Catch up on the latest.

Hudson, Wis. – “The best way to deal with colon cancer is not to get it.” That’s the view of surgeon Michael Schneider, MD, who is urging people to set aside fear of the colonoscopy this Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.

Hudson Hospital & Clinic has joined Westfields, Amery and Lakeview hospitals in lighting up blue for the month of March, to get people thinking about colon health and scheduling their preventative colonoscopy screening.

Colon cancer is highly treatable if discovered early. In fact, small polyps in a person’s colon can turn cancerous over a period of 10 to 15 years – which means they can be detected and removed during a colonoscopy before they have the chance to turn into cancer. And the colonoscopy of today, says Dr. Schneider, is a far cry from that of the past.

“We now use carbon dioxide gas to inflate the colon. It’s rapidly absorbed and eliminated so there’s no lingering, gassy feeling,” said Dr. Schneider, who practices at Amery Hospital & Clinic and Westfields Hospital & Clinic. “Advances in engineering, fiber optics and instrument technology have also made the procedure shorter and more comfortable.”

The American Cancer Society recommends people to get their first colonoscopy at age 50, if they’re at average risk of developing colon cancer.

Nancy Andersen, a Somerset Elementary School teacher of 24 years, had not yet reached that milestone birthday when she started to feel things were just not right.

In November 2017, she went to see her family medicine doctor, who listened to her concerns, family history and symptoms. Nancy learned she’d need a colonoscopy. The procedure confirmed: Nancy had a large, cancerous mass on her colon.

Less than a week later, Nancy had surgery at Hudson’s sister hospital, Westfields Hospital & Clinic, to remove the mass. Before she even left Westfields, five days later, she got the great news that the surgery had been completely successful; she was cancer-free.

“It feels good to wake up and feel good again,” said Nancy. “Going through this, I think it makes you celebrate life and look at the positive. It’s a new perspective if you have a bad day.”

Nancy now talks with colleagues, friends and family about the importance of listening to your body and going for regular screenings.

And Dr. Schneider, who treated Nancy, agrees. “Colonoscopy saves lives and has made the rate of colon cancer incidence decrease.”

For more information on colonoscopies visit the Procedure Center page on hudsonhospital.org or call 715-531-6000 to make an appointment with one of our internal medicine doctors to discuss screening options