Day 3 of 7: Colonoscopy Prep, Vegan Style

It seems these days that nothing is out of bounds when it comes to documenting one's experience of anything. Doesn't seem to matter how trivial or important that experience is so long as it is either recorded and published via a video or a still picture or a carefully crafted written work. Everything is fair game. In the spirit of that no-limits approach and nothing-is-too-boring approach, I will be documenting my own experience. It's not just any experience, mind you. It's the experience of a vegan/plant centered person and it's mine! I will be writing for the full seven days about what is working and what isn't. I hope you will follow along and maybe at the same time, I can provide some useful information. 

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What a Merry Christmas! Actually, day 3 wasn't too bad. It is still just a low fiber diet day, not the prep day itself. I should mention that in following my own doctor's instructions, she specified 2-3 days of a low fiber diet. After a little research, I decided to do a few extra days in hopes of making the actual clean out easier. I eat a lot of fiber, nuts, seeds, and stringy type veggies and fruits and I don't actually know what my "transit" time is. The rate at which foods move through your system can vary from person to person and depend on many factors. I just thought a few extra days of a low fiber diet would be helpful. Afterall, the idea is to get all of that residue that might cling to the sides of your colon out so that the doctor can get a clear look. (I'd like to mention too at this time that the doctor told me what happens if she can't get a clear enough view. They wake you up, pump you full of a few fleet enemas, and wait for things to happen. No thank you!)

Let's talk about that low fiber diet shall we? It sucks. Sorry, I said it and I meant it. I actually had a tough time finding crackers and bread that didn't contain at least some whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I could, however, have a bought a whole fleet of Little Debbie cakes and cookies. (And a bunch of Twinkies too, no doubt. I didn't look.) Pasta was easy enough but honestly, I don't love pasta. I love my grains and I miss them dearly. Oats, quinoa, barley, millet, brown rice...I hope to see you all again soon! What I miss the most though (and it's only been three days) is my beloved beans. Oh, how I love my legumes, beans, peas and anything else in this category. It's my main protein staple. (Tofu is good but soy products in general don't agree with me.) I am here to tell you that my body needs protein and complex carbohydrates. Nothing else will do. I feel like doo-doo.

So, what went well yesterday? I have been loving the mashed potatoes and pureed carrots for dinner along with the pureed soup of sweet potatoes, carrots and squash for lunch. The air fryer tofu has also been a help. I went back to the sourdough bread which is a great filler and way better than the shitty white bread that I bought. It's like eating cardboard! I also made some pumpkin cookies which helped a little. 

What didn't work? I continue to be really hungry in the morning. For some reason I just don't/can't eat enough food. My feeling is (and I am not a doctor or RD) that not getting enough calories early on in the day sets me up for overeating at dinner time. I have read about this though (from various RD sources) and it makes sense to me (and fits with what I know too about my personality). During normal times, this pattern isn't too terrible but right now, when my calories seem to be limited anyway and I am having a hard time with adequate protein, things aren't going so well. I thought about a meal replacement drink a little belatedly. I doubt my local CVS has anything vegan. So, I may try and eat my dinner items at breakfast time. 

Lastly, since we are on the subject, everything came to a kind of grinding halt yesterday with my bathroom routine. (Didn't take long for bad eating to catch up with me.) Not great news. I also didn't drink enough fluids (not counting coffee and juice). So, a bit of a fail in this area. 

I do have a few things to recommend:

1. Prep your food early on and all at once. I have been piecemealing this and it's kind of tedious. 

2. I am thinking of prepping something to eat for after the procedure. Something simple that will be easy to digest. 

3. If you have issues with blood sugar, monitor that closely. I was really close to being hypoglycemic yesterday (from a technical standpoint) and from an anecdotal standpoint, I certainly felt like I was already there. I wasn't paying attention and it snuck up on me. 

4. Your digestive system can be very sensitive. A change in any kind of routine can affect it. It's not unreasonable to expect that quickly altering your diet might mess with the outcome, so to speak. Be patient. (Yah, right!)

Libby

libbyfife@ymail.com