenty of help there and I had responsibilities of my own. A couple weeks later, after removing a mass from his colon, he went home. Three days after that, he called the ambulance and headed back to the hospital.

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I kept in close contact with doctors and family, awaiting a formal diagnosis and treatment plan. What came instead was confirmation that it was too late. The mass was, in fact, cancer and he wasn’t strong enough for chemotherapy. Even if he was, we were looking at six months with treatment. Maybe. Within a day or two, his cognition began to fail. Hallucinations, confusion, and a loss of speech made it clear this was actually the end. By the time I arrived, I could ask no questions of him, just offer comfort. He died in hospice six days later.

Thus began my journey as someone with an elevated risk of colon cancer.

The stats don’t lie (and they’re alarming)

The recent passing of actor James Van Der Beek at just 47 from colorectal cancer underscores what experts have been warning us about for years: early-onset colorectal cancer is rising at an alarming rate. According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer incidence among adults younger than 50 has increased by about 2% annually since the mid-1990s. It’s now the leading cause of cancer death in men under 50 and the second-leading cause of cancer death in women under 50.

But here’s the thing that should make you sit up and pay attention: colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable cancers out there. According to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, when caught early through screening, colorectal cancer has a 90% five-year survival rate. The CDC reports that increasing screening rates to 80% could reduce colorectal cancer deaths by 33% by 2030. Screening can detect polyps before they turn cancerous, allowing doctors to remove them during the procedure itself.

Sarah Beran knows this firsthand. At just 34, with a three-year-old and five-year-old at home, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. “I was so busy with them, extremely tired, but I thought it was just being a busy mom,” she recalls. When she started having blood in her stool, her regular doctor didn’t think it was anything serious. “Because of my age and I have always been healthy, an athlete growing up, always work out, take care of myself, eat healthy.”

It took showing her GI doctor a picture of what she was seeing to finally get the colonoscopy that revealed over 100 polyps on her colon and a mass on her rectum. She went through 12 rounds of chemo, multiple surgeries, and radiation after the cancer spread to her lung. She’s been cancer-free for almost three years now and has since co-founded Worldclass clothing, a brand dedicated to raising awareness about colonoscopy screening.

“30% of people in their 40s already have polyps, and it’s rising in young people,” Beran explains. (According to Yale Medicine, an estimated 15% to 40% of adults may have polyps.) During a colonoscopy, doctors can simply snip out those polyps. “It’s just like a little exfoliation. You don’t feel it.” The polyps are tested to determine if they are harmless or precancerous and treatment will be recommended from there.

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The system isn’t set up to help you

Weeks after my dad died, I went to my GP to get a referral for a colonoscopy. At 43, I was two years away from the typical screening age. Here’s where it gets infuriating: colonoscopies aren’t usually considered necessary or covered by insurance until age 45. But we’re seeing people being diagnosed earlier and earlier. With a cancer that is so preventable, it seems like the system doesn’t actually care about outcomes. It cares about profits.

Beran experienced similar pushback when she first sought help at 34. It wasn’t until she showed her doctor a picture of her symptoms that they agreed to the colonoscopy that would save her life.

“You need to advocate for yourself,” Beran stresses. “I used to always push things off thinking, oh, I’ll be fine. This is no big deal. But now I feel like I’ve become like a hypochondriac because I just—anything, I need to get checked out.”

How to actually get screened early

The way to get your colonoscopy earlier? Lie. No one is going to ask for confirmation that there’s blood in your stool or for your family’s medical records to confirm your mom, dad, sister, or brother had it. According to the National Cancer Institute, having a first-degree relative with colorectal cancer increases your risk by two to three times. That should be enough to warrant earlier screening, but insurance companies don’t always see it that way.

If you’re experiencing any symptoms, though, don’t wait. “Listen to your body if you’re having any type of stomach issues,” Beran advises. “If there’s changes in your stool—specifically if you’re having an urgency to go a lot and also if it’s a lot thinner than usual because sometimes that means that there’s a mass there and it can’t all get through.”

Even exhaustion can be a warning sign. “I thought that the exhaustion was because of kids, but it actually was because I had cancer growing inside of me,” she says.

Colonoscopy prep tips (it sucks, but it’s worth it)

Let me be honest: the colonoscopy itself is NBD. The prep? That does, in fact, suck. But I have tips that will make it better. (Note that your doctor will give you their list, so definitely follow their instructions as it can vary.)

First, do NOT get the clear cherry Gatorade. Just the thought of it makes me want to puke. Learn from my mistake and pick literally any other flavor. (Except red or purple because those dyes mask the colon lining and interfere with results.) Beran suggests drinking out of a straw because “you can chug it faster,” and she recommends gummy bears (again, not red or purple ones) since they’re “considered a liquid and that kind of helps you feel like you’re eating something.”

The day before your procedure, you’ll start fasting in the morning. You’re on clear liquids until evening (black coffee, tea, apple juice, popsicles, and in some cases, broth) and then the real party starts. I had to mix up a whole Pizza Hut pitcher of Miralax and Gatorade and drink half of it in 15-minute increments over the course of a few hours. At one point I had to stop because I was nauseous, then got back in the game awhile later. The rest you have to finish two hours before your procedure, which brings me to my next piece of advice.

Schedule your appointment for late morning, not first thing. I scheduled mine for 8:30 a.m., thinking I was brilliant by getting it over with early. Then I had to set a 4:30 a.m. alarm to choke down another half pitcher of syrupy cherry Gatorade by 6:30 a.m. Don’t be like me. Give yourself the gift of a reasonable wake-up time.

Also, schedule it for fall or winter so you don’t lose precious outside days. Do it when the weather is terrible and you can just be cozy anyway.

“Everyone freaks out about the drink, and I don’t remember it being that bad,” Beran says. “When you go to the bathroom, it’s not like this aggressive thing. It’s just kind of a nice flush. We call it a fast cleanse and a nap.” Or, as my friend who offered me text support throughout my prep comforted me, “Honestly, I really liked all the pooping. I felt so light after!” Honestly, can confirm.

I was out like a light for the 15-minute procedure and woke up feeling no pain whatsoever. Luckily, I aced my colonoscopy. No polyps, no problems. I’ll be back in five years, and hopefully by then they’ll have figured out an alternative to choking down a vat of Gatorade.

Breaking the stigma

After her experience, Beran co-founded Worldclass with Brooks Bell, another colon cancer survivor who brought the research and advocacy expertise while Beran brought her fashion styling background. Together, they’ve created something that feels more Vogue than doctor’s office brochure.

“We felt like there’s a lot of cancer T-shirt lines out there, but this isn’t just another cancer T-shirt line,” she explains. “It’s cool chic streetwear that you want to wear and people look at it and they’re like, oh, wow, what is that?”

Starting the conversation is precisely the point. All profits go to help underinsured communities get screened, but it’s also a real bonus that it feels like a brand with a mission, not a fundraising gimmick. They’re making it feel chic to get a colonoscopy and be in the club.

Because unlike breast cancer awareness, which is everywhere, colon cancer still carries a stigma. “No one wants to talk about butts and colonoscopies,” Beran admits, “but it really should be something that is just normal to talk about.”

She suggests we start framing it as part of a wellness routine. “You go and get your mammogram, go get your colonoscopy, and then the next day get a facial, just have like a week of taking care of yourself.”

The bottom line (pun intended)

Doctors are still trying to figure out what’s causing the rise in early-onset colorectal cancer—whether it’s environment, food, or something else entirely. But what we do know is this: screening saves lives. The American Cancer Society recommends that people at average risk begin screening at age 45, but if you have a family history or symptoms, you should advocate for earlier screening.

Listen to your body. Trust your gut (literally). And don’t be afraid to push back on a healthcare system that sometimes seems more interested in following protocol than preventing cancer.

My father’s death didn’t have to happen. James Van Der Beek’s death didn’t have to happen. Sarah Beran’s willingness to advocate for herself, to push for that colonoscopy even when doctors dismissed her symptoms, saved her life. All of it underscores the same truth: one simple procedure can change everything.

So yeah, the prep sucks. But you know what sucks more? Burying your parent at 65. Leaving your kids without a father at 47. Going through chemo with a three-year-old and five-year-old at home.

Get the colonoscopy. Advocate for yourself. And maybe treat yourself to that facial afterward—you’ve earned it.

source https://www.mother.ly/health-wellness/colonoscopy-prep-tips/