Colonoscopies Through The Eyes of a Physician and Patient Dr. Mary Yarbrough, Director of Health and Wellness: Occupational Health Clinic, Work-Life Connections EAP and Health Plus, discusses colon health from the perspective of both a physician and patient.
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Janet McCutchen: Welcome to this edition of the Vanderbilt University Health and Wellness Wellcast. I am Janet McCutchen with Work/Life Connections. Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Mary Yarbrough who is the Director of Health and Wellness which is the umbrella program for occupational health for Work/Life Connections and for Health Plus. Today, we are going to speak about a very important topic and somewhat sensitive topic colon health, and we are going to talk about colonoscopies in particular. Dr. Yarbrough speaking as a physician but more importantly someone who has been through this experience, what was the most helpful approach that your doctor took with you that relieved some of your concerns about this process? Dr. Mary Yarbrough: I chose the colonoscopy because I believe that that is the most effective way to look at the colon and once they are there if there is an issue that needs to be taken care of a biopsy they will see and that can be done. So, although there are other ways, that is what I chose, and of course, my doctors spoke with me about when I reached the age, I mean we need our first colon checkup at 50 and every 10 years thereafter unless there is a polyp and talked about the importance of having that done about the risks of cancer and how that we could avert problems before they occur if we take that approach, but I found that really was not exactly all that I was thinking about. My dread did not come necessarily at what we would find. My dread really came around the issue of how that visibility was going to be created to see into my colon as well as the vulnerability I might feel for access in the actual procedure itself, and what my experience was is that when I first was contacted about having my colonoscopy, there was this procedure that was laid out for me and this is how I would do the prep which is what you do to cleanse the bowel. It was kind of a formula, if you will, a recipe which I like that. I was given something to drink, and I had to take it at certain intervals and I was really surprised that yes there was the result that I think was needed for visibility. It was not a very traumatic experience. It was not an awful experience. It was not a loss of control that it was a very calculated result. That was a pleasant surprise, but I think that it certainly did not put a bad light on things, and then in terms of the vulnerability around having the procedure done, I have mine done here at Vanderbilt, and I will say that from the time that I arrived in the clinic, everyone was very pleasant and very respectful. We went back to the area where the procedure was done. We were given a little warming blanket and had a gown put on and had an IV placed and they went through what was going to happen. We were then rolled back into the area where they were doing the colonoscopy and the doctor came in and smiled and said, “We are going to get ready and get started. We are going to give you a little medicine to put you to sleep,” and then, I said something like “Well, how long will I be asleep?” and she goes “Oh, you’ve already had it done.” It is just about that quick in terms of when it starts and when it finishes, and there was all of that anxiety that had built up and all that that I had imagined was gone and never occurred and so I was really taken back at something that I had spent so much time dreading and worrying about how it had really been. It was like a pleasant experience that had really been a good medical interaction, a good example of a really good care. Janet McCutchen: That is wonderful to hear. So for any of our listeners then that might be experiencing a little or may be a lot of anxiety around this process and procedure. What advice could you give them based on your experience? Dr. Mary Yarbrough: I would say first talk to your provider about the different ways that you can have your colon checked and then make a decision that you and that provider feel best fit your anxieties or your lifestyle, and then if you do choose the colonoscopy, my advice would be to listen carefully to the way that they explain, what you need to do to have the preparation to cleanse the bowel, and follow those instructions and realize that it is going to be time limited and that you can do it, and then, the next thing I would say is that when you go and think about going for your actual appointment that you approach it with the idea that you will be there and you really will not experience much other than going in and probably going to sleep and then waking up and having them communicate with you about what happened that is probably the least anxiety provoking thing I had in retrospect that I have ever had, and so, it is really not listening to what everybody wants to say about it. If you go to the internet, if you talk to your friends, or let’s face it, most of us only talk about the things that went wrong. We rarely talk about the great experience and certainly none of us are going to talk about the great experience we have with the colonoscopy, but it really does not have to be a bad experience, and it is so important because here we have a preventable cause of death, and we are losing many more people than we should in this day and age given what we know. Janet McCutchen: Excellent. Wonderful information! Dr. Yarbrough is both the physician and the patient around this particular topic. Thank you for your time today. Dr. Mary Yarbrough: Thanks Janet. Janet McCutchen: Thanks for listening. Please feel free to leave us any comments on this Wellcast by clicking the “Add New Comment” link at the bottom of this page. If you have a story or suggestion, please email it to us at health.wellness@vanderbilt.edu or you can use the “Contact Us” link on our website at healthandwellness.vanderbilt.edu. Thanks for listening. -- end of recording --
