T.J. Samson | Destination Health | April 2021

2 DESTINATION HEALTH COVID-19 Are you ready to get one of the COVID-19 vaccines? A lot of people are. “Patients have been asking about it since November,” says Eric Fisher, MD, a family medicine doctor at T.J. Regional Health. There have been some reports in the me- dia that people are wary of the new COVID-19 vaccines. But Dr. Fisher hasn’t heard these fears from his patients. “I think the patients who are at high risk for severe illness from COVID understand why they need to get the vaccine,” he says. “The younger population who is at much lower risk to have a bad outcome from COVID may be more likely to be hesitant to take the vaccines.” Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in the U.S. But it doesn’t have to be. Screening tests for colorectal cancer save lives. And you have multiple screening tests to choose from, each with its own pros and cons. TYPES OF SCREENING TESTS Screenings for colorectal cancer can be divided into two main groups: ● Stool-based tests. ● Visual exams. Stool-based tests look at your stool for possible signs of polyps—growths that sometimes turn cancerous—or for colorectal cancer itself. You collect samples of your stool that are then sent to a lab for analysis. These tests don’t require the kind of colon preparation needed for a colonoscopy. But you need to do WHY YOU SHOULD GET VACCINATED Dr. Fisher lists three good reasons for people to get a COVID-19 vaccine: 1 For your own health. “First and foremost, it’s for their benefit,” he says. “That’s espe- cially true for those at high risk.”That includes people who are 65 and older. “Those are the people we see in the hospi- tal,” Dr. Fisher says. “Those are the people we’re seeing have tragic outcomes from COVID-19. I’d definitely stress getting the vaccine to those people.” He’s also had conversations with younger people who have high-risk health problems, such as obesity or lung disease.They, too, are vulner- able to severe illness from COVID-19. 2 For the safety of those around you. You may be at lower risk for complications from COVID-19, but what about the people you’re close with? “I guarantee that you’re around someone you care about who’s at high risk,” Dr. Fisher says. “Whether it’s wearing a mask or If you want to get a COVID-19 vaccine, call your primary care provider’s office to find out when the shots will be available to you. Eric Fisher, MD Chief of Staff T.J. Samson Community Hospital 3 reasons why you should get a COVID-19 vaccine getting a vaccine, you have to do what you can to protect those people.” 3 To help society get back to normal. “The vaccine seems to be the only way we can get back to some sense of normal,” Dr. Fisher says. “To go to concerts, football games and basketball games, to get the kids back in school, to get the economy going.That’s huge.” ‘AN IMPRESSIVE FEAT’ It’s amazing that we even have these vac- cines just a year after COVID-19 was dis- covered, Dr. Fisher says. “The researchers started working on it in March, and they had a phase 3 clinical trial well underway in October,” he says. “So really it took a few months to develop it.That’s one of the more impressive feats in modern medicine. “I’ve always said that vaccinations are the most important advancement in medicine, period. We talk about all these new gadgets and fancy, complicated new devices. But just a simple vaccine—pertussis, MMR, smallpox—people take for granted. Yet those things have much more impact on people’s lives. Vaccines are up there with antibiotics in terms of the number of lives saved.” them more often—sometimes every year. Visual exams include a traditional colonoscopy and a virtual colonoscopy. (A third visual exam, sigmoidoscopy, isn’t commonly used for screening in the U.S.) For a colonoscopy, you’re sedated while a scope is inserted into your rectum and fed through your colon. A doctor uses a camera on the end of the scope to look for precancerous polyps or signs of cancer. A major advantage of a colonoscopy: A doctor can remove any polyps discovered during this exam. A virtual colonoscopy is an advanced type of CT scan. It can find polyps or cancer. Both types of colonoscopies require you to clean out your colon with a mix of laxatives beforehand. Any abnormalities found on stool-based tests or a virtual colonoscopy require follow-up with a traditional colonoscopy. WHEN SHOULD YOU BE SCREENED? People at average risk for colorectal can- cer should first be screened at age 45. Regular screenings should be done through age 75, as long as your life expectancy is more than 10 years. Screening until age 85 should be based on personal preference and risk. People at higher risk for colorectal cancer— such as African Americans or those with a fam- ily history of the disease—should be screened earlier than age 45. If you’re at increased risk, your doctor may suggest you get specific types of tests. You also may need to be tested more often. The most important thing is to get it done: The best test for you is the one you’re most likely to do. So talk with your doctor about your risk and the various screenings available. Sources: American Cancer Society; National Cancer Institute Make it happen: Get screened for colorectal cancer