Clean Colon = Clean Bill of Health

Ahh finally finished all the prep work...all the drinking of vile fluids and becoming one with the porcelain throne! Drove my self to the Colonoscopy & Endoscopy Unit. A tad week but clear headed. Found rinsing the mouth with water and the spitting it out kept me from feeling totally dehydrated.

I have to say the people who work there really do go out of their way to make you feel comfortable with what is unquestionably an uncomfortable situation. They really could not have been any sweeter or more efficient. I was only in the waiting room for maybe 5 minutes.

Once in the back I was told to strip and put on one of those fabulous backless gowns. Although, I must say this did have a side tie for some degree of coverage. Grace got me a pair of socks, as I'd wandered in wearing only a t-shirt, jeans and sandals.

A female Dr. with a very heavy Indian accent came and took more vital information...and was very charming a sweet, making sure I was comfy etc etc. They then proceeded to put in an IV site on my hand. I got a bit nervous, after my exciting episode with a CT scan in Philly a week and a half earlier. Nothing untoward happened. In fact they were very good at it!

From here they rolled me into the actual 'scope room and I met my nurse anesthetist aka the woman of my dreams. Basically ... knock me out and you can do any test to me...damn near anything! One white syringe full of Milk of Anesthesia and I was out for at least a half an hour. Best sleep I had all weekend!

Twenty minutes, a glass of grape juice and I'm dressed, walking out the door for Peter to ferry home again!

Sweetest part of the whole deal...having Dr. Taub tell me he won't be seeing me for about 7 years!! :-) Nice guy but nicer interval!

Squeaky Clean!

Today I get to do penance for all the over eating of the winter! I'm prepping for a colonoscopy tomorrow morning. So after stuffing myself with lovely wonderful warm spicy Indian cuisine last night, I get clear liquids all day long!! Good thing I did my weekend bike ride in the hills yesterday! I think it would be a little rougher to do 30 miles on nothing but clears!

Funny thing is a young man I know who lives in Florida is prepping today too! So we'll be sharing the pain! Gary has Crohns (same as my oldest son) so for him this is actually a fairly routine sorta thing. Could probably teach me a thing or two. I did send him a suggestion that some beers might also be considered a clear liquid. Just stay away from the Hefeweissen's!!

During lunch on yesterdays hill ride, I had a fairly long chat with the friend I was riding with about telling and not telling people about this upcoming event. Although I'm "posting" here, I haven't actually told a soul about this blog. So far it's more of an electronic diary. I will probably post it publicly later. For now, I'm laying low.

There are a variety of reasons. One, first and foremost is the privacy of the recipient. It won't take a rocket scientist to figure out who it is and connect us. Second, while I have no questions in my mind about doing this, the negative questions, while well intended, get old. Not that people aren't supportive, but they frequently project their own fears about surgery and all things medical onto me and my situation. I want to be able to support and encourage others, but would never in a million years dream of trying to push or persuade someone to do this. This is something others have said, as though they feel guilty because they're not or can't see themselves doing this. My feeling is it's gotta be from the gut/heart! You the donor just plain want to do it. And if you don't that's really ok too!

One thing to be said for all the testing it's making sure I get all the tires check, rotated, fluids checked etc. I will have one clean bill of health when we are finished!! Gonna have to go now...I hear some green Gatorade calling my name...yum!! Hcccccckkkk (basic hairball sorta noise there!)

Things to be mindful of..

It's been a week since my dramatic swooning in the hospital awaiting my CT scan. Feels much longer.

Had a terrific Easter, although I never got of my chickies in the same place at the same time. But, you learn to be grateful for small things. Patrick & Adrianne came early, straight from church. Peter and Jen came late after work for her and yard work for him. So...over the course of the day, all were accounted for and I'm happy with that.

Now begins the waiting for this, waiting for that. There is a lot that goes into being a donor. Things I wouldn't have thought about, but when explained made absolute sense.

A donor has to be in really good health. Duh. A donor has to be younger than 60 (at least at the U of P) ok, makes sense too. The older we are the slower the recovery, also the more "worn" the parts. Donors are checked for everything you could think of. I'm having to provide results for or have done, Pap test, Mammogram (must be within one year), colonoscopy (Monday!) Glucose testing (fasting, my favorite thing) What they're trying to make absolutely certain of is that in addition to my own ability to handle the surgery, we don't want to pass on any cancer cells. The recipient will be taking anti rejection drugs for the rest of their life. All designed to suppress their body's natural reaction to a foreign substance, my kidney. Now add cancer and you can see where this would leave them. Totally vulnerable.

Then there are the ever popular 24 hour urine specimens! For men...easy peasy! For women..a bit rougher. Usually this gets done twice in the vetting process. I get to do it three times, due to female issues contaminating the first go round w/protein (ie, blood). Not to be to gross, but essentially you have a "hat" as the pros call it, that you place in the toilet and then pour into a half gallon brown plastic jug. Lots of fun! Especially when you have to figure out how to do this in a stall at work. Discreetly. No one at work knows I'm doing this. And then the urine must be kept "fresh". As in refrigerated. Try doing that discreetly at work. I've found using those frozen things for plastic "Ice" things that you put in picnic baskets work pretty well, esp when combined with an insulated tote bag.

Now if this all weren't enough, the samples need to be delivered to the hospital....which is an hour away. Not really a big deal, just hard to do when you work full time. So since I'm lucky enough to have a very good kid, who works 10 minutes from the hospital, I've made arrangements for him to stop by the house on his way back from grad school, pick up my carefully packaged sample, and deliver it on his way to the office the next morning. Think about that...is this a good son or what!

On the upside of it all, I will have as complete and clear a bill of health as any 53 yr old anywhere!