First colonoscopy

Apparently, turning 50 activates several medical milestones.

My doctor says the colonoscopy is a rite of “passage”.

Yesterday was the prep for the colonoscopy. Everybody will tell you the prep is the worst part.

They’re all correct.

No food, only clear liquids for the whole day. Then it begins. The solution that cleans out your insides. Mine was a 4 liter jug of Gavilyte that I mixed up in the morning and let chill in the fridge. Pro tip: Before mixing, check to make sure the jug has no damage, holes, or cuts. I had filled mine half way and started shaking to mix it when stuff started leaking out. Found a cut near the handle, possibly from someone cutting too deep when unboxing.

The solution is not the most pleasant to drink, even with the included flavour packet (mine was lemon). Slightly viscous, tastes plasticky, and just down right icky. Some reviews I saw at WebMD suggested holding your nose and drinking through a straw to avoid the taste. Wish I had seen that before I started drinking.

I was only able to make it through just under half of the 4 liters of prep solution before I got to the point where it was going to start going out the way it came in. Seemed counterproductive to try to keep going at that point. The rest of the evening and night was spent sitting up in bed trying not to throw up, and napping in between trips to the bathroom. Fortunately, what I was able to get down was enough to clean out my innards well enough to go forward with the colonoscopy today.

Colonoscopy day was pretty uneventful by comparison. Arrived at the hospital, checked in, and waited a bit before they brought me back to get ready for the procedure. Then I got wheeled in to the procedure room. Closed my eyes to rest a bit while everybody was getting things ready, and then next thing I know I’m waking up and back in the bay I started in.

After about 15 minutes of waking up enough to stand and get dressed again, I was wheeled out to the main entrance where Connie was waiting with the car and two Wendy’s spicy chicken sandwiches for the drive home. After practically no food for almost two days, the chicken sandwiches really hit the spot.

Got a clean bill of colonic health, so now I don’t have to do this again for another 10 years.

Note to self: Think about adjusting my diet a few days prior to the next colonoscopy so that there’s less “stuff” left to clean out of me. That might make the prep easier.