Does the Thought of a Colonoscopy Scare the Poop Out of You?

By Patty Kunze, RN, BSN and Roberta Palmer, RN

Have we caught your attention by the title? Now, how many of you reading this article are due for a Colonoscopy but have put off doing so because of the dreaded colon cleanse the night before the procedure? If this is you, keep reading!

Once again the Rollin’ RNs have come across another topic from our own experiences to share with you. This story began when I went to see my doctor for my annual well exam. One of the screenings for my age group included having a colorectal cancer screen. As you might think, my doctor’s first response was to schedule a Colonoscopy. Yet knowing the challenges having a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) presents with this screen led her and I to an interesting and eye-opening discussion that ended up with her choosing a different screening test for me. The Rollin’RNs felt this discovery was worth sharing.

Let’s define, “What is colorectal cancer?”

Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. These cancers can also be named colon cancer or rectal cancer, depending on where they start.
 
Colorectal cancer almost always develops from precancerous polyps (abnormal growths) in the colon or rectum.

Screening tests can find these polyps, so that they can be removed before they turn into cancer. And if cancer is present, catching it early leads to better treatment outcomes.

I Dream of Movement

By: Jocelene Ramnanan

Josie (in blue) performs with dancers on the National Dance Institute DREAM program'

Rashmi Becker, Founder of UK-based Step Change Studios and producer of Fusion,has been spending time in New York looking at international approaches to integrated and community dance. She was recently welcomed to the National Dance Institute to learn about its free dance program DREAM, which serves dancers ages 8 to 14 with disabilities. Here she was introduced to Josie, a talented dancer and aspiring writer. Josie’s aptitude for writing, and love of dance speak for itself in her account of participating in DREAM.

  

Within the four walls at National Dance Institute (NDI) in Harlem New York, I see kids who are differently abled getting to know each other, making friendships that will last forever. From an outside glance, NDI is just another dance studio but from the moment you step inside those four walls, you are welcomed into a family. 

Every February and August, the NDI hosts an all-inclusive free dance workshop known as the DREAM Project. The acronym DREAM stands for "Dancers Realize Excellence through Arts and Movement".

My name is Jocelene, I am 13 years old and I live in Queens, New York. When I came to DREAM, like anyone who is experiencing something new for the first time, I had my doubts.  But as this program progressed, I started feeling more and more comfortable with the people and the new dance moves that I was learning. I started to feel that this was so much more than just a dance studio; it felt like family.