Silver Cross Can Help Ease Your Colonoscopy Fears, Save Your Life

When Lincoln-Way East High School teacher Jason Berg noticed blood in his stool at age 42, his primary care doctor recommended he have a colonoscopy. 

“My Dad’s father had colon cancer, and it wound up in his liver, and he passed away of cancer in his 60s,” Berg, of New Lenox, said. 

His doctor referred him to Dr. Reza Gamagami, general and robotic surgeon on staff at Silver Cross Hospital  in New Lenox. 

“He was great from the first second I met him,” Berg said. Dr. Gamagami said Berg’s family history was key, despite his otherwise healthy lifestyle. 

“Here, you have a 42-year-old with rectal bleeding, with a family history of colon cancer, and that increases your risk two to three times. Contrary to what we were used to seeing, Jason was extremely fit, extremely active. And he eats well. And you would think everything should be OK.” 

But Dr. Gamagami and his colleagues also know nearly 53,000 people in the U.S. die each year from colorectal cancer. Research shows that colonoscopies can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 69 percent. 

During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March, they want to let people know nearly 88 percent of colorectal cancer deaths can be prevented by having a colonoscopy, considered the gold standard of detecting colon cancer. 

Gastroenterologist Dr. Kamran Ayub said Silver Cross had been performing 5,000 to 6,000 colonoscopies a year. 

“But now, with two more rooms in our endoscopy center, we’re performing 7,000 to 8,000 procedures a year. Many of those are screening procedures, where we go in and look for polyps that may be pre-cancerous,” he explained. 

Since stool-based tests like fecal occult and Cologuard can have false positives and negatives, he added, “It’s best to just get the colonoscopy.” 

Colonoscopy isn’t something most people look forward to, however. 

“Let’s face it, who wants to drink a gallon of prep or take a bunch of pills, and sit on the commode the night before and have 20 bowel movements,” Dr. Gamagami added. “There’s no question, though, colonoscopy is the best way to diagnose any ailment that has to do with your colon.” 

Berg’s results showed rectal cancer, a diagnosis he wasn’t expecting. 

“I thought this was going to be some kind of internal hemorrhoid…or something,” he said. “Not a big deal. And then, I was shocked, I was scared. It was rough. My wife, Alicia, was eight months pregnant at the time.” 

She had a difficult time with the news as well, but the Silver Cross team was a comfort. 

“I was scared. I couldn’t breathe. My husband had cancer. He was young. He was healthy. I felt like I was out of control. But there were so many doctors. He had a team. And they made you trust them,” she said. 

Putting It Off

Yvette Vana said she was “definitely guilty” of pushing off certain exams. 

“’I’m too busy; I’ll get to that later.’ And ‘later’ became a couple years. I never had a colonoscopy. And I did have symptoms. I had a little bit of bleeding; a little bit of cramping. And I thought, well, it could be related to something else.” 

Her primary care physician didn’t want to take a chance, referring her to Dr. Rameez Alasadi, an interventional gastroenterologist with Premier Suburban Medical Group. 

While she was in recovery, Dr. Alasadi told her husband she had a cluster of polyps. Later, they found two were cancerous, and one was pre-cancerous. 

“Dr. Alasadi was very compassionate, and he was very quick to say, ‘Let’s get a plan going.’” 

Dr. Alasadi said Vana was fortunate that the cancer was isolated to the polyps. So, removing them was enough to cure her, he said, adding, “her risk for cancer recurrence is very, very low.” 

A Younger Crowd

Dr. Alasadi said they are seeing more and more cases of younger people being diagnosed with colon cancer, and genetic predisposition is only one factor. 

“We believe this is most likely related to an unhealthy lifestyle. We’re seeing obesity at childhood related to exposure to highly processed foods. Other risk factors are cigarette smoking, eating red meat and excessive alcohol consumption. These are modifiable risk factors.” 

Genetics was Berg’s major risk factor, and nothing could change that. Dr. Gamagami set up a treatment plan immediately, a course of radiation therapy, followed by six months of chemotherapy and then surgery. 

“We have found that doing the therapy before surgery reduces the risk of the cancer metastasizing or recurring,” he said. 

While the radiation therapy was fairly easy, Berg admitted the chemotherapy wasn’t. But he had his wife, his family and a new baby to help get him through. 

Dr. Gamagami performed robotic-assisted surgery using one of the hospital’s highly advanced da Vinci platforms by Intuitive. 

Dr. Gamagami removed Berg’s tumor and his rectum – the last six inches of the colon – without damaging any major nerves that control bodily functions. 

Allowing the patient to live a normal life after removing the cancer is important, Dr. Gamagami said, especially in a person so relatively young. 

“When I met him, not only was he young, but he had two children, and his wife was pregnant,” said Dr. Gamagami, beginning to get emotional. 

“It’s different when patients are older. Their kids are older; they’ve led a full life. But younger people have their life in front of them. If it’s not for yourself, do it for your family.” 

Getting the colonoscopy was crucial, Berg said. “Without it, they may never have found the cancer, and I could be dead right now. It’s not bad. The worst part is the drink, but it can save your life.” 

Vana’s message is: Don’t Wait. 

“Don’t ignore what your body is trying to tell you. Pay attention to everything. But then, don’t wait. I wish that I hadn’t waited. I had great news, but I don’t know that everyone would have great news. And that’s what I want my children to realize. I want them to be proactive; get that colonoscopy at 45.” 

Berg said he is forever grateful to the team at Silver Cross. 

“Dr. Gamagami was amazing. I cannot speak highly enough of him and the care that he gave. I want to say how grateful I am for my whole team of doctors. All the nurses, all the staff. Everyone was just amazing. 

“I am forever in their debt for keeping me around for my wife and kids.” 

To learn more about a colonoscopy screening at Silver Cross Hospital, visit silvercross.org