We have come a long way in medical science from the days of bloodletting and leeches or sacrificing a chicken to appease the gods, but some aspects of modern medicine are still barbaric. The classic “ hospital gown” leaves little room for “modesty,” but I read recently that designers in Great Britain have come up with one that does allow for some measure of decency. However, when one has to have some procedure involving the colon such as surgery or a colonoscopy, the colon must be prepared with a thorough cleansing. This is achieved by inducing diarrhea with a clear liquid diet combined with strong laxatives.
The first of the laxatives are a couple of pills that my grandmother would have classified as “ purgatives,” because it “purges” you. Since there isn't any way to gauge when they will act, you have to be alert for the first feeling of needing to go. Otherwise you will “mess yourself” like before you were potty trained. With the clear liquid diet the action of this laxative continues for quite some time. If the procedure being performed doesn't require a more extensive prep, this might be followed up by enemas in the morning.
However, for a colonoscopy and some similarly extensive procedures, the next day will continue the clear liquid diet and include drinking 4 liters of a polyethylene glycol and electrolytes solution. Its use as surfactants in industry and as dispersing agents and solvents makes me wonder whether I really want to take this stuff inside my body. Nevertheless it does the job for which it is intended in this case. It draws water into the bowel and cleans it all out. I had not completed drinking the first two liters before it started to work. In fact one of my “scheduled” cups of it was delayed by not being to get off the toilet in time for it. At this point you cannot be far from a bathroom, to the extent that I moved my laptop into the bathroom to write this.
I am so very grateful that a friend recommended putting each cup of this “drink” into the freezer for the few minutes between drinks. It is not long enough to freeze it, but being so cold, it is easier to tolerate. Also the nurse advised that Crystal Light could be used to flavor it safely, making it that much more palatable. After the next session of drinking the PEG and electrolytes I wonder whether I will be able to get any sleep tonight. Judging by previous experiences with this same prep, I will be awake much later than I would really care to be.
There is the consolation in all of this that I don't expect there to be much “arc welding” needed. Instead this is more of a follow up exploration. I have not been having any bleeding since the last session of “arc welding,” suggesting that we got the last of the lesions at that time. Nevertheless, that doesn't make the colon prep any less rigorous.
The second and final session of drinking the PEG and electrolytes is particularly difficult with each cup harder to get down than the one before, ending up with nausea that won't go away. I am already drinking sodas, juice, tea, and broth from bouillon which raises the question of what to do about the nausea. I decide that if I were feeling this bad as a child I could have looked forward to some chicken noodle soup, giving me the idea to go to the store for some real chicken broth. That does in fact help to get rid of the sick feeling.
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After hours of sitting on the toilet unable to get away from it for more than a few minutes at a time, although I have not produced any “stool” for a long time with only liquid coming out of me, around 2:00 AM I begin to feel that I can finally go to bed. Sleep is often interrupted by more trips to the bathroom. Nevertheless, I do get up in enough time to head for the VA hospital early enough considering that I don't have to take time for breakfast, not being able to even have a cup of coffee.
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Before the procedure begins, the doctor informs me that my hemoglobin is up which is a good indicator that the bleeding has stopped and been stopped for a little while, just as I had experienced. Having opted for the use of sedation, my memory of the procedure itself is rather hazy, but it seems clear that there is little cauterizing. Furthermore, one of the nurses afterward tells me that there were only “a couple of places.” All in all I feel pretty good about this phase of the recovery coming to an end and I definitely have a good appetite for my Burger King veggie burger and fries.
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“If I am supposed to get sick, let me get sick, and I’ll be happy. May this sickness purify my negative karma and the sickness of all sentient beings.
“If I am supposed to be healed, let all my sickness and confusion be healed, and I’ll be happy. May all sentient beings be healed and filled with happiness....”
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