Chrissy Teigen is opening up about getting ready for her first colonoscopy.
“Soon there’s going to be a very large jump in people my age and even a little younger getting colon cancer because we don’t get checked,” she explained. “And we don’t get checked because we’re not told to. You think that your parents are the ones that get checked.”
“I have my first colonoscopy tomorrow because I was told by my doctor that people are getting it younger and younger and they should go in earlier and earlier to get checked now,” Chrissy said.
According to the CDC, people should get regularly screened for colon cancer every ten years once they turn 45. However, earlier and more frequent screenings are recommended if someone has an inflammatory bowel disease (such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), or a personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps, among other pre-existing conditions.
Chrissy went on to discuss the prep for a colonoscopy:
“One thing that you always hear about is the crazy drink that you have to drink the night before. It’s like very intense and [there’s] cramping. And obviously, you have to get ready to have a camera up your butt.”
“But now, it can be pills. So now I have to take these pills, a sip of water after every pill, and then a giant thing of water,” she said as she showed the camera the white capsules.
Listen — we appreciate these little moments of transparency because a lot of people are due for colonoscopies but have put them off out of fear of the unknown. The more we normalize talking about and sharing these things, the more lives we’ll ultimately save.
