Get Serious about Getting FIT
The FIT I am talking about here has nothing to do with going to the gym and everything to do with having or maintaining a healthy "plumbing system". FIT stands for Fecal Immunochemical Test. This test detects blood in your stool That Is NOT Visible To The Naked Eye, i.o.w. you could be having this right now and not be even remotely aware that this is happening to you, unless you have the FIT done.
Lucky for us, the government decided to implement a country-wide testing program to specifically target the population age 50 to 74, a high-risk group. In our province, a special program was formed called the "Screening Program for Colorectal Cancer". It was fully operational by about 2012. As a citizen of this province, possessing a valid Health Card, and being between 50 to 74 years old, you are Automatically Enrolled in the program. A testing kit is sent in the mail Every Two Years, Free of Charge! Isn't that wonderful: a freebie sent by the government! That alone should be an incentive to use it! The kit comes complete with paraphernalia and instructions on how to use it. Straightforward. It does have an expiry date and needs to be sent to the lab right away, either you drop it off at a lab or send it back in the mail in a special envelope. Dropping it off in an outdoor mailbox at minus 30 C is not a good idea. The mailing part, no doubt, could be a hindrance to people living in remote areas and up north.
Other than being squeamish about mucking with your own stool, there are NO SIDE EFFECTS to this test. What I would give right now to have NO SIDE EFFECTS!!
Don't forget that to qualify for getting the kit send home to you, you have to have a valid provincial health card and an up-to-date address!
No comments:
Post a Comment