patients would think, but their response has been overwhelmingly
positive. It's another winner!
How do you keep the fun vibe going
when patients show up for their screenings?
I give out gold stars to patients with great bowel preps. You wouldn't
believe the number of 60-year-old men who wake up from screenings
— during which I could have found evidence of colon cancer, mind
you — and ask if they got a gold star.
Do you practice what you preach?
Absolutely. I'm 72 and have undergone 6 colonoscopies, during which
17 precancerous polyps were found.
Do you get gold stars for your bowel preps?
Well, not exactly, because my partner who performs the procedures
doesn't give them out. But some of the nurses give them to me, so it
all works out.
The cards are funny, but their messages are serious, right?
Exactly. Screening is extremely important and we're trying to get that
message across. My son had a precancerous polyp removed at age 40.
If he had waited to get screened, it would have been too late.
OSM
Dr. Fusco (rdfusco@gmail.com) is a gastroenterologist who practices at the
Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition, which is affiliated with the Three
Rivers Endoscopy Center in Moon Township, Pa.
5 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9