Dr. Oz: Who Should Get a Colonoscopy? Woman Faces Colon Cancer Fears

Dr. Oz: Woman Faces Her Colonoscopy Fears

Dr. Oz talked to a woman who was afraid of getting a colonoscopy. Lynn was afraid of the unknown and what they might find. Her dad died from colon cancer about 10 years before. He was able to fight colon cancer for a year, but Lynn said it was hard to watch him wither away and it left a hole in their family.

Her mother also battled breast cancer and endometrial cancer. Her mom survived it, but Lynn saw what she went through and is terrified of cancer. Colon cancer runs in her family, so she knows she should get a colonoscopy because it’s a good way to catch it.

Lynn has tried to get a colonoscopy before but the day of her procedure, she got so scared about what they might find that she couldn’t go through with it. She watched the episode of Dr. Oz where he got  a colonoscopy and saw that he had a polyp. She said when she saw it, she hoped he was okay and said if he could do it, she knew she could, too.

Dr. Oz: Benign Polyps Or Cancerous Polyps?

Dr. Oz heard about Lynn and decided to come with her to the procedure. Lynn said as she drove up and rode up to the office, she was terrified. But luckily for her, Dr. Oz was there to calm her down and hold her hand.

Dr. Oz introduced Lynn to the man who performed his own colonoscopy, Dr. Jon LaPook, because he trusted him and knew he was the best in the business. Lynn told Dr. Oz before the procedure she really hoped she didn’t have cancer, because she didn’t want to put her family through that.

Lynn was crying as thy started the procedure. The first thing they saw was a tiny polyp. It turned out she had 15 small polyps, which they harvested to test to see if they were cancerous.

Dr. Oz: Who Should Get a Colonoscopy?

It turned out they were all totally benign so she had nothing to worry about.

Lynn said she wanted everyone to know it’s not as bad as they think it is. Back in Dr. Oz’s studio, Dr. LaPook let everyone know that they should be screened by 50 and even earlier if they have a family history of colon cancer. This can help find not only cancer, but a polyp. Even benign polyps like the ones Lynn had can turn into cancer.

Dr. Oz read a letter from a woman named Holly who was afraid of getting a colonoscopy because of her family history. Dr. Oz asked if Lynn would hold Holly’s hand and comfort her during her colonoscopy.