A colonoscopy is nowhere near as bad as it sounds, declared Health Minister Zane DeSilva after he underwent the procedure yesterday.

Mr DeSilva was back at work feeling “awesome” shortly after his operation at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The Minister had the colonoscopy an examination of his bowel via a camera and a tube to check out his own health and raise awareness of the need for people to consider one themselves.

A screening colonoscopy is recommended for adults between ages 50 and 75, particularly when the family has a history of colon cancer. People are urged to discuss the topic with their doctors every year.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in Bermuda, claiming an average 11 deaths per year; the procedure can catch the illness in its early stages and improve the chances of beating it.

Mr DeSilva, 51, said he arrived at the hospital at 7am yesterday, and by 9.25am he was out, having gone through the operation under anaesthetic and been given the all-clear.

He told The Royal Gazette despite the invasive nature of the operation his main difficulty turned out to be the effects of the 64 ounces of laxatives he drank to clear his bowels on Sunday night.

“You live close to the bathroom after that,” he joked.

But he said the colonoscopy itself left him feeling in no pain and he was on the go for the rest of the day.

“Since I turned 50 last year I have been putting it off. But colon cancer is one of those things that if you can catch it early you can deal with it,” said Mr DeSilva.

“Everybody tells me that you spend the whole day on the toilet, or you get this tube stuck up you. But I thought if I’m going to advocate this particular thing I’m going to have to experience it.

“It’s really an easy procedure. I feel a little groggy but that’s all. “I hate to take my car off the road to get it serviced, but if I don’t do it sooner or later something’s going to happen to it.

“I have more fear of a dentist than anyone, but I go every six months without fail because if I leave it I’m opening up the door for other things.”

Nearly 15 percent of cancers diagnosed in Bermuda are colorectal, including more women than men last year.

Bermuda Cancer and Health Centre’s education officer Rhonda Smith-Simmons said in a press release: “Colorectal cancer is slow developing. You need a colonoscopy to check for problems such as polyps.

“Physicians may choose to remove those polyps that may later turn cancerous.”