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Warning: this shows the inside of the colon during the procedure
It’s colorectal cancer awareness month (and national nutrition month, so eat your veggies!) and Early Show host Harry Smith is doing his part. He had a live colonoscopy this morning on The Early Show, and fellow hostess Maggie Rodriguez noted that “he’s the first anchor to have this done live on network TV,” as if that’s something we’d ever expect to see! In all seriousness, it’s an important health screening procedure that can save lives. Smith was accompanied to his colonoscopy by CBS Evening News anchor Kate Couric, who lost her husband in 1998 to colon cancer when he was just 42. Katie herself had a colonoscopy that was aired in March, 2000, which may have contributed to an over 20% increase in people seeking the procedure. Katie’s colonoscopy wasn’t live, though, so now we have Harry Smith making television history.
While I didn’t expect the actual colonoscopy procedure to be shown on television they did show it! I had one years ago and was blissfully unaware of anything that was going on, but Harry was conscious toward the end. He even sat up and talked during the procedure! They showed the inside of his colon while Kate Couric narrated and called it “clean as a whistle.” I’ve seen more graphic stuff on CSI, but seeing the inside of Harry’s colon turned my stomach. The doctor even showed where the blue part of his liver was visible through the colon.
Smith, 58, got a clean bill of health afterwards. I know I’m due for another colonoscopy soon and that I’ve spoken to my loved ones about getting them. By showing there’s nothing to be afraid of, Smith and Couric are doing a great service. Colonoscopies are recommended around every 10 years for older adults depending on what your doctor advises. Nearly 147,000 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer last year and almost 50,000 people died from it. Good for Katie and Harry for raising awareness of this important procedure.
Here’s a link to the longer video of Smith’s colonoscopy prep and results. You can also learn more on CBS.com.
Shit!
That was very brave to do that live, and good for both he and Couric for bringing attention to this issue. It is a procedure that scares the hell out of people and to see this may ease those fears a bit. Frankly it scares me a bit, but more the prep than the actual procedure.
Did they show the worst part -the pre-procedure 12 hour prep? I have to have colonoscopies every 3 yrs. and can say that the fasting and the Fleet prep sucks much more than the colonoscopy. I actually don’t mind the procedure b/c you get awesome hospital grade drugs.
(my mom died of colon cancer at the young age of 55. Get checked y’all. It’s an easy cancer to detect if you’re judicious about screening.)
I had one a month ago – piece of cake! Didn’t even find the prep that difficult and I now have a clean bill of health for 10 years!
@Trillion they did talk about the prep,but all they showed was Harry before the procedure:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6284898n&tag=related;photovideo
Obviously they didn’t show much of what he went through ahead of time. That was the worst part to me too, not eating and having to drink that liquid laxative. Ewww.
If you’re scheduled to have this procedure anytime soon, ask for the pill prep. Granted you have to take about 20 pills the day before but you don’t have to drink any of that nasty stuff. I also was allowed to drink Coke, chicken broth and any color of popsicle but red.
gross– i get one next month and not looking forward to it.
I’m still young but at least I know now the actual procedure isn’t that bad.
I applaud the light they’re shining on this condition and the ease (relative) of getting checked. I just hope they gave their audience ample time to make a decision whether or not to have breakfast whilst watching the Early Show.
It’s true what Trillion said, the worse part is the day before. It was horrendous. I had one almost 10 years ago, so I’m due for another pretty soon. Everybody should have one. It can save your life.
P.S.: Kind of glad I missed this demo. I really cringe at medical procedures done on other people. I’m pretty calm when something is done to me.
I prefer colonoscopy without Versed. It’s an amnesia drug that makes patients forget (usually) and they think that they were asleep; they just don’t recall being awake (sort of). 10% of patients find it horrible. My doc is a great young gastro who does mine (yearly) without sedation and they don’t hurt, partly because she has to go slow since I’m awake. They take about 25 minutes and she encourages me to fart (it’s only air) and she insistes that a nurse anesthetist stand over my with syringes of painkiller and propofol “in case” I start feeling pain. It hasn’t happened yet, probably because I know that I can be out (really out, propofol is anesthesia not amnesia) if I say “uncle”, but the test is really pretty comfortable. These women treat me like a king despite my being probably the worst patient that they see each year. Get the test, if for no other reason to save your life and to get to fart on your doctor.