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Farmer Wellness Minute; the colonoscopy… it’s like checking tile lines.
Its August, I know tile lines are the farthest from your mind at this point in the growing season; however, they do make a good analogy to getting a colonoscopy. You know when you think one of your tile lines has a problem; you call the tile guys and they come out with that camera on a wire? You run the wire up the lines to check things over, right? Well, it’s pretty similar to what’s involved with a colonoscopy.
The purpose of the colonoscopy is to check for early growths in the colon that could become colon cancer later. Colon cancer is so common we recommend checking everyone starting at age 45. However, if you have risk factors like a relative with colon cancer, we might want to check you sooner. If you’re found to have a completely normal colon, we do not have to do another one for 10 years! The colonoscopy is a bit involved, as there is a prep prior to the procedure. Plan on 1.5 days of downtime.
Colon cancer is something that runs in my family. My grandpa died of colon cancer before I was born. My dad was in his early 20’s, had just graduated from South Dakota State University, and was the Ag teacher in Brandon SD when his dad passed away. He resigned from teaching and moved home to farm. This was the early 80’s (a tough decade, no doubt, and even tougher without a primary mentor). We need our patriarchs and matriarchs to be healthy to grow the next generation of farmers! Let’s talk about tests to identify disease before it becomes a problem! Your family and farm need you for the long haul!
Next Months topic: Harvest stress happens… tips to deal.
Long live the farmer, Tracy Hansen, Nurse Practitioner If you have any comments on this article or ideas to address in this publication, email me at hansent@murraycountymed. org.
