March is Colon Cancer Awareness month, and for those who are 45 and older, it’s a good time to have a conversation with your doctor about getting a colonoscopy.

For many, just the idea of a colonoscopy produces enough anxiety to keep them from having it done. But putting it off, even for just a year or two, could mean the difference between a simple procedure to remove small polyps and having to undergo serious treatment if a polyp progresses into cancer.

In a two-part series, KCAU’s Tim Seaman shares his personal experience with this potentially life-saving screening, and assures us all that there is no reason to avoid it.

In Part One, Seaman talks to his doctor about the procedure, and interviews a local barber who tells a cautionary tale about waiting too long to get screened for colon cancer.

Part Two follows Seaman as he sets up an appointment with Dr. Michalak and goes through with the entire procedure, including the “dreaded” prep. Throughout it all, he found no reason to avoid getting a colonoscopy, and encourages everyone who has been putting it off to start that conversation.