Lets See What Is “Brewing”

Life is full of surprises. Sometimes good, like an unexpected bonus from work, or a pregnancy that was not planned (I had one of those and she is a blessing) or a new love in your life, something you would have never thought that could happen to you. But sometimes surprises are not so good. Bad news from your doctor of a diagnosis. A loved one suffering from a new health symptom. A break up from a friendship or a relationship.

I have a new health symptom that is most unwelcome. A bit of a surprise as I normally take care of myself (healthy eating, mostly, exercise, some sleep, try to stay calm), but even with that, something did “brewed.” Not to go into the exact details because it might gross you out, but lets say I have to use the restroom a lot. A lot of toilet paper being used. Get the drift?

While I don’t think it is too serious, still, it did warrant a visit to the doctor, a stomach doctor to be exact. I am on medication which I HATE taking. I see a natural or holistic doctor for any health issues normally. But I also need the plumbing to be checked. Make sure things are running right!

This type of check will be a colonoscopy.

It does sound like a scary word!

What I am hoping is to encourage any of you facing a medical issue that you are not alone. I believe God is with me throughout this process and I will get over it. Praying for a good diagnosis and something I can work with my natural doctor. Lets start with the first day until the final one:

Day 1: This is my last day to eat my normal foods. Staring tomorrow, on day 2, I have to eliminate any seed food products, like on my bread and berries. I have to say goodbye to my favorite energy ball snack. I have been waiting for this time for over a month and it is finally almost here. Honestly, I just want to get it over with. I think the most scariest part for me is the sedation. I was told it is a topical or light sedation, but I am still scared. This might sound weird, but I am scared of not waking up. I know it is silly to think like that, but I always think of the worst things first, then when I find out it was not that bad, I am much more relieved. So I enjoyed my yummy foods today and thinking of tomorrow and the small change I have to make to prepare for my colon to be checked. More tomorrow.

Day 2: I like sandwiches, mostly something with some type of spread like sunflower seed butter or almond butter. I found out recently I am allergic to peanuts and had to throw away my beloved peanut butter forever. So I got a different type of bread than what I normally eat. My bread has seeds and that was not aloud on this elimination diet. This bread is gluten free, a honey white bread, something you would think would be soft and moist, right? Wrong! It was hard as a brick. No taste! I know gluten free bread tends to be like that because it does not have white flour nor yeast, but this was TERRIBLE! I had no choice but to eat it. It was doable as I know it was temporary. I slabbed almond butter on it, hoping it would improve the flavor, but no. Yuck, yuck, yuck! Despite the slightly altered food choices I had to make today, it was a good day as I spent the day with John, looking at houses with intention to purchase one in 2026$$$$. I enjoyed a chicken and dumpling dinner, with dumplings being a gluten free flour. I knew it would be my last meal until the procedure was over, so I relished the meal, delighting in every morsel as if it was the first time I tried it. I also started taking a laxative. Let the pooping begin! And I am not looking forward to tomorrow. No food, but a liquid diet. See you on the hungry side tomorrow.

Day 3: I am starving. I can only have lemon jello (yuck), or chicken broth as a “food” source. Lots of water with electrolytes and yellow Gatorade. Sunshine thoughts? Today is the day to double up on the laxatives, get that poop moving! What did I do to help me get my mind off the food thoughts? I cleaned my home, did some crafts, sat outside. But then the poop hit the fan. I could barely make it to the bathroom. It was gross, nasty and messy. Extremely. I felt like an infant not potty trained. I did not realize how much poop I held in my body! My husband, my hero, helped me clean up or just did it himself for those times I could not make it to the bathroom. Believe me I was running and so was the poop! I took many showers today to clean my body and poor bottom. I had to mix the Gatorade with another laxative in powder form. It seemed like shortly after I drank the mixture I ran to the bathroom. If the doctor wants a clean colon, mine is showroom clean! Tomorrow is C day, colon day. I am still scared, but finally the appointment is almost here and maybe I would get some answers to why I have a problem. I know I won’t sleep much tonight, so I am watching comedy movies, like Airplane, and others to cheer me up. John will be there to take me and pick me up. I am thankful for his presence and his ability to take care of me. See you on the other side tomorrow!

Day 4: I woke up early in the morning at 3:30. I had to drink one more Gatorade with the powder laxative to put a shine on my colon. The pooping had ceased the day before and I was just releasing anything through my colon. Everything was yellow, not even my favorite color. This time I made it to the bathroom. I think everything was practically gone from my digestive system. I got to the doctor’s office, a little tired, a little nervous. There was a problem with verification on the office end of things but it got straightened out. Why do people in businesses wait till last minute to verify things? I did not want to reschedule my appointment as I did not want to go through the colon prep work again. Shortly afterwards I was called back, asked a series of questions, weighed (I lost 5 lbs! A lot of poop left!). I got dressed in a lovely hospital gown and even had to wear a blue hair net on my head. Thrilling. The medical staff were very nice to me. I asked about the sleeping medicine and I was reassured I would have a nice nap and not wake up too groggy. And they were right. I was out like a light. It felt like I was asleep a short amount of time, in reality it was 20 minutes, and all of a sudden I was awake. Kind of like when you sleep at night. You don’t realize how much you slept until you wake up. I was a little groggy, but was fine. The doctor had a good report: no polyps or cysts, just hemorrhoids. Who doesn’t have those? They are testing my poop to see if there is a problem and I will find out in a few weeks. Before you know it, I was wheeled out of the recovery room and on the way back home. You will not believe how tasty food is when you have been deprived of it! I had a delicious piece of crispy, brown toast splattered with butter and two eggs with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. I am incredibly grateful to my husband for being with me through this messy and smelly procedure. Thankful for the medical staff for doing such a good job on me, including some beautiful pictures of my colon. But mostly thankful to God for being with me through this process.

So what I found out later that I am fine, nothing was brewing. I made some changes to my diet and I am seeing good results!