Lyndsay Burginger
The older you get, the more maintenance your body needs. While going to the doctor for yearly physicals and preventative care, is all great and dandy when you are young, undergoing certain procedures when you hit your 50s is critical to preventing certain cancers and illnesses. No one likes it, and this one procedure is a bit shitty but these celebrities have found a way to make preventative care fun by throwing colonoscopy parties.
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During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short shared that they get together with Tom Hanks and friend Walter Parks every other year and party before their colonoscopy appointments. Now that’s a real bunch of party poopers.
The four men get together at Steve Martin’s house on what they call, “colonoscopy eve,” where they play cards and watch a funny movie. The party is catered with Jell-O with no traces of solid food.
The men toast their magnesium citrate and within a few hours the men and emptying their bowels. Martin Short jokes, “What’s shocking is with Steve, you know, he’s a wealthy man. Who would think he would have one bathroom? I mean, by 10 p.m., the bathroom looks like Day 14 of a Carnival cruise.” Steve Martin pipes in, sharing that it reminds him of a Jackson Pollock painting.
The next day the men head to their health care provider together, making the loser of the card game get his procedure last.
“It was fun,” Martin shares about the party. “It’s a great way to do something that you should do.” The American Cancer Society guideline for colorectal cancer screening recommends that men and women receive their first colonoscopy at age 45. If in good health, patients only need to have the procedure once every ten years. Those with a high risk of colorectal cancer should consult with their doctor about frequency.
Would you ever attend this kind of party?
This article was originally published on January 28, 2019.
