I traveled south once my motorhome was repaired, just in time for Christmas to be with family. Pretty much all of November, December and January I had been sick with what, I didn't know, but sick I was. I was dropping weight and...I finally gave in and my daughter drove me to the emergency room where I was given intravenous fluids, CAT Scan and other tests. The ER Doctor said I had an acute case of Diverticulitis and need to see a Gastroenterologist as soon as possible. I was already thinking ahead and had set up an appointment with a doctor the day before for the following Tuesday. I left the ER with a prescription for Cipro and off to Sam's we went to fill it, all the while she is reading what I can eat and what I can't. Looks like lots of broth and fruit smoothies in my immediate future.
My appointment was with Dr. Bill Hughes a very well respected Gastroenterologist here in Longview, whom I really like very much. He said he was going to do a 50,000 mile check-up on me and I believe it.
First was a blood test to see if I have Celiac Disease. I get a call the next day saying I have to go give more blood as one of the lab techs spun the blood down and they weren't suppose to. The Lab location is different from the previous day, thank goodness I have GPS as I don't know my way around Longview. In I go and give more of the red stuff. I found out someone was having a birthday so I sang her happy birthday. It put a big smile on her face. The next day I had to be at the hospital for tests at 7:30 a.m. a gallbladder hydro scan, another IV in the arm and an abdominal sonogram, the gooey stuff on my tummy, Did I mention by now I felt like I was a pin-cushion?
Now the real fun starts...the dreaded cleaning of the colon, That is a 3 day process for those of you who have never had it done. NO SOLID FOOD, NO FOOD WITH RED DYE. NO DAIRY, UGH! I was already on a highly restricted diet for diverticulitis, no dairy, no spices, no gelatin, no foods with seeds. Yaddy, Yaddy, Yadda!
Day 1 at 6 pm I have to drink a bottle of . This starts the process. I can continue on my clear broth and liquid diet. No Dairy. I did get a chicken and made some of the best bone broth ever. Better than the stuff you get out of a can, that's for sure and no salt, none needed.
Day 2 at 6 pm you have to drink this preparation called MoviPrep. TRIPLE UGH! Not only is it expensive, even with insurance, but unless you have no taste buds it is nasty going down. You have to drink 8 oz. every 15 minutes and drink a quart of this stuff in one hour. They do tell you to put some lemon Crystal Light in it to make it more palatable but I would be very careful about it, put too much in and you can over-power the solution and it all but becomes undrinkable and you have to drink it anyways. One tip here though. Mix it up ahead of time and refrigerate it. It is a bit better cold. Then after you choke this solution down you have to drink 16 oz. of Gatorade. Just make sure there is no RED DYE in it. Then at 9 pm you get to repeat this process...All of it. FUN! NOT! All the while running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. After you get all of the MoviPrep down you can resume your liquid diet, as if you would even want to.
You would think with all of the scientific technology out there, someone would come up with a pill or pills that you could take with the required amount of water that would take care of what needs to be done. I believe more people would get this test done if there was such a pill.
Day 3 at 5:30 I am up and doing the last prep for the colonoscopy, the dreaded enema, it's not fun and it's something I have always detested even when I was little. I have to be at the Ambulatory Surgery Center at 7:30 am. The drive in is a killer as I am driving into the sun and it is just at that time of morning when you can't see a darn thing. I make it and got processed in, rather fast I might add. All of it was very efficient and streamlined. One of the things they insist on is...you have someone there to drive you home as they put you under for these tests. Thank goodness.
After being prepped, another IV, the anesthesiologist came in and talked to me and told me he would be giving me Propofol, and I would wake up as he would be monitoring me.
The last time I had this done, nine years ago the doctor, I won't give names, only gave me laughing gas. It was one of the most painful procedures I had ever gone through, he told me to suck it up and that it did not hurt. Believe me I wanted to tell him where to go. He wanted me to have another procedure done and I refused to go back to him. he finally left Norman and went back to his beloved New York where they understood him and respected him. What a jerk. He may have been at the top of his field but he was at the very bottom of my book.
The next thing I knew I was in recovery being gently rousted awake and one little Miss Maggie being placed on my lap. What a sweetie and a great smile to wake up to. One of my nurses was from Edmond Oklahoma so I sang a rousing round of Oklahoma for her and the rest of the recovery room, she was thrilled! I'm amazed that I could remember the words after having been put under.
Dr. Hughes came in and said that my colon looked good, that he took a couple of biopsy's and we would wait to see what they would uncover. He said he would see me the next morning.
Yes, I was to be at the same building the next morning at 5:30 am for an endoscopy. Went through the same routine, a pin cushion again but very comfortable. I knew that I had a small haital hernia, but I needed answers. Once I was prepped and in the surgery room a mouth piece was placed in my mouth and my arm started to hurt, they told me to breathe as it was the medicine being administered after that I don't remember anything. 30 minutes later I was in recovery, Dr. Hughes again came in to see me, stating that he took biopsies of my stomach and small intestine. He is checking for Celiac disease. He has me on one acid reducer first thing in the morning before coffee then I get to have my breakfast then take my morning meds. Then I take a different acid reducer before dinner and I have to eat a small something just before bed before I take my night-time meds. Hopefully this will help my Diverticulosis from becoming acute Diverticulitis.
I find out on the 18th the results of all these tests. I am starting to feel much better, better than I have felt in quite some time actually. I am down to 180 lbs. now which means for now I only have another 40 lbs. to go before next summer and our 50th High School reunion. Good Lord has it really been that long?
Stay tuned for the test results next week!
OMG what an ordeal you went through. Never heard of a 3 day prep...seems like an old fashion procedure. There is a pill available but it costs $90 and not covered by insurance. I am definitely paying for the pill for my next procedure.
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