Welcome to Update 12 of Gary’s cancer journey! In this video, Gary shares the latest on his recent colonoscopy and oral endoscopy, ordered by his GP to thoroughly check his gastrointestinal tract for any signs of cancer. The procedures involved a prep phase with laxatives and a diet limited to white foods to ensure a clear view of his digestive system. While awaiting biopsy results, Gary is thrilled to report that the post-procedure form marked everything as “normal” – a hopeful sign! Thank you for following along and supporting Gary’s journey.
About Colonoscopy and Oral Endoscopy:
Colonoscopy: A colonoscopy is a procedure to examine the large intestine (colon) and rectum using a flexible tube with a camera (colonoscope). It’s commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer, polyps, or other abnormalities. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients prepare by taking laxatives and following a clear liquid or low-fiber diet (often including white foods like rice or bread) to empty the colon. The procedure, typically done under sedation, takes 30-60 minutes. Biopsies may be taken if abnormal tissue is seen, with results available in days to weeks.
Oral Endoscopy (Upper Endoscopy): An oral endoscopy, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), examines the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum using a thin, flexible tube with a camera inserted through the mouth. Per the Cleveland Clinic, it’s used to investigate symptoms like abdominal pain or to check for cancer spread. Prep often involves fasting for 6-8 hours, and sedation is common. The procedure lasts 15-30 minutes, with biopsies taken if needed.
Both procedures are generally safe, with minor risks like bloating or mild discomfort. They’re critical for early detection and monitoring in cancer care.
Your continued support means everything to Gary! Please like, comment, and subscribe for more updates.
Follow Gary’s story at: https://direct.me/suvisjournalism
About Colonoscopy and Oral Endoscopy:
Colonoscopy: A colonoscopy is a procedure to examine the large intestine (colon) and rectum using a flexible tube with a camera (colonoscope). It’s commonly used to screen for colorectal cancer, polyps, or other abnormalities. According to the Mayo Clinic, patients prepare by taking laxatives and following a clear liquid or low-fiber diet (often including white foods like rice or bread) to empty the colon. The procedure, typically done under sedation, takes 30-60 minutes. Biopsies may be taken if abnormal tissue is seen, with results available in days to weeks.
Oral Endoscopy (Upper Endoscopy): An oral endoscopy, or esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), examines the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum using a thin, flexible tube with a camera inserted through the mouth. Per the Cleveland Clinic, it’s used to investigate symptoms like abdominal pain or to check for cancer spread. Prep often involves fasting for 6-8 hours, and sedation is common. The procedure lasts 15-30 minutes, with biopsies taken if needed.
Both procedures are generally safe, with minor risks like bloating or mild discomfort. They’re critical for early detection and monitoring in cancer care.
Your continued support means everything to Gary! Please like, comment, and subscribe for more updates.
Follow Gary’s story at: https://direct.me/suvisjournalism
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00hello hello again hi guys we are here for another update on Gary's journey and I'm genuinely grateful
00:11that you're sharing your journey because I think it's really important it's very important it's
00:15very important to highlight men's health and so you've had now the the latest procedure that
00:21Gary's just had was a colonoscopy and an oral endoscope so basically when you think of the
00:27whole gastro is gastrointestinal tract it's I mean the way Gary said it was that you know they looked
00:34at both ends so yeah that's true from the mouth all the way down and then the tubes all coil coil coil
00:40and then obviously go to the other end so so they covered the whole lot covered the whole pipe yeah
00:46and and the and the the results are positive about this one aren't they yeah yeah yeah but like as
00:54Suvi said I went in yesterday um to this time to university day hospital because they don't do
01:01major surgery but they do this type of stuff went in there got put under which was good and they did
01:07the procedure probably took all up from getting ready to coming out a couple of hours which wasn't
01:14too bad came out had something and then the doctor came in gave me the two reports they did take some
01:22um biopsies which they always do just in case but they didn't find anything and they come back as
01:29um all the things normal normal normal so that was a really good thing so that part of it is all
01:36all good and normal so and that was from my I think um booked in for my local doctor a while ago
01:44to just cover everything so yeah so I'm certainly getting checked out all over so which is a good thing
01:50so that um I do remember actually because Gary and I both live here on the Gold Coast where
01:57I mean we're not neighbours but I can see his apartment building just across the road there
02:02or well just not the road but a little bit of a way but um so we actually run into each other just
02:08incidentally as well because you love surfers you're often bike riding and whatever yeah go for a swim
02:13so I do remember the morning that um I was pushing Spencer in the pram and I was heading up just
02:20on our normal walk and you were walking and I think you had your backpack on and I um it was kind of out
02:27of context because whenever I see Gary in the morning he's either on his bike or up on the esplanade
02:32or at the coffee shop because I was in a different spot all together yeah so he was in a different spot
02:36you were heading for the tram I think or something yeah that's right I caught the tram to the doctors
02:40yeah and I and I said oh hi like you know obviously because it was a little bit out of context and I
02:46remember saying what's wrong because he actually looked a little bit shaken and a little bit pale
02:51yeah because that was one of the first visits to the doctors where he started saying yes we'd better
02:56start getting some things checked yeah so I do remember that morning and I remember you said
03:01oh I've got to have a whole stack of tests and um I could have anything stomach cancer or anything
03:07and so that's that's why really early on too I kept sort of asking Gary when he was having tests I
03:13said oh is it is it okay like and um but basically then as well when you initially got the letter from
03:21the blood bank they said we urge you to go and see the doctor as soon as possible and so what did really
03:28flag it in Gary's case was the very low iron levels and very low iron levels if you if your blood
03:35test comes back is very low iron levels it's a very big red flag that there may be some cancer
03:41somewhere yeah so I think your GP may have said that yeah he did and and then yeah your iron level
03:47doesn't drop as low as mine did in a very short time for no reason right yeah especially when you
03:52haven't changed your diet or anything so yeah so that was a red flag and yeah that was the start of
03:58this journey start of this journey of getting everything sorted out and fixed up and
04:02but it's incredible you didn't feel sick at all yeah still don't so that's and and the thing is
04:09you could have gone on for another year like this easy and by that stage it could have metastasized to
04:14bones lymph nodes yeah and I know the prostate cancer and if I never had any symptoms it could have been
04:20an easy another six months a year before I even went for another checkup or anything for GP so
04:26so yes it just goes to show like we have to get checked out all the time when we start to get a
04:33bit older especially yeah yeah yeah you really do but but the reason yours was picked up was and I
04:39absolutely love this story was because Gary was giving blood yeah so he was doing something really
04:45good for others and it turns out that that that that selfless act in saving other people's lives
04:50may have actually saved your life yeah 100% so so yeah always so you can't get a better lesson than
04:57that like that's so good so everyone out there go and give blood go and give blood it's a good way to
05:02get tested it is well I remember when we interviewed that lady she said it's a free health check yeah it
05:08is 100% and as it is it was a free health check for me I help someone giving blood and yeah I'm being
05:16helped I just realized I high-fived your head and it's got a bandage on it what is that is that from
05:21yesterday or just something else okay that's just another drama no it's just another medical story
05:28well we'll cover Gary's finger next we could be pretty busy they're coming quick thick and fast yeah
05:34but basically for other people that are curious colonoscopy do you want to talk us through the
05:41horror of having a colonoscopy no it's not horrible it's not actually I know other people that have
05:47had one too and and usually people have a colonoscopy when they do that test so when you in Australia
05:53anyway we're very lucky they have bowel cancer screening so for free they send you a letter and
05:58they send you a kit that you can test that you can collect a small sample at home and send it in
06:04an envelope to get tested and they test you know and if there's any blood then they'll let you know
06:12and you'll have to go back in yeah and get a colonoscopy yeah and it's not the nicest procedure
06:19leading up to it is it because you have to take laxatives and really yeah it's not the procedure so
06:24because yeah because you're out to it when they do the procedure it's the lead up but the lead up
06:30which I've never had one before and a lot of people go through it a fair bit throughout their
06:36life so I've never experienced it and they give you you go and get the satchels to actually take
06:42you've got to go on a high fiber high fiber low fiber diet for about a week in advance
06:53and a white diet yeah and no seeds or yeah nothing that can sort of stay in your system for a long
07:00time get stuck in the little grooves because your colon has got if you look at a magnified version of
07:06your colon it's actually like um there's I don't know there's a little villi or there's it's not
07:12a smooth pipe there's all these things that catch food and really try and um get your body to be
07:19absorbing these nutrients and your colon actually absorbs a lot of those and and like you don't
07:24want seeds seeds and nuts are obviously going to take longer than other stuff to go through the
07:28system so you get on a diet and then um the night before the day before you get three satchels
07:36where you've got to mix in water and drink a liter every hour and then so on and then the last thing
07:43was get up at four o'clock on the morning yeah have the last one and then nothing or eat to drink until
07:49the procedure which I went in early morning which was fantastic at half past seven but yes that stuff
07:56really works so I'll tell you I have heard that before that it really works I had the first liter and
08:03thought nah this stuff's not working and all of a sudden yeah you spend a couple of hours on the toilet
08:10yeah so no and that's got it because because if you don't so you don't want to be too far away from the
08:15toilet no not at all you wouldn't want to be traveling anywhere yeah but if you don't go through the
08:20procedure properly and your bowel isn't completely cleared out you go in for the um the procedure
08:28and they find out they can't do it because they can't see because they're looking with a camera
08:33at the whole wall and everything so if they can't see you've got to come back and go through that
08:38procedure again so you definitely got to stick to the diet and the rules which is all fine it's only a
08:45few days but but yes it was an experience so it's in your best interests to suffer yes in the moment
08:58so yes I stuck to the procedure um properly it was all good came out and yeah everything seemed
09:04pretty good so they were happy with it so so that's good so yeah so it was an experience and the white diet
09:11is interesting too because they don't want you to have anything like um raspberries or um red cordial
09:17or anything anything that could sort of or or even tomato sauce I think you're not meant to have
09:22yeah because the fluids you're allowed to have yeah it's like it can stain the inside of your
09:28like it can color your tongue yeah so it must do the same yeah yeah because you can drink lemonade
09:33yeah lemon cordial water of course and things like that but yeah yeah that milk but nothing
09:39with um like you said strawberry anything like yeah even vanilla ice cream you can have plenty of
09:45vanilla ice cream if you like ice cream but you can't have anything with nuts or fruit or yeah it's
09:51very interesting yeah yeah so it is I found the whole staining thing interesting too yeah but it is it's
09:58like you eat something blue you know blue lolly or a blue m&m or something and your tongue goes yeah when
10:04you think about it if your tongue goes blue then then your insides might too yeah so that was um the
10:11update and yep we'll keep going um we'll keep following the journey obviously because we'll be um
10:18we'll be updating you with every step so the next step is what is the next step now next the surgery the
10:25surgery in i think it's about two weeks time two weeks yeah and where will that's at gold coast
10:31yeah that's a gold coast university hospital yeah go in and obviously get the operation and the
10:38prostate removed so and then we'll go from there stay tuned thank you for sharing hey go and give blood
10:46go and give blood and get checked out and get checked out because it's very important for all of us