As part of the fun that comes along with the colorectal cancer ride, it is occasionally necessary to gather more direct information about your tumor(s) besides imagery from CT and PET scans. A colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy (which only views the up to the first leg of the colon) provides a direct observation to a gastroenterologist and helps assess colon and rectal health. Not to repeat myself, but having a colonoscopy done at age 50, or earlier if there is any family history of colorectal cancer, is the best way to detect pre-cancerous or cancerous polyps or tumors and have them removed or treated early. In my case this week, a flexible sigmoidoscopy was in order to assess the condition of my primary tumor. I don't want to discourage anyone from getting colonoscopies or sigmoidoscopies, but I'll be honest - it is not really a fun procedure. Actually, the procedure itself is not that bad - it's the legendary preparation the day before that is so unpleasant. With the procedure scheduled for Tuesday, that meant that Monday (Memorial Day) was prep day. The diet for prep day was "clear liquids" - juice, jello, broth, tea. This just seemed wrong for Memorial Day - sorry, no cookout on the grill, no juicy burgers. Masochist that I am, I did actually smoke a pork shoulder to make some Carolina-style pulled pork barbecue for the family unit to eat. Why would I do such a thing? 1) Practice with a new recipe; 2) I like to cook; 3) I made plenty so that when the whole procedure was over, I could have as much as I wanted for my first solid meal. It was hard to drink the beef broth and pretend it was a liquid hamburger - sorry, it's a pretty poor substitute. After "dinner" is when the fun starts. Your next task is to mix up and consume 4 liters of a vile tasting (no flavor packet can completely mask the salty taste) solution of polyethylene glycol solution (PEG) at a rate of 8oz. every 10 minutes. Pretend it's a fraternity party - if only they made ale flavor, this mental imagery might work. (Note: PEG is also used to preserve green wood and wood salvaged from sunken ships and logs!) You already know what the result is from consuming the PEG, so I won't go any further with what happens next. My question is why is this stuff only available by prescription? Who would voluntarily buy this as an over-the-counter medication? And why did I have such a difficult time finding a pharmacy that had it in stock? After dropping my prescription off at the supermarket pharmacy (complete with comments about having a "fun weekend"), I was called back over the store's public address system to find out that they had none in stock. Next stop - Walgreens. Again, a sly comment about having a "fun" weekend when I dropped off the prescription, but they did have it in stock - but it was the last one. Am I missing something? Is there some sort of traditional Memorial Day cleansing ritual I don't know about (I really don't care to know about it if there is)?The procedure itself was easy - the gastroenterologist was great, the nurses were great. I was given the option of staying awake or being sedated - one look at the coiled up camera reminds me that as interesting as this might be, perhaps it would be better to sleep through this one. But not to fear - the doctor made prints for me so that I could see what he saw. In the interest of decorum (not a word used often here), I am not posting the pictures. If you have a burning desire to see my insides, ask and I'll send you the images. I do know what my enemy looks like now though - it's pretty ugly, red, and angry looking. I did enjoy my barbecue (Lexington-style for you Carolina barbecue scholars), although the gurgly stomach from the procedure did make it sound like I had an alien inside me (well, I do come to think of it). The gurgles come from being inflated with air during the procedure - I do have to wonder about the wisdom of inflating middle aged people, especially men, with air. Given enough time and the right diet, I think I could have done that job myself.
Is this too much information? Sorry - but it's not pretty. But it would be worse to not have this procedure available for early detection and screening. Yet many insurance companies won't pay for it if you are under age 50, unless there is compelling evidence in a request from a physician. Fortunately, legislation has been passed in a few states that allow easier access and insurance coverage for colonoscopies for those under the age of 50.
I got a new back last week. You may recall from earlier posts that I managed to injure my back. As part of my campaign to fix all the little broken things on my beat-up frame, I saw a specialist who gave me an epidural injection of steroids. I got a really nice view of the fluoroscopic image of the L4/L5 vertebrae that showed they were just slightly out of alignment (sorry, no images to share on this one). The steroids, including my favorite from chemotherapy - dexamethasone, would reduce the inflammation of the nerves and allow them some more room and not get pinched. Just another big needle, which didn't bother me until he hit the vertebrae with it - I may have bent his table. But the relief was nearly immediate. While the response was not expected for some time later, I noticed it before I left the office. I'm trying hard not to overdo it while it heals up.
Relay for Life Update!
Final Relay update before the big event - just a few days now before Relay day this Friday. I am excited about participating in the Survivor Lap at the beginning of the Relay - all the survivors wear the official purple "Survivor" shirt and it's kind of a moving sight to see the track filled with all those purple shirts. It's good to see that people do manage to survive this journey. Your generous contributions have brought my part of the campaign to nearly $4400 now and helped my team hold onto the number two fundraising team in this year's Relay. (Aside to the wags at work who said that I missed an easy joke with the "number two" reference - a little decorum please - that's twice I've used that word now.) To reach my page and make a last minute contribution on line, click here. Thank you so much for your support.
My daughter and I attended a demonstration on preparing trees for bonsai on Sunday at the Weyerhaeuser Bonsai Garden. An example of an beautiful older specimen is shown above. My daughter notices my luxuriant eyebrows (a chemo side-effect) during the demonstration and whispers "Dad - I need to prune your eyebrows", to which I reply, "Perhaps with wires, I can train them". The scissors won out of over the wires.
