Plymouth Family Physicians

MARCH NEWSLETTER

COLON CANCER

Despite the fact that colorectal cancer is preventable, nearly 145,290 new cases will be diagnosed this year and over 56,000 people will die from the disease. Many doctors think it is because patients are too embarrassed to talk about it. This disease is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, second only to lung cancer.

Screening tests are the most effective way to prevent colorectal cancer, which most often begin as a non-cancerous polyp. A polyp is a growth on the lining of the colon or rectum. If undetected the polyps can become cancerous. Often patients with polyps have no symptoms so routine screening is very important. Starting at age 50, both men and women who are at average risk of colon cancer should start yearly screening. People who have higher risk should talk to their doctor about being screened earlier. It is important to know your family medical history because colorectal cancer can be hereditary.

The most common types of testing are Fecal Occult Test Kits and colonoscopy. A Fecal Occult Test Kit is sent home with a patient and they collect stool samples and wipe a small amount of stool onto a slide that looks like a card. Once this is done it is returned to the doctors office and the lab technician wets the card with special solution. The card will turn black if there is any blood in the stool and then the doctor would order additional tests such as a colonoscopy. This is a test in which a patient drinks a special laxative or takes numerous enemas to “clean the colon”. The patient goes to the hospital and the test is done as an outpatient. The doctor there gives the patient some sedating medicine and then inserts a special camera into the rectum and guides it through the patient’s colon. Most times if the doctor sees any polyps they can remove them that same day. The patient then is allowed to wake up and goes home.

March is Colorectal Cancer Month, if you or a loved one is over 50 and has never been screened talk to your doctor about the right screening for you. Tell your friends if they are over 50 to get screened. Colon cancer is curable if it is found early.

MARCH IS ALSO NATIONAL POISON PREVENTION WEEK

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Symptoms of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning are often mistaken for the flu such as:

Severe headaches
Vomiting
Nausea
Dizziness

Unlike the flu there is no fever with CO and symptoms seem to clear up when people go outside and get fresh air.

Each home should have at least one CO detector outside each bedroom. These detectors sound an alarm when the level of CO is high enough to be dangerous.

Carbon monoxide can come from charcoal grills used inside, furnaces, auto and small engine exhaust, wood burning stoves and chimney problems. You should have your furnace checked and cleaned at least once a year. If you use a wood burning stove or fireplace you should have the chimney cleaned at least yearly. Never try to heat your home with a gas stove or oven. Keep appliance exhaust vents clear of snow and ice.

If you think you may have CO poisoning you should call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222 or 911 immediately and go outside into fresh air.

You can find more information about CO and other types of poisoning at the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin web site. www.chw.org

And also the Poison Prevention Week Council web site. www.poisonprevention.org

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A note about Valley View Medical Center

Just a reminder that inpatient services are closed at Valley View and the Emergency Room is now a 24-hour Urgent Care Center. This means that the ambulances will not be transporting patients to Valley View any longer but for non-life threatening emergencies they are open 24 hours as a walk in clinic. If you feel you or a family member are having a medical emergency such as heart attack or stroke, or are unresponsive, it is best to call 911 and have an ambulance come. DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF ANYWHERE IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING ANY SYPMTOMS THAT MIGHT BE SIGNS OF A HEARTATTACK OR STROKE! You are putting yourself and other motorists in danger should you pass out while your at the wheel.

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Past Newsletters

February 2005 Newsletter

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