Best Birthday Gift Ever: A Clean Bill of Health
John Barnum shares his positive spin on a colonoscopy
Ask John Barnum, Senior Product Manager in Respiratory Marketing at 窪蹋勛圖厙, to share pictures from the milestone event marking his 45th birthday. He has a few of them and has even used them as a Microsoft Teams background in virtual meetings. They are images of his colon from his first colonoscopy, and he couldnt be more proud as he pauses to identify the cecum and other anatomical locations; knowledge he garnered from his previous experience marketing the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Platform.
I didnt care what it took. I called the [doctors] office on my 45th birthday and said, Id like to schedule my colonoscopy, Im 45 today! I was looking forward to it.
I Was Looking Forward to It
If John sounds a little enthusiastic about the procedure, he has his reasons. Working at 窪蹋勛圖厙 for 18 years is part of it. Im very much aware of the GI anatomy and the importance of colonoscopies. And while hes seen hundreds of them, it was now his turn on the table.
John doesnt have a family history of colorectal cancer (CRC). A previous endoscopy procedure confirmed he has celiac disease, which while not associated with CRC, is linked to rare cases of lymphomas and adenocarcinoma of the small intestine.1
He also has some personal catching-it-in-time screening stories, albeit not CRC-related. He recalls his wifes routine Pap smear, resulting in a procedure to successfully treat a precancerous cervical condition. In addition, his mother-in-laws routine mammogram uncovered early-stage breast cancer for which she was successfully treated.
Then theres the sting of a catching-it-too-late storyas a good friend of Johns succumbed to breast cancer at the age of 50and there was speculation of whether a routine mammogram could have found the cancer sooner and saved her life.
John Barnum and his family.
John Barnum uses an image of his colon, taken during his first colonoscopy, as a Teams background to advocate for routine colonoscopy.
Misconceptions and Stigmas
But John is inspired to tell his story to celebrate and advocate for good health. Sharing a positive experience can help to correct misconceptions and erase stigmas.
Unfortunately, I think many people are still fixated on this being an older persons disease. This misconception is despite the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force guidelines which lowered the screening age to 45 from 50 for individuals at average risk. And with men, I think theres a stigma around that area of the body. Its uncomfortable and you feel weird about the whole thing.
But with the routine nature of the procedure comes experienced doctors and nursing staff that are typically unfazed. You may be self-conscious, but as he points out, Theyve seen it. Theres nothing to be embarrassed about. Its a clinical procedure, even though youve got your rear end out.
As for the unpleasant perceptions of exam prep, John notes, They say the prep is the worst part. To me, the prep wasnt that bad, he says of the dietary restrictions and colon cleansing routine before the exam. It wasnt the greatest thing in the world, but once you get cleaned out you feel pretty good. He experienced post-procedure dehydration and would advise those prepping to drink more liquids a few days beforehand, but otherwise, It wasnt terrible.
For more tips on colonoscopy prep, see Prep School below this post.
I Dont Remember It!
On the day of the exam, he says, I was given all the instructions I needed and felt really good going into it. He can share little else about the procedure after he was sedated in the procedure room. I woke up to my wife saying, Honey, youre all done, in the recovery bay. John added that the doctor used CO2 gas as opposed to regular air to insufflate the colon, which is more commonplace now to reduce patient discomfort. I had no pain. I felt wonderful afterwards. I had the best nap of my life. I woke up and had a clean bill of health. I was super happy.
Not a bad way to mark a milestone birthday.
Why Share This?
Ive learned early in life that screening for these preventable diseases actually makes a big difference, says John. I need to do all that I can do to be here for my loved ones. Whats more, colonoscopy is off of his to-do list for 10 years, based on the evidence-based guidelines for those at low risk.
His advice to procrastinators? Just check it off your list. What are you waiting for? Get it over with. Whatever misconceptions you have about what it might be like, its not nearly as bad as you might think. And if everything checks out, You dont need to go back for another 10 years.
Need more of a nudge? Get the facts:
Prep School
Colonoscopy prep can vary. And while it may sound dreadful to some people, it is essential to do before a procedure. After you schedule your colonoscopy, you should receive prep instructions from the doctors office. Be sure to consult them as soon as you can, so that you know the drill on food restrictions, bowel prep, clear liquid consumption, and when to begin fasting before the exam.
These sources may provide some help and tips for items to have on hand:
From Colonoscopy Today, check out
From Harvard Health, read
From the Colon Cancer Coalition, read
From Fight Colon Cancer, read
1 Beyond Celiac. Accessed March 15, 2022.
