Earlier this week I had a procedure I had put off for several years, telling myself it was an inconvenience and far too challenging to undertake. Everyone in my sphere seemed to have done it from my sister and husband to friends and my parents. But I just could not stomach the prep and what was required and not eating food for a day seemed impossible! But I had a big birthday earlier in the year and the time was right to get it done, so I signed up for what promised to be a few days of inconvenience for a lifetime of relief.
It is recommended by experts that everyone consider having their first colonoscopy, an exam used to detect changes or abnormalities in the large intestine (colon) and rectum, at 45 years of age. Up until a few weeks ago, the recommended age was 50. If you have risk factors, it could be earlier. The part of the procedure that challenges most people is the prep that is required before the exam.
Starting one week out, it is recommended that you limit fiber and foods colored red, purple, or blue. There is a very detailed list that suggests what you should eat or not eat. Apparently, these colors can show up as “blood” in the large intestine, so you are asked not to eat anything that could create a false diagnosis.
You are asked to purchase a number of items you can find over the counter including two 32-ounce bottles of clear Gatorade, a large bottle of MiraLAX, Dulcolax, which is a laxative, and lemon-flavored Magnesium Citrate. For the entire day leading up to ingesting these items, you are asked to only drink liquids and nothing with dairy – only a small amount of black coffee, water, and yellow or green jello. If you are like me, this is very hard. But surprisingly manageable. At no time, was I hungry and given how much water I was consuming I never felt dehydrated.
Of course, once you take the regimen, you need to stay home and fairly close to a bathroom. In total, I would say I was dealing with the aftereffects for about an 8–9-hour period. This means you will get very little sleep as you will be flushing your system out in preparation for the exam.
On the day of the procedure, I woke up early and my husband drove me to the doctor’s office where I was greeted at 6:00 am and asked to remove articles of clothing while an IV was placed in my arm. Medicine is then injected through this needle to make you sleepy and relaxed. Honestly, given the lack of sleep the night before, I was already there, but it helped bring me closer to where I needed to be. I was then wheeled into the procedure room, where an anesthesiologist used Propofol to put me into deep sedation. While I was asleep, my doctor explored my colon using a colonoscope to look for growths including polyps or tumors. About 30 minutes later, I woke up in a recovery room remembering absolutely nothing. My doctor came in and told me I had done very well in my prep (I have no idea why, but this filled me with pride!) and that I was healthy with nothing problematic found during the exam. In addition to the overwhelming sense of relief that I felt, I discovered a few other benefits that I wanted to share:
1. I Lost Weight – It was pleasantly surprising to step on the scale the morning of the colonoscopy to find I was down four pounds from the previous day. Apparently, a liquid only diet can do wonders for your figure! All kidding aside, my sister warned me it wouldn’t last very long, and it didn’t since the first thing I did upon release was head to a diner for a large breakfast of omelet, toast and bacon! But still, it was nice to see my high school weight reflected on the scale even if for a few hours!
2. I Learned About My Family’s History – My grandfather Frank, a Swedish immigrant who died from colon cancer when I was 6 years old, enjoyed life – indulging in a drink or two in his time along with cigarettes and apparently the fat from beef, which he would take from others who set it aside on their plates. I’m not sure this was the healthiest practice but given that he lived to the ripe old age of 77, if he had foregone some of these practices, he probably could have lived to 100. I sure would have enjoyed a few more years with him since he was a lot of fun. Balance is key when it comes to your health and Frank surely reminded me of this lesson.
3. I Got Personal with People – I was open about having a colonoscopy and learned a lot from everyone around me from my sister and boss to my best friend and neighbors! Everyone had a story and gave me wonderful advice. I heard people state that after they woke up, they had the “best sleep of their lives” and my mom’s advice was to not drink anything I like with the MiraLAX as she hadn’t touched Fresca for 10 years! I heard that it saved some people’s lives and that if loved one’s had the procedure, they might have been able to detect cancer earlier and survived. These were certainly important reasons to do it and I was glad to have these candid conversations. Even better: I started to talk to people about signing up to get their colonoscopies. The best ambassadors are those who complete the procedure from what I can tell!
4. I Felt a Sense of Incredible Relief – Although seeing images of the interior of my large intestine, I cannot say I felt too moved, but hearing that I had a clean bill of health and wouldn’t need to have another colonoscopy for 10 years made me feel fantastic and greatly relieved. I realized I was very worried about what news would come and having this stressful knot in my stomach imagining the worst was eating me up. Getting good news alleviated all my worry and was worth every second of discomfort.
5. Providing Valuable Lessons for Children – Naturally, my kids experienced me going through the procedure, particularly when they realized I wasn’t making dinner that evening, and they had a lot of questions. It’s important to show children that we take our health and well being seriously and that they should do the same and not put off the things they can do today that can lead to positives for life.
Why write about this? Because I want to urge others to do it if you have not! It is just a day or two of your life and while I was nervous about it, as many others have said it was not a big deal at all. If I can do it, anyone can! Don’t put it off any longer if you are on the fence. I can tell you that the sense of relief you will feel when it is over is worth every second of inconvenience.
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