PSA: Get your colonoscopy

👋 Hi, Ben here. My friend Scott Lambert got a colonoscopy yesterday, and maybe you should, too.

Driving the news: Scott "heard on NPR or read somewhere" about a study linking chronic constipation and colorectal cancer.

• He remembered being constipated when he was younger, so he worried.
• Plus, he's 48, and the American Cancer Society now recommends those at average risk of colorectal cancer start regular screenings at 45.

Why it matters: Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. and is expected to cause about 52,000 deaths in 2022, per the ACS.

Yes, butt: We don't talk about it enough. Ignorance breeds fear.

What happened: The James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital requires a driver, so I served as Scott's sherpa. "My colonoscopy cowboy," he called me.

• Scott was COVID tested, prepped for exam and then instructed to lay on his side with his upper leg lifted before nurses administered the anesthesia.
• When they wheeled him outside, he was smiling and holding a copy of the images of the inside of his colon.

What he's saying: "Cleanest colon they've ever seen," he told me, beaming. "They want to see it again next week."

The bottom line: If you've been putting the exam off, don't be scared.

• If Scott can do it, so can you.