I debated on writing a blog post on this subject, but then decided it’s too important of a procedure to not write about it.
With the history of cancer on my maternal side of the family, (my mom and two of her sisters have passed away from cancer, and another is going through treatments), it was decided by my family physician that I should have a colonoscopy as soon as I was eligible to do so.
The Dreaded Day Before…
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was definitely not what I went through. You always hear about this ‘stuff’ you have to drink the day before the procedure that helps ‘clean you out’ in preparation for the big day. I was thinking I would be drinking this nasty type of milky liquid through the course of the entire day, but in reality, according to my directions that I kept rereading, I wasn’t supposed to start until 5:00 in the afternoon.
My husband had went and purchased all of the over the counter meds the week before and they were sitting quite noticeably in the middle of the kitchen island. I had been trying to ignore that they were there ever since he plopped them down unceremoniously with a grin.
Here is a synopsis of the instructions:
- No solid food the day before. Liquids only
- Take two stool softeners at 5:00
- Mix a whole jar of MiraLax with 64 oz of Gatorade – Drink a cup of the mixture beginning at 7:00, every half hour, until complete
- Take two more stool softeners at 9:00
- If you have not had any bowel movements before 10:00, drink the entire bottle of Magnesium Citrate (which looked like a bottle of Karo Syrup)
- If that doesn’t do the trick, call the emergency phone number on the paper
About half way through the Gatorade mixture, I knew I was going to have problems. My stomach felt like a big, bloated basin that kept filling up with this disgusting mixture. My husband had purchased the white Gatorade flavor thinking it would be best for the whole ordeal (you can’t have orange or red). Needless to say, I was not a fan of the white option and that, in combination with what I knew was mixed in it, made me queasy.
At 10:15 or so, I ended up having to resort to the cherry flavored Magnesium Citrate – which tasted awful. A half a bottle later, I was throwing up and my husband was on the phone with the physician on call to ask what to do now.
We were told to just continue with the rest of the liquids and hope for results, otherwise we would need to cancel the procedure in the morning. (I was secretly hoping for this.)
Three restless hours later, the medicine kicked in and I knew I had to head to the hospital the next day.
The Actual Procedure
The bathroom trips were few and far between by 7:30 A.M. I was nervous during the trip to the hospital, more so I think because I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Registration was quick and before I knew it, a nurse was telling my husband she would call when I was done. She then led me to the pre-op area.
We went to one of those rooms that has the nursing station in the middle and then mini rooms around the perimeter that are sectioned off by sliding curtains. Someone quickly took my medical history, while another nurse started my IV. The anesthesiologist, followed by the doctor, came in for quick talks and before I knew it, I was being wheeled into a small, dark room that had a TV type screen in a corner and a few of the nurse carts in another corner. After the anesthesiologist started talking with me about what I was going to be dreaming about, I was out.
The next thing I knew, I was waking up back in my curtained section and a nurse was giving me water and then asking me if I was ready to try sitting up. The doctor came in and told me that she had removed two small polyps that did not look worrisome. She said they’d send them in to be checked and I would be notified.
In less than an hour from when I left my husband in the main hallway of the hospital, I was being escorted by staff to where he was waiting with our vehicle to pick me up.
I’m glad it’s over. I was worried about what they would find. I’m the type of person that goes to one Doctor’s appointment and ends up leaving with three more scheduled. There’s always something wrong with me.
Having a colonoscopy done felt like some type of crazy ‘age event’ to me. Old people get colonoscopies. I don’t mind thinking of getting older as it relates to retirement, but when it comes to medical procedures, I’d rather wait on that a bit.
This Evening’s Goals:
- Cook spaghetti tonight for the twins’ birthday dinner (They turned 15 today).
- Read a couple of chapters from the current J.D. Robb book I’m reading
- Fold a basket of laundry