February 26, 2020
Moving quickly into TMI so if you are easily offended or have a weak stomach you might want to wait for a later post, just sayin’. My surgery is set for 10:00 tomorrow morning. Dr. S did a great job of telling us what to expect with this surgery but he left out one teeny tiny, little detail…four hour bowel prep the day before. Did the look of horror just cross your face like it did mine when I got the call from his nurse that I was to come and pick up a gallon jug of GAVILYTE and two antibiotic prescriptions? Now of course this makes perfect sense, he’s going to be probing my abdomen with sharp objects so let’s take all precautions. There’s also the slim possibility that he might need to do a bowel resection and we wouldn’t want any poo getting in the way. (I cringed even as I wrote that.)
If like me you followed your doctors orders and had your first colonoscopy at age 50, you should have already experienced this mature adulthood initiation. If you haven’t already, let me just say that GAVILYTE tastes better now than the ocean water they made you drink ten years ago. Here’s a few suggestions to help you through just in case you’re looking for ways to make the experience less shitty…pun intended.
Things I should have learned the first time around:
- ELASTIC! Buttons, zippers or string ties should be strictly avoided.
- No slippery socks. You will be running.
- Multiple hand towels. Good hygiene demands clean hands. You will be washing A LOT.
- Use the moisturizing, smelly soap you got for your last birthday and were saving for a special occasion. This is that occasion.
- Don’t look in the mirror every time you wash your hands, it’s depressing.
- The laws regarding time no longer apply. These fifteen minute increments are NOT the fifteen minute increments of yesterday.
- Use the timer on your cell phone and don’t forget to push “start”.
- Put your dog in her kennel or outside or tell her to remain on her pillow. Definite tripping hazard. Running in this situation does not suggest playtime.
- Ask the nurse lots of questions while you have her on the phone pre prep. Left over Compazine for nausea was a great suggestion. It also handles a sudden headache or schizophrenic episode.
- Warm clothing. Drinking a gallon of cold liquid this quickly can drop your body temperature. You wouldn’t want to be shaking so badly that you spill any GAVOLYTE.
- Yes, you still must drink liquids in between. It compounds the absurdity of the situation.
- Do not close the toilet lid. Seconds matter.
- Your nose will run. Buy kleenex.
- That stupid Charmin commercial with the dancing bears will haunt you when you realize you didn’t buy “pillow soft”.
- You might as well spend the last hour of this bad dream in the bathroom on the throne. Forget about running to and from to get your steps in on your FitBit.
- Dab don’t wipe.
- Finally, even though what’s coming out is the same color as what’s going in…yes, you must finish the entire gallon.
Some posts take me just a few minutes to write, some take days. This one took me exactly four hours. Done in real time, a new bullet point emerging as I sprinted to the bathroom and then back to my protected laptop. But hey, there’s still plenty of time left in the day to do laundry and drink clear liquids! Are we having fun yet?
I would be extremely grateful for your positive thoughts and prayers for a good outcome tomorrow.
The Insightful Breath 