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Michelle King Robson and Dr. John Garvie discuss how often a woman should have a colonoscopy.
Michelle King Robson:
If I didn’t have a polyp how long would I go? Would it be about the same amount of time or…?
Dr. John Garvie:
The screening interval for a non-polyp puts you into a category and now we are screening you for colorectal cancer risk and you are not identified as an above average risk. I want to emphasize this, now that you have had a polyp identified as a pre-malignant polyp you are now in the category of having an above average risk for the development of a colorectal cancer. So now we put you into above average risk category, you come back at five years.
If the colonoscopy was negative then you are in a average risk category and the interval is ten years from the first colonoscopy.
Michelle King Robson:
Okay, I didn’t realize that with the polyp that there’s benign and then there’s precancerous polyps. I didn’t realize that I was in that category of the precancerous polyp.
Dr. John Garvie:
Yes, and that’s, so now we use the first term when we did your initial colonoscopy we did it because you had some GI symptoms and we were also doing a colorectal cancer screening evaluation. Subsequent, now for you, we say you are in a surveillance or meaning we will survey you for future pre-malignant polyps. Does that makes sense?
Michelle King Robson:
That does makes sense, it does makes sense and I am glad that I mean unfortunately I had a polyp but fortunately for all of our, you know, all the women who are going to see this, this is very helpful information and when you hear the word precancerous it’s a little bit, now you are a little, it takes you back a little bit but as long as you are proactive about it I think that’s the key.
Dr. John Garvie:
That is the key and the people need to know that colorectal cancer is a preventable disease.
Michelle King Robson:
Right, and I think that that’s . . .
Dr. John Garvie:
That’s the message.
Michelle King Robson:
Right, and that was the biggest message with doing the colonoscopy.
Watch Michelle's Story About Her Colonoscopy Experience
https://www.empowher.com/community/herstory/video-herstory-michelle-shares-her-colonoscopy-journey