It is already a well-known and well-accepted fact that colon cancer screening should be done at the age of 50 and it should be followed up by regular checks. Especially when a person has a family history of colon cancer, this should not be avoided at any cost. Recently, the American Cancer Society has changed this long running rule and reduced the age of screening to 45, for men and women. However, only doctors and clinics are aware of this change, not insurance companies. None of the insurance companies have made any official statement on the change. Before scheduling your colonoscopy in OKC, you should talk to your insurer.

What About The Risks

Know the risks before stepping into the screening room, thus you can protect yourself using preventive medicines. No one can deny the importance of self-awareness and self-knowledge when it comes to personal treatment and screening.

The first adjustment you should make is to your diet. Eat and drink as per your doctor’s advice. Before screening, your doctor should advise you on a diet that is filled mostly by fiber and water. At the age of 45 or 50, you should start avoiding red meat such as beef, pork or lamb and start inclining towards leaner meats. Though the reason is still unknown, cooking meat at a high temperature somehow produces cancer-causing chemicals. So, if you do not want to switch to vegan diet immediately, it is better to limit red meat in your diet or to have lean meat.

Apart from meat, being obese, having alcohol regularly, smoking cigarettes can also cause colon cancer. Some of the risk factors you cannot change can include a family history, Type 2 diabetes, polyps, irregular bowel disease, all of which you should inform it to your doctor.

Symptoms

Knowing the symptoms can help you to detect colon cancer and it will help you make a visit to the doctor at an early stage. Sudden changes in bowel movements or abrupt weight loss is a prominent sign of this disease. If you have any sudden diarrhea or constipation, make a quick appointment. Any changes to your rectum, rectal bleeding, blood in stool, unbearable stomach pains are all signs of colon cancer.

To book your screening and visit a doctor, make your appointment today with Digestive Disease. A colonoscopy in OKC is best done here. What you can expect is an error free and flawless report, faultless diagnosis and treatment in the right direction.

**Disclaimer: This blog content does not offer a doctor's advice and creates no relationship between any patient and care provider.