From Colonoscopy to Cancer-Free | OSF HealthCare

Excuses.

That’s what Frank Hill says stopped him from getting a colonoscopy after turning 50, as really helpful on the time by the American Most cancers Society and different advocacy teams.*

The El Paso man says there was confusion over whether or not insurance coverage would cowl a colonoscopy “so I didn’t have the early screening. I didn’t have a historical past of most cancers within the household, so I simply mentioned I’ll wait.”

“I shouldn’t have,” Frank mentioned.

The now 68-year-old was identified with colorectal most cancers three years in the past.

Colorectal most cancers is the second-leading reason for cancer-related deaths amongst women and men mixed. In 2017, it’s estimated there will probably be 135,430 new instances and 50,260 deaths from colon and rectal cancers within the U.S., based on Battle Colorectal Most cancers, an advocacy group centered on analysis and discovering a treatment for the illness.

Frank’s Story

“I began noticing blood in my stools and it stayed fairly constant, so I believed I higher have it checked out,” he mentioned.

Frank visited Dr. Jessica White, his main care supplier at OSF Medical Group – Minonk, in February 2014.

Dr. White mentioned colorectal most cancers wasn’t the very first thing she considered when she mentioned Frank’s issues throughout that first go to.

“At that go to it truly sounded extra like irritable bowel syndrome,” she mentioned.

Dr. White referred Frank to Dr. David Rzepczynski, a gastroenterologist in Bloomington.

“We received the colonoscopy as a result of we have been discussing GI points and I famous he was overdue for a colonoscopy,” she mentioned.

Frank mentioned Dr. Rzepczynski “advised me I had a tumor earlier than I left the workplace and he started arranging a remedy plan and ultimately surgical procedure. It was an early stage. The tumor was in regards to the dimension of a walnut close to the sphincter muscle. If I had had these early screenings, they might have caught it as a polyp.”

From April 16 to Could 27, 2014, Frank underwent 26 days of radiation and 42 rounds of chemotherapy. Surgical procedure with OSF HealthCare surgeon Dr. Travis Holt adopted on August 20, 2014, leaving Frank with a everlasting colostomy on account of the place the tumor had been situated. After which extra chemotherapy from October 2014 till April 10, 2015.

Optimistic Outcomes

Dr. White mentioned regardless of Frank’s analysis and remedy, “He all the time remained in good spirits and centered on the optimistic.”

Frank mentioned it was the optimism of his docs that helped him stay in such good spirits.

“If the docs advised me to do one thing, I did it to one of the best that I may. I adopted their instructions as a result of I needed one of the best likelihood,” he mentioned. “They have been very optimistic from the beginning, saying, ‘This can be a quite common type of most cancers, it’s very treatable, very curable.’ I had a lightweight on the finish of the tunnel the entire time. I wouldn’t want that 12 months on anyone, however I used to be fortunate.”

The help of his spouse, Linda, youngsters, grandchildren and his religion inspired Frank throughout his journey.

“If the Lord needed me, he’d have taken me,” he mentioned. “However he should have needed me to remain round.”

At the moment, Frank goes for check-ups each six months and is cancer-free. He additionally advocates for everybody to “get your annual screenings as typically as you’re advised to do.”

* The American Most cancers Society now recommends screenings starting at age 45.

Final Up to date: December 12, 2018