Day 7 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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My exam day is finally here! I am offering up a prayer to the Poop Gods that my preparation is complete. (It sure feels complete, let me just say that.)

Yesterday (day 6, the prep day) went much better than I expected. For starters, the laxative did not cause the same side effects as it did the previous day. I was also contacted by the surgery center to see if I could come in for an earlier Covid test. I was supposed to have the test the day of the procedure first thing. Having it yesterday shaved an hour off of my arrival time. Much less stressful.

Part of my preparation yesterday was to drink an entire bottle of Miralax in the fluid(s) of my choice. I chose Gatorade which, as of now, I will never drink again. By the time the evening rolled around and I was nearly done I didn't think I could get any more down. I had also had my fill of vegetable broth and tea. I drank more fluids yesterday than I ever have at any one time in my life. And I can't say that I feel any better. I have read that the need to drink (8) 8 ounce glasses of water a day is a myth and not necessary for good health. OK then.

I was able to keep myself busy enough yesterday and still drink the mixture. The worst part has been dealing with being hungry. And of course I haven't had any coffee this morning which isn't helping. I hope everything goes well today. It's a miracle to me that this hospital is still performing procedures, is still staffed enough to keep things going. 

Update:

The procedure went very well. The doctor removed one polyp which I will wait to hear about. I apparently have mild diverticulosis and something called antritis which is an inflammation of the top and bottom of your stomach, roughly speaking. 

With regard to the procedure everything went very well. As others have noted  online and in person, it's a bit of a non event. The only discomfort was from the IV and the endoscopy. My throat is very sore. No problem, I can handle that. I am very grateful to the nurses at the hospital where I had my procedure. I was well taken care of. Nothing beats a nurse for competency and compassion. 

My overall take from this procedure? The prep really was the worst part. Not the part about drinking the liquid and taking the pills so much as the complete disruption to my life for a week. I am so grateful to be able to resume my normal diet, drink my coffee, and just generally get on with things. Now that I actually have two diagnostic tests in hand, I hope to get some better answers as to the source of my issues. A colonoscopy really is the gold standard in the way of diagnostic  and screening tools. 

If you have read this far, thank you. I hope these posts help in that they are written by a real person describing an actual experience which could be helpful for someone facing this procedure.

Any questions?

libbyfife@ymail.com