Tomorrow is Election Day in America, but (no pun intended) I will be invaded by probes coming and going. Yes, it is time for a colonoscopy (which I last had 11 years ago) and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (EGD, which I’ve never had). Preparation begins today. You know: clean out the colon by inducing diarrhea. Ugh!
It’s time to reflect on what I can learn from my kitties here, Andy in particular. To save time, I will draw on old photos because I need to take time off from the computer. I’ll skip tomorrow since I won’t be free to play around, and try to return to blogging Wednesday, the 10th.
=(^+^)=
Andy tells me not to be afraid.
Be a good boy and a big kitty.
Then relax! It will be over soon enough and you’ll get a treat!
All this drama’s made Andy sleepy!
Yeah, sure. I’ll be knocked out for the two procedures at least. Plus I get to spend the day with someone I’ve been friends with since we were two years old or so. A long time, anyway! And he’s graciously agreed to chauffeur me to and from Scottsbluff, where I’ll get the examinations. (Thanks, Terry!)
Wish you all the best
Thanks! I got good reports on both.
Hope everything is ok with you now.
It’s been pretty hectic, but things are slowing down again!
Hi Doug, just catching up with you now, and it looks like both tests went well. Congratulations! I had my own surgery this past week, and I am waiting for results.
Yes, it was a successful day at the doctors for me. I hope the same holds true for you!
Surgery was this past Thursday. Waiting for lab results to come in now, and the follow up visit to discuss them.
Best wishes, prayers, and hugs, Lavinia….
I wish you the best. My prayers are always with you.
Thanks, John. I got good reports on both tests.
This is praiseworthy news and I rejoice with you. Be well, my friend .. be well.
Thanks! I usually learn I have some condition barely known to medicine or only reported 38 times in all records for the specialty, ever. Seriously, I count a simple cold a blessing after the rare diseases and conditions I’ve experienced!
I came late to the party
I’m glad to hear you are doing great
I won’t bore you what they have done to me
As always Sheldon
Thanks! I have no problem hearing what you went through, though it isn’t something you have to share if you don’t wish. I share (mostly) because I have no fear of change, the ultimate outcome of death, and hope my positivity about it helps others trying to adjust to the new normal the disease process they experience deals them.
I was in a bad car accident in this passed April it has caused my body to go completely haywire
Gad! Hope things come out OK in the end, but I imagine there is a lot of pain and hospitalizations to get you to a happy spot. I’ll be keeping you in mind, Sheldon. If prayers are OK with you, I can do that, too.
Yes Doug
🙁
Hope that your procedures were successful. I had the same tests week before last. Not fun at all and I had dreaded it…and put it off again and again! Glad that I followed through now!
Thanks! I got good reports on both tests!
You are right about getting them done. Other than the purge before for the colonoscopy, the procedures are done when you are knocked out. I got through them with no discomfort except a little pressure in my esophagus when they pulled the probe out.
I am glad that you received good news! I was fine afterwards…just tired with a slight sore throat. So…we don’t have to worry about those tests for a long while!!
I managed not to have a sore throat, but, yes, it is good not to have to worry about having to take these again any time soon!
Good luck my dear friend 😊
Thank you, Ritu! I got good reports on both procedures and am done with it for 10 years.
Oh great news!!!
Thanks! I was relieved, too.
I’ll bet!
I have another one in 10 years.
I hope everything goes well.
Thanks! It did, and the friend who drove me to the doctors and I celebrated with a pleasant meal at a Chinese restaurant afterwards. After fasting from 3:15 AM the day before, that meal at 1:40 pm the next day tasted very good indeed!
Just think the worst part is today…tomorrow you get to be drowsy as heck as they do these procedures. I had both. The specialist said we did one end, flipped you over and did the other. I had no clue. Talk to you on the 10th. Take her cool and just be the you we all like and admire.
Jean
Fortunately, I felt rested by hungry afterwards. I took their word to have a friend drive me there and back (a 57 mile one way trip), and when we got back, I went to bed for several hours because I was unable to get a good rest the night before. I feel very alert today, but will take their word to avoid certain things for 24 hours after being knocked out.
A 57 mile drive one way? Holy cwap, that’s a long drive. I think my goal on that day was to watch TV. Not that I understood what the TV was talking about….I kept falling asleep and waking myself up.
The first time hubby had a endoscopy (think that is the right word), he told the doctor he didn’t need any medication and went in cold for the procedure. Apparently he had a terrible time. His throat was very sore afterwards. Me being the loving wife I am, laughed at him and told him it was his own fault for trying to be tough. Last time he had a scope…he took the medication. hehe
I definitely wouldn’t try it without being knocked out. Whew! Yes, that’s the correct term. I think I would have gagged without being knocked out and I’m sure the pain of it must be considerable otherwise.
As for the drive, there is lots of medical procedures that we have to go out of town to get. Alliance, Scottsbluff, Fort Collins, and Denver is one route from general to specific extensive care. Another is Alliance, Rapid City. People also go Alliance, Omaha. Of course Mayo Clinic and other highly specialized medical facilities can be on the list, too. At any rate, we are used to travelling to get medical care here.
The towns are spread out around here. We have itty bitty towns in between though. Like Cinema…pop about 50 people and that’s stretching it. They have a gas station and convenience store on the side. A whop de ding fun town. Otherwise Quesnel is the nearest town and it’s a 50 minute drive from here. That’s heading south. The next bigger than spit town is William’s lake….2 hours from Quesnel. Suffice to say the towns are spread out and in between are miles and miles of forests. A very boring drive.
It’s pretty much the same here. There part of the state where I live (the Panhandle) is about the size of The Netherlands (16,000,000+ people), but has circa 90,000 people. The largest town is 14,000+ people, and the smallest, maybe 25. There’s lots of variation in topography of the Panhandle, ranging from tablelands to sandills to sandstone bluffs.
Hope everything goes well tomorrow ! What a blessing to have an old friend – and kitties !
Thank you, Mary! It did, and the doctor gave be good reports on both tests.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers,
Thanks! I got a good report on both tests!
I am very glad to hear that.
Thanks! I was, too.
I’m glad you have Terry to drive you.( Put an old towel under your butt on that pretty upholstery. 🙂 )
I hope the test results are as squeaky clean as your colon, Doug.
LOL! The nurses at dialysis gave me some materials for that purpose!
And I got good reports on both tests…!
Yay on both accounts!
It was appreciated but not needed (thankfully).
Best wishes. Hope all will be going well. The prep part is normally the worst…
Yes, I good good reports on both tests!
Great to hear!
That is good that you will be knocked out before the procedures. And when you come to, it will be over. I know I recently had a procedure and it was not easy to relax before the procedure. Best of luck and praying for you.
I got good reports on both tests, and the only uncomfortable part was the preparation. Once I got the the doctor’s, everything was no problem.
Dear Weggie and the boys, my best thoughts during these moments. You are so brave – Do take great care – and do come back very soon. Amitiés – france
Je suis ici! Les procédures étaient faciles pour moi de passer et j’ai obtenu de bons rapports sur eux par le médecin.
Here I am! The procedures were easy for me to do and I got good reports on them by the doctor.
Here I am! The procedures were easy for me to go through and I got good reports on them from the doctor.
Images don’t display but videos do …
[youtube=”https://youtu.be/bVq16Mb8Q4I”]
OK! I’ll check it out, Chris.
[moments later…] LOL! “Up Periscope” indeed! Incidentally, the image showed on my blog, as well as the video of course.
and yet, I can not see it until you moderate it
Oh. I wasn’t aware that was how it worked. I guess you are the first to send me a video this way. I thought the allusion was hilarious!
No need to ACTUALLY watch the movie – it was the title I was going for
I got that, but I was curious about the trailer, so went ahead and watched it. It wasn’t that long!
I can not see the first image until you moderate it – this post I mean
Hope everything goes smooothly (no pun intended). They do love their tests but I guess when you have a condition that needs monitoring better safe than sorry. My senior girls bet biannual checks and full panels once a year but I’m thinking of making it biannual. I should take such care of myself LOL
Well, I was a bit pooped (pun intended) after wards, but got good reports on both tests. Thanks! And yes they do. If there isn’t a test, there’s always a new prescription.
My best wishes for tomorrow, and for today.
Kiitos! Sain hyviä raportteja Molemmat testit!
Thanks! I got good reports on both tests!
Great, you write in finnish and great that everything is ok. Test days are always quite exciting in a bad way, and what a relief afterwords.
My Finnish is courtesy of Google Translate! So is my French, most of my German, and any other language you see here. I am English speaking, of course, but not a clever linguist.
Minun Suomi on kohteliaisuus Google Translate! Joten on minun ranskalainen, suurin osa Saksan ja millä tahansa muulla kielellä näet tässä. Olen Englanti ottaen, tietenkin, mutta ei taitava kielitieteilijä.
Dear WB, my best wishes for tomorrow, for everything. My thoughts will be with you. Please be in relax, and in positive thoughts. Good Luck America, and Good Luck WB, Thanks and Love, nia
I’ll be OK during the tests. It’s the preparation that is tedious. Plus, there is the anxiety that the colon purge (i.e. induced diarrhea) won’t be complete by the time I get in my friend’s SUV and I’ll have an accident! It’s a white Toyota with a light-colored interior on top of it. Geez! The trip to Scottsbluff is a bit under an hour.
Good luck!
Thanks! I’m not entirely convinced there is a need for the EGD, but I’m overdue for the colonoscopy by a year. My doctor is concerned about anemia, a condition that my last blood sample at dialysis showed I no longer suffered. Oh well. I keep telling myself I’ll be knocked out, so…!