And they said I wouldn’t remember…

I had my dreaded “procedure” on Tuesday and I wasn’t looking forward to it. I was anxious and nervous and didn’t know what to expect. Everyone said it was the prep work that was the hardest and the procedure itself would be a piece of cake and I wouldn’t remember a thing.

Well, folks, I’m here to say … I do remember.

The prep work was hard. I’m not going to lie. I had specific instructions one week out, starting with no nuts or seeds. Four days out, I had to take two tablespoons of Milk of Magnesia morning and night. That stuff is NASTY!! It claims to be a gentle laxative, however, taking it in the quantity I was taking it in proved to be a bit more potent.

Two days out- low residue diet. No fruits or veggies, nothing fried, no oil, no NOTHING basically. Ok, I did have an egg and some turkey breast meat.

One day out- liquid diet! Say what?! No food at all. Only clear liquids. I started this Monday morning by going to work until two in the afternoon. By 3:00, I was to be drinking this Miralax/orange Powerade concoction.

Now the fun not so fun part. 32 oz of Powerade mixed with 1/2 the Miralax. I got it down within the hour and decided it wasn’t so bad. A couple hours passed and yes, I had to get up multiple times to use the bathroom, but hey, it wasn’t as bad as everyone was saying.

I slept through the night and woke up to repeat the process. I was starving more than anything since I hadn’t had real food since Sunday night.

Phew! The last bottle of nasty juice -done! It didn’t taste bad, it’s name comes from what I knew it would do to me. I might as well have set up camp in my bathroom because that is where I spent all morning. Just when I thought it was safe to come out, I would be beckoned back inside by an uncontrollable force.

Eee gads. My appointment wasn’t until 1:00!

I checked in at 12:20 per the instructions. The DH stayed by my side until the actual “procedure.”

I was scared! But hey, nurse Pam gave me a great gift:

A PINK IV! That was nice.

Now for the happy juice. A combo of forgetful drug with pain relieving drug. Supposed to equal = not remembering. Well, the funny thing is – I do remember! I remember watching the screen and listening to the doc tell me he was removing a polyp. I wasn’t in any pain though! When he finished, I could hear the nurse outside the room looking around for the DH, but he wasn’t in the lobby. **he wishes I would’ve forgotten this part**

I got dressed and had a chat with the doc and nurse.

Here’s the real reason I’m telling you all this. Laying it out there. I just turned 40 this year. Most people have their first colonoscopy at 50. However, due to my family history and the fact I was having some issues while running, it was prudent to have this done now and not wait another 10 years. And, I’m glad I did! I had six medium sizes polyps removed. SIX! Some polyps carry cancer while others do not. And some can turn into cancer if not removed. Mine didn’t appear to be abnormal in any way, but the doc stressed how happy he was I came in now rather than at 50. I will have to go back in three years to have the procedure done again. Until then, let me be grateful I had my original issue that sent me to the doc in the first place.

PS- thank you friends for your support!

XO