Loyola Rambler Doctor Clears Up Some Colorectal Cancer Myths

What's Up, Doc? is a weekly health segment on WROK sponsored by MercyHealth. Each week they highlight a different doctor/healthcare professional to come on our show and talk to us about their specialty. It has turned into one of our favorite segments. All of our doctors have exhibited a "human" side that people don't always get to see with their physicians. We encourage you to check out some of our past episodes here. We've done about 30 of these segments highlighting everything from Lyme disease to hernia repair to finding a health care plan and everything else in between. We've learned a lot and hope you can too.

Our guest this week is a Loyola Rambler that's now a doctor in Rockford, Illinois. We discuss the chances of Loyola and Illinois matching up in the upcoming tournament and wish each other well before getting to the subject at hand.

And that was colorectal cancer awareness. A subject that so one really wants to talk about but needs to before it's too late. Dr. Hamoudah had a great sense of humor and got to the bottom of a few key questions:

1. How Old For Your First Colonoscopy?

I always thought it was 50. Turns out it is 45. Your doctor should say something to you around then. If they don't then maybe it's time for a new doctor.

2. How Many Years Between Colonoscopies?

I've heard varying answers to this and that's because it varies from person to person. You and your doctor will decide on the frequency after the results of your initial colonoscopy.

3. What About Those Pooping In A Box Commercials? Are They Legit?

I was not going to have a colon cancer doctor on the show and not ask him about the commercial that wants you to send in a stool sample as a replacement to a colonoscopy. Dr. Hamoudah doesn't have a ton of faith in these to detect anything complex. However, he said that if you have no family history or any other major health complications, that this would be an alright alternative but would still recommend a colonoscopy sooner than later.

The whole interview is great and very informative. We thank Dr. Hamoudah for his time and look forward to our next guest on What's Up, Doc?