As president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld is the face and voice of the nation’s largest association of doctors and medical students.
He’s also a Navy Veteran who relies on Milwaukee VA for his health care. He just turned 45 and, on March 29, he did what we should all do at that age: Get a colonoscopy.
“I don’t know if looking forward to it is the right phrase, but I know it’s the right thing for me to do. I trust in my doctors at VA to get me the care I need and I encourage other Veterans to do the same. I have a lot of faith in my doctors and my team, and I know it will go smoothly,” he said.
Ehrenfeld’s procedure coincided with the conclusion of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and he said it was important to send a message about the need for everyone to get screened.
“A lot of people put this off for lots of reasons, but frankly that could be deadly,” he said, noting that colorectal cancer screenings are recommended starting at age 45.
As an anesthesiologist, he has cared for “too many patients who had this disease, which is preventable. If caught early, colon cancer can be treated.”
Leading cancer killer and often has no symptoms
“Colorectal cancer is one of the leading cancer killers, and it often has no symptoms,” said Dr. Juan Trivella, Ehrenfeld’s gastroenterologist at Milwaukee VA. “Someone could have polyps or colorectal cancer and not know it. That is why getting screened regularly for colorectal cancer is so important. It doesn’t matter who you are, what your job is or what you look like. You need to get it done because it really prevents and decreases mortality.”
While a colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for screening, many people are leery of the procedure, mostly because of the preparation. Before a colonoscopy, patients must alter their diet for a few days. The day before, they start a regimen of medications and a liquid that helps clear the bowels. That means frequent trips to the bathroom.
“There have been plenty of potty jokes in my house,” said Ehrenfeld, father of two boys, ages one and five.
Colonoscopy isn’t the only way to screen. There are also at-home tests which require collecting a stool sample and sending it to a lab for testing. “Each test has advantages and disadvantages. The patient should talk with their doctor about the pros and cons of each test and how often to be tested,” Trivella said.
That’s exactly what Ehrenfeld did. He’s been a VA patient since returning from service in Afghanistan in 2015, first in Nashville and since 2019 at Milwaukee VA.
“I feel fortunate to get my health care through VA.”
Ehrenfeld noted that he has commercial insurance and could get his health care anywhere, but he chooses to go with VA. “It’s not your granddad’s VA. I believe in the VA system. It’s been a great experience for me. They’re extraordinary clinicians. I feel privileged and fortunate to get all my health care through VA.”
He said he’s especially enthused by VA’s services for younger Veterans, female Veterans and for LGBTQ+ Veterans. He is the first openly gay president of the AMA and feels strongly about addressing the medical deficiencies that minority groups often face.
“The VA as a system has really pivoted in some important ways. It’s not perfect. There’s always work to do, but I don’t know any health system in the country that I wouldn’t say the same thing about.”
Ehrenfeld hopes other Veterans heed his experience to get screened. “If one Veteran gets their colonoscopy because of this, then it’s worth it. And if 10 get their colonoscopy, that will probably save a life,” he added.
Topics in this story
Link Disclaimer
This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.
More Stories
Carrie Hawkins has earned Excellence in Nursing recognition, the 3rd consecutive year a Bay Pines VA leader has won.
Vietnam War Commemoration and Navy Week program welcomed home hundreds of Texas Veterans with week-long commemorative
VA doctor leading the way on anesthetic gas capturing and recycling system.
I thank God and the VA for this great story, because it unites us in PEACE, and reminds us to ask our healthcare providers (and caregivers) to get our colonoscopy before it’s too late, and to detect cancer in time so we don’t die sooner than we’re supposed to. We are all united as one TEAM, no matter if we are new to the VA under the PACT Act or if we have been with VA care for decades. There is a hybrid in-person / virtual Veterans Research Town Hall (VRTH) on May 14, 2024 at 10am – 12pm at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center, so we can hear and ask questions about “Genomics, Health Equity, and You”. Can we PLEASE STAY UNITED? God help us all and please don’t allow the seen and unseen forces of evil to divide us, because too many of us are dying before we are supposed to be, but we are too blinded and deaf by division and hate to help each other. To register for the VRTH, please copy and paste the following link to your internet browser and then PLEASE help as many of our Brother and Sister Veterans know: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/weblink/register/rb34180de91decfd7877a67c9d40acdb8 I HOPE TO MEET YOU THERE IN PEACE! Over and Out.
I will check with my PCP re colonoscopy. What about broncoscopy? Pulmonary at my VA has tried various approaches over the last year to determine cause of a cough. Lately I’m puffing a lung treatment
That seems to have no effect. I’m a cancer out patient ( 2 times) so I’m sensitive to possibilities.
My age is 80 and I’ve found that nutritional supplements in adequate doses have prevented illnesses such as the flu and other viruses. They probably also help to prevent colorectal and other cancers. Heart disease is probably also less likely. Of course nothing prevents age-related illnesses however I haven’t contracted any viruses or experienced any serious health issues since I started taking the supplements over 30 years ago. One-a-day vitamins don’t provide nearly enough B-Complex, Omega-3, magnesium, C, D3, E etc.
There are many reasons why adequate doses of nutritional supplements are much more necessary than they were 40+ years ago. Shipping and delays cause many foods to be far less than fresh and by the time we get them they have lost a significant amount of their nutrition. Vegetable crops are now grown in soil depleted of nutrients because of monocropping and other poor agricultural methods. Artificial and concentrated fertilizers cause plants to grow rapidly without giving them time to develop proper nutrient levels. Residues of pesticides and herbicides cause toxicity and supplements can significantly offset the damage caused by these chemicals. All nutritional supplements can be toxic if the dosages are too large however they’re virtually useless if the dosages are too small. They need to be of good quality also.
Most medical doctors aren’t in favor of nutritional supplements, especially when taken in doses larger than the minimum daily requirement. In fact a doctor of internal medicine actually became angry with me when I told him about the supplements I’d been taking. He rudely drilled me with questions about why I was taking them. I was being evaluated because of chest pain but fortunately the pain was from hyperacidity. This was in 1995 and his reaction was so shocking that my ears began to ring and, although I’ve gotten used to it, the tinnitus has affected my hearing significantly. The cardiologist was much more respectful and pleasant.
Thankfully one medical doctor doesn’t agree with the majority. Dr Julian Whitaker’s “Guide to Natural Healing” (early 1990s)) gives advice regarding optimum dosages and he’s been updating his recommendations over the years. This is a list of the supplements I’m currently taking including the strengths and dosages:
Triple Strength Omega-3 (Innovix Labs) (1 capsule twice daily)
Vitamin C 500 mg (2 capsules daily)
Ubiquinol (CoQ10) 100 mg (1 softgel twice daily)
Tocotrienols (Vitamin E) 50 mg (2 softgels twice daily)
Full Spectrum Vitamin K2 (Innovix Labs) (1 capsule daily)
Ecotrin 81 mg (1 tablet daily)
Activated B-Complex 50 mg (Swanson) (1 capsule daily)
Zinc Picolinate 22 mg (Swanson) (1 capsule daily)
SeMSC or L-Selenomethionine Selenium 200 mcg (Swanson) (1 capsule daily)
Albion Chelated Copper 2 mg (Swanson) (1 capsule daily)
Bio Complete 3 (Prebiotic, Probiotic, Postbiotic) (Gundry MD) (2 capsules twice daily)
Triple Boron Complex 3 mg (Swanson) (1 capsule daily)
Lycopene 10 mg (Swanson) (1 softgel daily)
Magnesium Glycinate 87.5 mg (Zhou) (1 capsule twice daily)
Advanced Magnesium 200 mg (Innovix Labs) (1 capsule daily)
Vitamin D3 2,000 IU (1 capsule twice daily)
This article is false! At least when in comes to care at the Loma Linda, CA, Las Vegas, NV and Nashville VA Medical Centers. I have been seeing the VA for all of my healthcare since 2002 when I was 41 and have never been offered a colonoscopy. In fact, since I was had been treated for throat cancer in 2020 and was in treatment for my second cancer diagnosis, I requested a colonoscopy through my PCM in 2022. I was denied twice and after filing a complaint with the Patient’s Advocate at the Nashville VA Med Center, was told that a FIT screening test met the recommended screening requirement.
Evidently, the FIT I sent in in 2023 never arrived or wasn’t processed and they never inquired about it. So, during my recent semi-annual PCM appointment I was given another to submit which came back as positive for blood in the sample. So now I get a colonoscopy. Of course I have had to wait 2 1/2 months for the appointment. Do you have any idea what it does to a cancer patients nerves to have this kind of news and have to wait so long to get the test? So now instead of being able to excise pre-cancerous polyps, I’m looking at full blown cancer right out the gate. Hopefully it is just my hemorrhoids acting up!
This article needs to be edited to point out the actual recommended screening tests for cold-rectal cancer. Unless you have a first-line relative that has had CRC, the VA can get away with providing an FOBT or FIT stool sample test rather than the more expensive colonoscopy. And does, in my experience.
I am otherwise well pleased with my care within the VA Medical System, especially my cancer care for the cancers that have been diagnosed.
I’ve read that selenium is the best preventative against colorectal cancer. I’ve been taking 200 micrograms daily since 2002, and, though it’s higher than the RDA of 55 micrograms daily, I’ve had no negative effects, passing all my colorectal tests that I have taken at the VA since 2002. In fact, a study was done several years ago showing that 143 micrograms of selenium is the ideal level; after the study, the RDA was reduced from 70 micrograms daily to its present level of 55. What I do works, so I won’t “fix” it.
My older brother is battling colon cancer. So, I figured better get checked too.
I had a colonoscopy this past Monday through the VA via community care. All in all it wasn’t that big a deal.
Great article.
At what age is it recommended that a colonoscopy is no longer required?
Thank you