Last week, I heard through The Doctors television program that the American Cancer Society had updated their colorectal cancer screening guideline. The guideline now recommends an initial screening is due at age 45 for people at average risk because there has been an increase of cases of colorectal cancer in younger adults. It reminded me to schedule an appointment, which happens to be my 10th year follow-up.
I called Dr. Wong's office to confirm if 2018 was truly the year for follow-up and his cheerful receptionist replied affirmatively and that they were just about to send me a reminder via their recare system. Being that this isn't an emergency, I went ahead to schedule an office visit. I waited to set up a date for the actual screening during my office visit.
Dr. Wong is friendly and professional about discussing the screening procedure and puts your mind at ease if you have any concerns with your health. He took the time to point out patient instructions to follow so my screening won't be so uncomfortable. By the time I finished my pre-screening appointment, his office had called in the prescription and I received a text from the pharmacy to pick it up.
I'm a firm believer that the discomfort that one goes through during screening is far less painful than having a late stage of the disease you're being screened for. Unfortunately, I've seen the suffering some of my relatives have gone through and they've all said they wished they had not waited or brushed aside medical screenings. read more