Having a colonoscopy might be pretty low on Latino adults’ to-do lists. Even hearing the term “colonoscopy” might make some people a bit squeamish.
But it can also save your life.
Just take it from Armida Flores, a promotora (a trained community health worker) at the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Flores spends her days helping people confront cancers and illness.
Because of this, she began to worry about her own health and decided to schedule a colonoscopy.
“I was a little bit nervous about it but, to my surprise, the procedure was not too bad,” Flores said. “I was asleep, so I did not feel any pain or discomfort.”
After explaining the procedure using simple medical terms, the doctor even offered to pray with her, an extra comfort that Flores welcomed.
“The procedure was fast and the staff was caring.”
The night before the procedure Flores had trouble sleeping because of the liquid laxative solution she had to drink. However, she was surprised to discover that the liquid laxative, usually known for its horrible taste, actually wasn’t bad. “The taste was okay, it was kind of salty and sweet,” she recalled.
The doctor found two small polyps in Flores’ colon that he was able to remove easily.
Flores eliminated potential dangers to her health just by deciding to take action.
“I think people are scared because of the word or because they heard something negative about it,” Flores said.
She urges people to not put themselves at risk just because of fear. Learn more about colonoscopies here in Spanish and here in English.
