One of the best ways to protect yourself against colon cancer is to undergo regular colonoscopies to check for the presence of precancerous polyps in your colon. During a colonoscopy, a gastroenterologist will insert a small camera into your colon and carefully examine the lining of your colon for signs of cancer. Any polyps that are growing on the lining of your colon will be removed during the procedure. Since a colonoscopy both checks for the presence of polyps and removes them, it's an excellent way to guard yourself against colon cancer, which often doesn't show any serious symptoms until it is quite advanced.
Unfortunately, many people neglect these life-saving screenings. To make getting a colonoscopy easier and more convenient, some gastroenterologists offer open-access colonoscopies that allow you to be screened more quickly. To learn more about open-access colonoscopies and who can benefit from them, read on.
What Is an Open-Access Colonoscopy?
An open-access colonoscopy allows you to skip the initial patient visit that you normally go through when you're getting a colonoscopy. When you schedule one, the gastroenterologist's front office staff will send you a health questionnaire to fill out to make sure you're healthy enough for a colonoscopy. You'll also receive instructions on how to do the colonoscopy prep at home, including a prescription for the laxatives you'll need to take to completely clear out your colon so the gastroenterologist can easily see your colon lining with a camera.
Once you show up to the clinic for your open-access colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist will speak with you for a few minutes to make sure you've done all the necessary colonoscopy preparation, and then they'll perform your colonoscopy.
Who Can Benefit From an Open-Access Colonoscopy?
Skipping the initial consultation visit by choosing an open-access colonoscopy makes getting a colonoscopy quicker and more convenient. If you don't have any questions for the gastroenterologist about your health and just need a screening performed, then the initial visit can be safely skipped. You won't have to take time off of work or arrange childcare for an initial consultation, and you also won't need to pay any co-pay for a specialist visit.
If you're not receiving regular colon cancer screenings because it's too much of a hassle for you, scheduling an open-access colonoscopy will make it quicker and easier. Colon cancer screening is important because it can both detect and remove polyps that may later turn into cancer, so it's important to get screened periodically. Bypassing the initial patient visit with an open-access colonoscopy makes it simpler and less expensive to get the screening you need.
For more info about an open-access colonoscopy, contact a local company.
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