After painful loss, Barrington nurse dedicated to colonoscopy awareness

Nurse Joanna Michniak knows firsthand the pain of losing someone to colon cancer, among the most preventable of cancers.

Michniak, who works in gastroenterology at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Lake Barrington, said she'd tried in vain over the years to get her father-in-law to have a colonoscopy. He died about six years ago, just seven months after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.

“I kept asking him to have a colonoscopy done, and he kept refusing,” she said. “That was very hard, because that was very easily preventable.”

Michniak now is dedicated to spreading the word about the importance of colonoscopies, which can find polyps in the colon before they become malignant.

“As many people I can talk to as I can, I tell them to have a colonoscopy done,” Michniak said, “because I don't want their family to go through what our family went through.”

Michniak gave 25-minute, in-person presentations about colonoscopies until the COVID-19 pandemic, when she migrated to Zoom.

Recently, she has been giving presentations to suburban firefighters, whose profession has higher rates of several types of cancer, including colon cancer, according to a 2013 study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

“There is a group of people who takes care of the community, and we want to provide them with the tools,” Michniak said. “If they are not going to stay healthy, they can't help us.”

Scott Motisi, assistant chief for the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District, said Michniak's presentation “was absolutely well-received.” The district's firefighters are mostly under 40, so they got great perspective on the importance of having a colonoscopy when the time comes, he said.

“It fits right into our health and safety initiatives,” he said.

March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month. Everyone should have a colonoscopy — a procedure that involves inserting a tube with a camera — starting at age 50. The American Cancer Society recommends beginning at 45, which according to Michniak is starting to be covered by some health insurers.

If the colonoscopy finds no polyps, people can then wait up to 10 years to have another one done. At age 75, colonoscopies can be done based on the patient's preference, screening history, overall health and life expectancy. They are not recommended after age 85.

Motisi, who's 43, said he got the all-clear after a colonoscopy ordered by his doctor.

“It's mind over matter a far as understanding the importance of getting the colonoscopy,” he said. “The procedure itself is very tame, and I was under good hands. The process itself was quite painless. You have to get it done to get it done.”

Michniak said people can be scared about the prep process, which involves ingesting, the day before, a substance that clears the colon by stimulating bowel movements, often resulting in diarrhea. People can be edgy about being sedated for the procedure, which lasts about only 30 minutes, she said.

The best thing to do is call your doctor and discuss your fears, she said. For example, there are newer methods that involve taking laxatives and lower quantities of the prep substance.

“We can ease their apprehension,” Michniak said.

Advocate Health Care has a program for people to schedule a colonoscopy without having to see a gastroenterologist. “Anybody in the community can call us,” Michniak said.

Scheduling is at colonoscopy.advocatehealth.com or 1-800-3-ADVOCATE. The program covers colonoscopies for people who are “relatively healthy,” Michniak said. Those with preexisting conditions or immediate relatives who had colon cancer before age 65 don't qualify for the program but get assistance in setting an appointment with a gastroenterologist.

“You are going to be set up with somebody, because we want to make sure you have a colonoscopy with somebody,” Michniak said.

“It can take five to 10 years to develop colorectal cancer, but time passes fast.”