Sanna's Bag

“I never seem to have what I need when I need it. I’m going to make a belt-bag that’s bigger on the inside than on the outside, and just carry everything with me.”

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

too much information

After all the fun of the knitting tea, the next thing to occupy my mind is my upcoming colonoscopy on Thursday. DH is taking the day off so he can be my transportation. And I am obsessed with the thought of more than 24 hours without food, and the (ahem) shitload of laxatives I will have to take. Thank God for modern medicine. I know lots of people go through much worse procedures. I just can't seem to find anything more interesting to fill my head. I have thank-you notes to write. I sit down with pen in hand and find myself wondering if I should make up some jello to get me through the fast. I have to sit quietly during GED tests, watching out for cheaters, and my head drifts off to trying to come up with jokes for the nurses that they have not heard a million times already. I try to wrote a decent blog, and instead wind up focussing on what sort of food to bring with me to break my fast when I come back to light. Peanutbutter and banana sandwich? Yogurt? Hard boiled egg? All of the above?

So tomorrow is the fast, and then Thursday, at 7AM, I check in for the procedure. Anyone have any idea how long these things take?

posted by roxie @ 5:50 AM  

12 Comments:

  • At 8:08 AM , Anonymous Lisa Nowak said...

    I think it was an hour or two total for Bob. I can't remember specifically, but I'm guessing closer to 1 hour because I was in the waiting room the whole time, and it didn't seem excessively long. Good luck.

     

  • At 8:18 AM , Blogger Kate said...

    My mom was in an out by early afternoon for hers, though she spent the rest of the day resting because anesthetics and such don't get along with her body. And maybe you should have DH make a milkshake for you first? If your stomach has been empty for a while, you might want to put something gentle and easy to digest in first. I know that if I haven't eaten in a couple of hours, my stomach rebels when I finally feed it. Try a smoothie, or maybe some scrambled eggs.

    Thinking good thoughts for you.

     

  • At 9:21 AM , Anonymous Dave Daniels said...

    Well, the three times I've gone through this, it's pretty quick, not more than an hour.
    For "food", get some clear chicken broth, boil it with LOTS of vegetables and spices, then strain it well so only flavorful liquid remains. Make a big pot of it to nourish you. And gelatin (which I hate, but ate anyway), and Gay-tor-ade.
    When there, just as the anesthesia starts to work, DO NOT turn to the doctor and tell him to make you dance like a puppet. He probably won't think it's funny. And also DO NOT tell him that if he sees Jimmy Hoffa in there to say hello.
    Enjoy!

     

  • At 9:24 AM , Blogger Willow said...

    Less than an hour. I've done at least three of them. Don't worry about the food for the trip home, you may not care...

    Actually the preparation is much worse than the procedure.

     

  • At 10:34 AM , Anonymous tlbwest said...

    Roxie, it just isn't that hard. Truely. Broth, clear fruit juice and jello - I indulged in exotic Knudsen juices from the naural food section at Freddys' and gelled them myself- and the first day you can have Ensure,nasty though it is - or at least I could - check with the lab on that.
    And I fell asleep, before anything embarrassing happened. I was disappointed; I wanted to see those damned little diverticuli that have fouled my life up so royally. (Still no health insurance, friends, and don't tell me its Oregon and I can get "catastropic",it is unbelievably expensive and we simply can't afford it. It is extortion, not insurance, banking, literally on the assumption that we are all so afraid of the big C -(no intention to be disrepectful, there is cancer in my family, and my surviving aunt had breast cancer surgery this summer in the midst of all the rest of the health crises)or a heart attack that we'll hand them more than many families spend on food for a month - for renters, more than many spend on monthly rent - to have coverage for, well, only catastrophes, and that after a honking huge deductable. Am I still mad - you betcha. Luckily both my aunt and cousin have insurance, though we are still unsure how much of my cousin's ongoing immense expenses will be covered. Remember, there are both yearly and lifetime limits on most peoples' insurance. The estimate is that over 60% of those who end up bankrupt because of medical costs had what they thought was adequate medical insurance.

    Back to the colonoscopy - I had no pain, really no discomfort at all. The prep is worse than the procedure and it just isn't that bad. And you haven't been off solids long enough to really worry about what you eat afterwards. I wouldn't go right out for pizza, but anything light and fairly bland will be no issue at all.

    I have a mammogram tomorrow. Yes, I have been putting it off. Truth is I think I don't want to know and that sounds incredibly stupid but think what it would do to not just my life but my whole family's if I had major medical expense at 62 with zero insurance. EVERYTHING WE HAVE WORKED FOR WOULD BE GONE. EVERYTHING. We have paid taxes since we were in our teens. Why do I not deserve medical coverage? Why do we think denying anyone medical coverage, and therefore appropriate and timely medical care, is to anyone else's benefit, except that of the insurance companies'? We all pay for the medical care of the uninsured as it is,and in the least efficient way, through inflated prices to cover payment doctors and hospitials are unable to recover.

    You'll be fine, Roxie. Enjoy K's loving care, bless his heart, and in truth you don't want to have to get home on your own recognizance.
    Think of it as an expensive spa detox cure .Be warned, though - I didn't even lose any weight.

    "fitioush" - either some variation on the trad. Lebanese bread salad, or a new genre of quasi-fictional writing...

    ok, I'm confused. I entered the password and previewed my comment according to instructions, and when I went to post it showed a new password. Encoetog. This I think must be the Pleistecene ancestor of the quahog.
    If this posts twice, Roxie, feel free to remove one.

     

  • At 1:51 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

    The fasting part isn't so bad when you realize that beer is a clear liquid.

     

  • At 2:21 PM , Blogger Rose L said...

    Well, you can read about the types of colonoscopys done (invasive and non-invasive) and what they are for, what prep is done, what you can and cannot have 3 days prior, etc. at this website!
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonoscopy
    I had one before and they said they were sedating me slightly so I would relax (invasive) nd I would be awake for it, but I went ZZZZZZZ. Woke up several hours later!!!
    Good luck!

     

  • At 3:24 PM , Blogger Donna Lee said...

    Not long at all. The "clean out" is harder. I had one done a few years ago and it runs in my mind that it was a total of 90 minutes (Pk confirms this memory). My first food was a milkshake. I love milkshakes. Actually, they gave me crackers and warm juice at the endocenter.

    Good luck with the not eating. I ate an awful lot of popsicles on clean out day. They kept me hydrated and kept away the worst of the hunger.

     

  • At 7:13 PM , Blogger Heide said...

    I'll be thinking of you both tomorrow and on Thursday. It's not fun, but the results can tell the doctors loads of information so it's worth it in the "end". Maybe you could get your DH to take a Sharpie and write some poetry on your bum to entertain the doctors. Hope you find something to drink that gets you through the day.

     

  • At 9:34 PM , Blogger Galad said...

    Same basic report - the procedure didn't take long and I slept maybe 1 1/2 hours and went home.

    Best advice I was given - stay very close to the toilet for the clean out :-)

     

  • At 12:19 AM , Anonymous Barb said...

    I agree with the others. It's not that difficult. Drinking that gallon of Crystal Lite laced with laxative is the hardest part. I didn't finish all of it because were clean. You'll feel great. REALLY!
    As for the procedure...the last thing I remember they asked me to count. I think I was out by 2 because when I opened my eyes again, I was still waiting for the procedure. It was over and done.
    We stopped by Shari's and I had a logger's breakfast on the way home. Besides a few farts, I never even knew that I'd had a procedure.
    Knowing your sense of humor, you'll have fun. I'll be praying for you.

     

  • At 3:49 AM , Blogger Saren Johnson said...

    It's pretty quick. But you'll spend the rest of the day being drugged out.

     

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