My Colonoscopy Experience

Well, I’ve done it.

    And I’m glad I did.

    This week I had my first colonoscopy, and it turned out just fine.

    After years and years of thinking and talking about it, I got up the nerve to actually do it.

    It was under the best of situations.  I had no symptoms.  My primary motivators were my age and my desire to live a life as long and healthy as possible.

  But another motivator was Tony Snow, the TV and radio broadcaster and former White House press secretary.

    He died July 12, about 3 years after he was diagnosed with colon cancer.  He was 53, just one year younger than I.

    Within days of his passing, I was in my doctor’s office, arranging my colonoscopy.

    130,000 people a year are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the United States.  Early detection is the best weapon in the battle.  You can’t fight what you don’t know exists, so I decided this evaluation of my health was a good idea.  Hopefully no problem would be found.  But if a problem was discovered, we could begin the battle immediately and fight hard.

    I felt the power of prayer from countless people who care about me.  I appreciate all of you so very much.

    Friends and coworkers told me the worst part of the procedure would be the day before… the day you could eat no solid food, just clear liquids, popsicles and jello.

    And oh yeah, there were the 28 pills to clean out your system.

    My friends and coworkers were right.  Let’s leave it at that!
   
    As one of my favorite rock artists, Tom Petty, so aptly put it, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

    The hospital experience was very positive.  My colonoscopy was done at Mary Black Hospital in Spartanburg.  Everyone there, beginning with the receptionist and ending with the examination room staff, was extremely polite and professional.  I have only nice things to say about all they did to inform me, put me at ease and take very good care of me.

    Once I was taken to the examination room, I joked with my doctor that music was playing.  And what an appropriate song:  “Alright Now” by Free.  Now –that’s- a good song to hear as you’re being put under!

    And that joke was the last thing I remembered until I awoke in the recovery room, and my wife Gayle took me home.  I never felt a thing, can’t recall a thing about the procedure.  No discomfort whatsoever.

    By the way, my wife says I snored up a storm in the hospital.  Guess I made the most of the nap…

    Gayle had the printed synopsis of the doctor’s findings.  Again, the results were good.  I need more fiber in my diet, but that’s easily remedied.  The doctor wants to examine me again in five years.

    I never had any lingering discomfort from the procedure.

    But man, was I hungry.  I had eaten no solid food in 36 hours.

    Over the next 12 hours I had two Big Macs, fries, a slice of apple pie, three slices of pizza, a Little Debbie cake, a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios, several glasses of tea, and a Mountain Dew.

    I had not eaten a Big Mac in years.  For some reason, I desired the taste of “special sauce.”  Man, were they good.

    I didn’t sleep well last night, probably because I’d slept most of the day.

    I feel like my normal self today… very glad the exam is over… and very thankful for good results.

    Please read this information I got from WebMD.com:

    “Although the exact cause of colorectal cancer is unknown, it almost always begins as small growths called polyps inside the colon or rectum. Polyps can be found with screening tests and are often removed during the same procedures.  Colorectal cancer causes few symptoms in its early stages. Symptoms are usually not noticed until later, when the cancer is harder to treat. Symptoms include abdominal pain, a change in bowel habits, bloody stools, stools that are narrower than normal, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue.  People are more likely to develop colorectal cancer if they are older than 50, have a family history of this cancer, or have rare inherited colon cancer syndromes, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary nonpolyposis colon cancer (HNPCC).”

    As with any health issue, talk it over with your doctor.

    Just like when I went through treatment for sleep apnea, if any of you need someone to talk to regarding the experience of a colonoscopy, feel free to give me a call at the station.  I’m not a doctor, but I’ll share my experiences with you.

    I wish you good health!