A Look Inside Harry's Colonoscopy

(CBS)  Late night host David Letterman had some funny thoughts on "Early Show"co-anchor Harry Smith's on-air colonoscopy, saying Tuesday night the screening will be "real breakfast fun."

He finished his mention of "The Early Show" by showing a "preview" of the procedure with a man and a woman walking down a dark stairwell.

Harry's Colonoscopy
Inside Colonoscopy Screenings
Harry's On-Air Colonoscopy
Video: Full Coverage of Harry Smith's Colonoscopy

Though it was a joke, Smith's actual colonoscopy Wednesday morning at the New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center did, in fact, look like a walk a dark, pink hallway.

As Dr. Mark Pochapin, director of The Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Health, checked Smith's colon, "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric, who joined Smith during his screening, said Smith was weathering the colonoscopy well.

"He just said, 'This makes me really happy,' so I think the drugs have kicked in," she said.

"I'm doing great now," Smith said.

Smith's colon, Couric added, looked "as clean as a whistle."

As he checked the folds of Smith's colon, Pochapin said everything looked normal. Pochapin even had a chance to point out Smith's liver.

Smith, partially sedated, said, "Hey there, liver."

Pochapin explained the colon's function is to remove fluid from the body.

He said, "It's basically the dryer of the body."

Couric remarked on a controversy in the past year that doctors were missing flat polyps during colon exams.

"It really came down to the fact that they were doing the procedure too quickly," she said.

Pochapin agreed, saying, "There are certain quality indicators. One of them is the withdrawal time -- the time it takes (to go) from the very beginning of the colon to the very end. The minimum amount of time should be six minutes. We strive here to look at the cracks, and it should be eight minutes, and the longer you take looking around these folds, the better you're able to see these polyps or flat lesions. If you're not careful looking around, things can hide."

Couric added when you're getting a colonoscopy, you should ask your doctor about their experience and how long the procedure will take.

Pochapin added other colonoscopy quality indicators include how many times doctors find pre-cancerous polyps.

"The baseline (for polyps) is 15 percent to 25 percent - 15 percent for women and 25 percent for men," Pochapin said. "They're out there. We have to make sure we take our time and do a quality exam. Good prep, slow withdraw, and of course, making sure that the patient's safety and comfort is always pleasant."

Smith asked Pochapin how long the colon can be.

He responded that it can be as long as four to six feet. He added the small intestine can be as long as 20 feet long.

Couric chided Smith, "You apparently have a very long colon."

She also pointed out she was wearing a visor shield.

"I was told I was going to be in the 'splash zone,' and I could have gone all day without knowing that."

Pochapin said with a laugh, "Sorry about that."

Following Smith's screening, Pochapin reported Smith's colon is healthy.

To view Smith's entire colonoscopy experience, click on the video below.


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But what about you?

Health insurance covers the screening for many insured Americans, but for uninsured people, Pochapin said there are programs available to get a free or reduced-cost colonoscopies. The American Cancer Society and local health centers are great places to start, he said.

Couric said if you don't want to get a screening, you should think about the people you love.

"They want you to be around for a long, long time," she said.

Smith said the colonoscopy gave him "tremendous peace of mind," and "upped the ante" on his health, reminding him to do a better job of taking care of himself.

Pochapin told Smith the health and wellness message is an important one.

"Keep yourself fit and watching your diet, eating correctly and making sure your doing all the things to prevent these diseases," he said. "We'll go to the doctor when you're sick, but you really want to go when you're well."

As for the entire experience of a colonoscopy, Smith said, "Nothing to it."

Click here for more information on colorectal cancer and screening.

[sscholfield]

An effort to raise awareness about colon cancer? All you raised was my breakfast.

[sscholfield]

What's next - a live contraction by contraction view of Maggie's unterus when she gives birth? Spare us all.

[maggiemayday]

For those crying "fake", you aren't paying attention. The doc s going over the results with Harry, not performing the procedure while he's awake.

My oldest brother died of colon cancer at age 57. He likely would have survived if he'd had a colonoscopy. I had my first c-scope at age 47, ten years younger. SAVED MY LIFE! Yes, I too had colon cancer, a rare type called colon carcinoid. And for the icing on the cake, I had a second unrelated cancer ... breast cancer, detected with a routine mammogram, the same year. I was lucky, both were found in stage one, surgery and radiatin only. No chemo. So YES, routine screenings do save lives. Mine in particular. I feel every American should have access to known life savings screenings.

[tmittelstaed]

This is nothing more than a gigantic con job. Since Smith had his procedure done on TV, instead of having to pay $500-$1000 up to his deductible for the procedure, he got the TV station to pay for the procedure and got a free colonoscopy out of it.

I'd gladly have a colonoscopy done on TV to get a free one. Do you know how expensive the damn things are these days?

And as for being drugged up WHAT A WUSS. When I had mine done a few years ago I did it without drugs at all. I had to fight the doctor on this, they must have asked me a dozen times. They finally went ahead with it, and it was a snap. It's just a matter of control of the bear-down reflex, mind over matter. When I was finished he told me that he had only had 5 other patients who did it without drugs.

[platteman]

You can say all you want about the "news" value of this story and show. I think it is a positive thing to present, while the prep time is poor, saving a life or two is what this is all about. I think of Tony Snow and all the others that have now passed on and early detection and screening would have saved a few lives. You can make this political if you want, but the fact is this, death by colon cancer is not pretty. Knowing that nothing you do will save you, is a real kick in the behind.

[wjksea]

10,000 Turn Out In DC To Attack Insurance Co. Profits; Network News Ignores Them

[tynkilicious]

I don't know what everyone is so upset about!! My daughter died in 2005 from colon cancer she was 24 years old. Her brother and 2 sisters had to get a colonoscopy (my son won't do it he is 18 yrs old). My oldest daughter now they have diagnosed with crohns disease and maybe celiac disease they are not sure yet. She is getting tired of bein jerked around. Anyway why did it take the doctor thinking that stephanie had gall stones for them to run any test. she had been in so much pain for so long and she gained weight with colon cancer anyway they finally discovered the cancer in november of 2005 then she died december 8 2005. when they found it she was in the final stage of colon cancer WHY!!!! WE HAD NO HISTORY OF COLON CANCER IN OUR FAMILY!! I appreciated the show and everyone else should also stephanie was only 24 years old who knows how long she had the cancer. thank you harry, katie and everyone else on the early show. Even very young people get this disease and does kill! I have lived it I am still not over her death and still very angry at the medical profession.

[dadirt]

How far the news media has fallen. Did they find Obama's or any other democrats nose up there? Katy should have been right at home there.

[deannamarsh]

Hellooo! You have got to be kidding - educate the public on health issues but live on TV is just wrong. Let's get back to some basic propriety, decency and provide useable information without being obscene or outrageouse by trying to be the "first" Lost my viewer-ship.

[msay3]

Is nothing sacred anymore?