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Test can be a real lifesaver for many COLONOSCOPY >> Cancer-screening procedure

April 8, 2008 12:15 am

GLENN Valdez tells everyone who'll listen that he's alive today because of a simple cancer-screening procedure called a colonoscopy.

The same test might not have saved my father from dying of colon cancer in his early 30s. But I hope it will keep me from from suffering a similar fate as I continue to outlive him.

I met the 61-year-old Valdez, a King George resident who works as a respiratory therapist at Mary Washington Hospital, a few weeks ago because it was National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

My gastroenterologist, Dave Monahan of Fall Hill Gastroenterology Associates, encouraged me to share Valdez's story.

His hope was that it would encourage others to get screened by age 50 for this type of cancer. If detected early enough, it has a very high survival rate, over 90 percent in certain cases.

About 15 months ago, the tall, physically fit man, who came to this country from Trinidad to play soccer, felt he was in perfect health.

He ate right, played soccer well into his 50s and didn't have indication that polyps were growing in his colon.

Though he has worked in the medical profession for years--first as a medic in Vietnam--he didn't feel the need for a checkup.

"I was as healthy as a horse, but my wife was always telling me that I paid insurance but never used it," he said. "She told me that I should get this colonoscopy, that I was really past due for it."

He scheduled a visit to Monahan's office, and a colonoscopy soon followed.

Valdez's procedure found several polyps, one of which was cancerous.

"You think you're ready for everything when you work in medicine, but that's a hard thing to hear," he said.

Soon after, Valdez had surgery to remove the cancerous section of the colon.

Valdez said he healed fairly quickly. He's feeling good again, is cancer-free and is spreading the word about getting the test by age 50.

"If I had waited much longer, and this cancer had kept growing, I probably wouldn't be here today," he said.

The medical community is working hard to encourage patients to get an initial colonoscopy by age 50, and regularly thereafter.

The American Cancer Society suggests people get screened before age 50 if they have a personal history of colon cancer or polyps, a family history in relatives under age 60 or symptoms of chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

The "get tested by 50" guideline might not have saved my father, Robert Hedelt Sr., since he developed the disease so young.

But it has meant that the tests are a part of my life every five years. So far, so good.

The day-before prep isn't that big a deal, especially now that there are alternatives to the huge jug of awful-tasting solution that cleanses the colon.

The test itself is nothing--all I ever remember is "time to get started" and then "OK, we're done."

Monahan and other doctors who perform the test are aware that many patients are reluctant to get or even discuss the tests because they involve the bowel. As a culture, we tend to be shy or squeamish about that.

But he said the test is relatively quick, easy and is covered by most insurance carriers. Modern sedation minimizes pain and memory of the procedure.

Valdez doesn't need convincing.

"I tell every person I can that this can save lives," he said. "I'm living proof."

Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com