Digestive Health Center of Plano

DSC — Pictured left to right: Sindhu Abraham, MD, Matthew Eidem, MD, Arshad Malik, MD, Rajvinder Sidhu, MD, Sangeethapriya Duraiswamy, MD, Amit Masand, MD, and Veena, Kumaravel, MD Not Pictured: Stuart Akerman, MD, Adnan Badr, MD, Venessa Beckman, DO, Kenneth Brown, MD, Son Do, MD, Candace Jantz, MD, Sripathi Kethu, MD, Bilal Khan, MD, and Mark Miller, MD

By Meredith Knight | Photos by The Teal Album

Fact: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men and women in the U.S. Fact: One in 23 men and one in 25 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. But the most important fact is that colorectal cancer is preventable with proper routine screenings. Unfortunately, one in three adult Americans are not up to date on their colon cancer screening. Digestive Health Center of Plano is committed to change that.

In this life, there are things we can control and things we cannot. Fortunately, colorectal cancer is in the latter category. In fact, 60% of the deaths which occur because of colorectal cancer could have been prevented with proper screening. That’s why the team at Digestive Health Center of Plano are working to get the word out.

If you have no family history or other risk factor, you should begin routine colorectal screening at age 45 (sooner with risk factors). Digestive Health Center of Plano make that easy, convenient, and affordable. Because their endoscopy centers are independent ambulatory surgery centers, they can perform your colonoscopy at a third of the cost of a hospital. Their skilled and experienced team has high patient satisfaction scores and numerous five-star online reviews. They offer direct access screening colonoscopies which means if you are of screening age, have no family history of colon cancer, and are not currently experiencing any GI symptoms, you can schedule your colonoscopy procedure without an office visit. Digestive Health Center of Plano is one of six DHC locations in the North Texas area, so there’s no reason to delay your preventative screening.

Of course, you have probably seen at-home colorectal testing kits advertised, but this isn’t an area where you want to DIY. Digestive Health Center of Plano offer skilled, board-certified gastroenterologists who are trained and experienced in removing any pre-cancerous polyps they may encounter during your procedure, an important proactive step that can potentially avoid a future color cancer diagnosis. (When at-home kits are positive, you are referred to a gastroenterologist. Why not simply start there?)

You can do your part to prevent colorectal cancer by maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy diet. If you smoke, quit. Get adequate exercise and keep alcohol consumption at a modest level. Heed the warning signs of colorectal cancer which include anemia, rectal bleeding, dark or black stool, a change in bowel habits, diarrhea and/or constipation, narrowing of stool, persistent abdominal discomfort (cramps, gas, pain, or feeling bloated), unexplained weight loss, weakness or fatigue, and nausea or vomiting. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please, consult your doctor who may recommend a colonoscopy.

The doctors and staff at Digestive Health Center of Plano want you to know colorectal cancer is beatable in up to 90% of cases when detected early with appropriate screening performed by a trained gastroenterologist. They want to partner with you to make sure that happens. Find out more at DHCofTX.com or call the central scheduling line at (972) 853-8610 to schedule your next screening.