Your health

Last week, I watched a touching tribute to Joel Siegel, the movie critic for ABC's "Good Morning America."

From everything I read, he regretted not having a colonoscopy when he turned 50. By the time he had one, he was 53, and he had colo-rectal cancer.

Like Siegel, I waited to have one done until I was 53. That was last summer just before I turned 54.

Fortunately, everything was fine.

I wrote about my experience for our old health tabloid called Thrive.

We were supposed to have a photographer come with me and photograph everything, but something got messed up. So there are no photos. And I guess I should be glad. I'm sure I wasn't at my best that morning.

For those of you about to turn 50 this year, go and have the procedure done. It's really no big deal.

Wait. There is just a little yucky part and that's the preparation. For 24 hours before the procedure, you can't eat anything and you've got to take some truly vile stuff that cleans out your system. I mean clean out.

I can't describe what that stuff tastes like. At first, I thought it wasn't bad. But by the time I was at the bottom of the gallon bottle, I was standing at the kitchen sink just looking at it. I really couldn't drink another drop. I did.

You'll spend a lot of time in the bathroom -- and it's not putting on makeup.

Other than that, it's very, very easy.

Colo-rectal cancer is probably the one type of cancer that is completely avoidable. But only if you get tested when you're 50. And earlier if there's a family history.

After writing that story last summer, several people came up to me to thank me.

Dianne Osborne, a local artist, told me she clipped the story and hands it to friends who have put off the procedure. She even made her husband read it.

A couple of my colleagues, who are older than I am, have had it done in the past year.

It's a subject people want to avoid, but I tell everyone I know whom I know is about turn 50 to get it done.

You won't be sorry.

Really.