News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and Cookeville Regional is making it easier than ever to receive a colonoscopy.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Nicole Pisapia said that open access colonoscopies streamline the process of getting a colonoscopy by cutting out an unnecessary appointment.
“You basically just get referred here and you get all of your instructions over the phone with one of our nurses and you go straight to the procedure,” Pisapia said. “We meet you that day, and it really cuts down on wait times and it allows more people to get procedures within their calendar year.”
Pisapia said that another tool that has revolutionized the colonoscopy process is the prep work. She said that instead of drinking the preparatory solution, people can now take pills for the same effect.
Pisapia said that it’s important to not put off colonoscopies. She said that new guidelines suggest starting colonoscopies at 45, not 50, because cases of colon cancer are rising in younger ages.
“It is one of the only preventable cancers that we have, period,” “Of course drinking a bowel prep is no fun. Going to the bathroom multiple times in the night before is no fun. But I always tell my patients that chemotherapy is so much worse than having to drink a bowel prep for one night, so there’s really no reason why we shouldn’t be doing it. Everyone should be getting it just hte way they get their mammograms, and pap smears, and prostate checks, and anything else that they get for routine maintenance.”
