{"id":151240,"date":"2024-04-18T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T18:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=151240"},"modified":"2024-04-18T21:01:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T21:01:09","slug":"doctor-encourages-veterans-to-get-a-colonoscopy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=151240","title":{"rendered":"Doctor encourages Veterans to get a colonoscopy"},"content":{"rendered":"

As president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld is the face and voice of the nation\u2019s largest association of doctors and medical students.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a Navy Veteran who relies on Milwaukee VA<\/a> for his health care. He just turned 45 and, on March 29, he did what we should all do at that age: Get a colonoscopy.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/a>
Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld in Afghanistan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if looking forward to it is the right phrase, but I know it\u2019s the right thing for me to do. I trust in my doctors at VA to get me the care I need and I encourage other Veterans to do the same. I have a lot of faith in my doctors and my team, and I know it will go smoothly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ehrenfeld\u2019s procedure coincided with the conclusion of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month<\/a>, and he said it was important to send a message about the need for everyone to get screened.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people put this off for lots of reasons, but frankly that could be deadly,\u201d he said, noting that colorectal cancer screenings are recommended starting at age 45.<\/p>\n

As an anesthesiologist, he has cared for \u201ctoo many patients who had this disease, which is preventable. If caught early, colon cancer can be treated.\u201d<\/p>\n

Leading cancer killer and often has no symptoms<\/h2>\n

\u201cColorectal cancer is one of the leading cancer killers, and it often has no symptoms,\u201d said Dr. Juan Trivella, Ehrenfeld\u2019s gastroenterologist at Milwaukee VA. \u201cSomeone could have polyps or colorectal cancer and not know it. That is why getting screened regularly for colorectal cancer is so important. It doesn\u2019t matter who you are, what your job is or what you look like. You need to get it done because it really prevents and decreases mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for screening, many people are leery of the procedure, mostly because of the preparation. Before a colonoscopy, patients must alter their diet for a few days. The day before, they start a regimen of medications and a liquid that helps clear the bowels. That means frequent trips to the bathroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been plenty of potty jokes in my house,\u201d said Ehrenfeld, father of two boys, ages one and five.<\/p>\n

Colonoscopy isn\u2019t the only way to screen. There are also at-home tests which require collecting a stool sample and sending it to a lab for testing. \u201cEach test has advantages and disadvantages. The patient should talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of each test and how often to be tested,\u201d Trivella said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what Ehrenfeld did. He\u2019s been a VA patient since returning from service in Afghanistan in 2015, first in Nashville<\/a> and since 2019 at Milwaukee VA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel fortunate to get my health care through VA.\u201d<\/h2>\n

Ehrenfeld noted that he has commercial insurance and could get his health care anywhere, but he chooses to go with VA. \u201cIt\u2019s not your granddad\u2019s VA. I believe in the VA system. It\u2019s been a great experience for me. They\u2019re extraordinary clinicians. I feel privileged and fortunate to get all my health care through VA.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he\u2019s especially enthused by VA\u2019s services for younger Veterans, female Veterans and for LGBTQ+ Veterans. He is the first openly gay president of the AMA and feels strongly about addressing the medical deficiencies that minority groups often face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe VA as a system has really pivoted in some important ways. It\u2019s not perfect. There\u2019s always work to do, but I don\u2019t know any health system in the country that I wouldn\u2019t say the same thing about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ehrenfeld hopes other Veterans heed his experience to get screened. \u201cIf one Veteran gets their colonoscopy because of this, then it\u2019s worth it. And if 10 get their colonoscopy, that will probably save a life,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld is the face and voice of the nation\u2019s largest association of doctors and medical students. He\u2019s also a Navy Veteran who relies on Milwaukee VA for his health care. He just turned 45 and, on March 29, he did what we should all do at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":151242,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1069,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-151240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colonoscopy","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=151240"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":151246,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151240\/revisions\/151246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/151242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=151240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=151240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=151240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}