C-day: Colonoscopy

Ready to continue? Here, uh,  goes nothing...

• Now, for those out there who are as concerned as I was about the prep which we all have heard about, here is how it went for me THIS time...
• I took Suprep Bowel Prep solution, one 6 oz. bottle of  clear liquid mixed with cool water to 16 oz.  This was to be followed by two more 16 oz. glasses of water within ONE hour. To avoid any problems due to my very slow mobility, I prepared this in the bathroom like so -- I filled a pitcher (64 oz. plastic juice bottle) with cool filtered water and brought the prep kit into the bathroom; I emptied the solution into the cup and filled it to the top line with water. I put everything where I could reach it from the toilet, then I drank the solution. Much to my dismay, though it was clear it tasted like strongly flavored black cherry kool-aid, very sweet and very salty. I got that down pretty easily with big gulps.  Twenty minutes later I poured and drank another cup of water, and 20 minutes after that, yet another.
• Then it was time to sit, and wait, and finally go. There went dinner from six days ago. Flush. Wait, listen to a little rumbling, try to read Momentum magazine, go again. Perhaps that was dinner from three days ago. Wait some more. Try to cradle  my head in my arms. Wonder why it was so tiring just sitting there doing nothing, then WHOOSH. Okay, now we're getting somewhere. Rinse and repeat a few more times. The evening prep took 3 1/2 hours on the pot. 
• It was repeated the next morning (at least three hours prior to leaving for the procedure), but only a little bit of solid material was, expressed, and the liquid was otherwise quite clear. This time it took just two hours and I was done. One transfer onto the toilet and one off, each time. Aside from the nasty taste, easy-peasy.
• I was picked up by my cousin at 1:30 for my 2PM check-in and due to construction valet parking was open only to people with handicapped placards. It's a good thing I always carry mine with me in my bag, isn't it?
• Check-in went quickly and easily.
• When they tool me back, I was freezing in the pre-op room and procedure room, so when I mentioned that I was so cold that I was shivering, George, the nurse, got me heated blanketS. Two: one around my legs/feet and the other around my shoulders/rest of me. When I got into the procedure room they had to dig around to get all their monitors attached. When it came time for me to lay on my side, she just helped by pulling on a folded sheet I was laying on and pulling on my hip. in two seconds I was on my side. I wish that turning over at home was this easy.
•  The nurse who put in my IV got me on the first poke (yes-ss-s!), and she read my bracelets. The yellow one is LIVESTRONG, and the orange one is Fuck You Multiple Sclerosis ... and she giggled. I told her, "When MS snaps, sometimes you have to snap back."
• I guess third time really is a charm; this time the colonoscopy went just as it should, without pain and with a doctor who really seems to like what he does. He came in, went over my chart notes and procedure then asked if I had any questions. I explained a little about my own situation with lack of sensation and how I manage to not have BM accidents which is basically Walk the Razor's Edge with my water consumption, and then I asked him why he chose GI as his Specialty. "Are you kidding me? GI is great! I get to work with a lot of different organs, I get to make a real difference in people's lives, and most important, I get to save lives." I knew right then that this was the right doc for me. And much more caring about his patient than how fast he could get through a procedure.
• I also told him how the last procedure went- too quickly and with pain. So he made sure that I was properly, but gently sedated, and added a little IV Benadryl to aid the sleepiness. I drifted in and out of semi-consciousness; I couldn't really see the screen because they removed my glasses.
• In the end (ha!), two small polyps were removed, a small mouthed diverticula was discovered, and several small internal hemorrhoids were removed, and all of these were in either the rectum or sigmoid colon. The rest of the way in was all clear [and clean as a whistle.]
• OH, and Dr. mentioned that when I got tired of "managing constipation"  I should call him because there are things that can be done (about bowel incontinence.) When the time comes I may be giving him a call for a consultation.

• I am happily able to eat solid food and am supposed to follow a high fiber diet. Does anyone have a GOOD sweet bran muffin recipe? I'm thinking a muffin a day along with a piece of fresh fruit will help in that regard.

Next time I'll say more about my car situation.

Good Night, Be Happy,