The Very Essence of TMI. . . In which I detail the last several days, which has included my colonoscopy. I do this as a service to those to whom this procedure is a future event. So please to not click unless interested.→[More:]

Hi there! So I am 61 and you are supposed to start getting these at 50 but I had not had one. The initial appt was, like 6 weeks ago, they schedule these that far out. I got a prescription for this stuff called Moviprep (scody, who is a pro at this stuff, advised me to just to Miralax and Gatorade, but I felt that in my rookie status, I should just do as ordered.)

The day before, only clear liquids, including black coffee, which, to me, is vile. Then broth, clear juice, etc. Took off work at noon. Then at 3pm, the first of the Moviprep. It is two powders that you mix with water in a bottle and shake up. Then drink, 8 oz at a time, in four doses, spaced 15 min. apart. It took a few hours, but it started to work. Boy howdy it worked.

My wife had wanted me to go to a lecture with her, but there was no way I was going to be away from my bathroom.

Then at 5 the next morning, the same Moviprep routine. So eight 8 oz glasses of this stuff, in all, and they got more vile with every one, until I had to pour half of the last one out in the sink.

Then I had to wait for that to go through, and it did. Nothing left in there.

What they don't tell you is that this process causes severe dehydration, in spite of all the plain water you are also urged to drink. This causes the body to divert blood to vital organs, leaving extremities very cold. I could not get warm at all, no matter what, so I had sweatpants and a sweatshirt on, and lay in bed reading.

Got to the clinic an hour early. When they take you in, they take your vitals (the dehydration/cold thing was explained to me then, when I asked), help you into a gown, and then put you in a lounge chair with a pre-warmed blanket and warm saline in the IV.

When they are ready they stood me up, put the blanket over my shoulders and led me into the room. I knew I wanted the maximum sedation allowed (my wife had taken NO sedation, she wanted to watch) so I shook hands with the doc and they put whatever twilight drug into the IV and all I remember (I do not remember any feeling of insertion at all) is opening my eyes once or twice and looking at the screen and the inside of my colon was golden and glowing.

They were done, and no tumors, no polyps. There was another issue which is fodder for another post sometime.

Then afterwards, you have gas. . . lots of gas, in that they inflate your colon, apparently, to get a better look.

So I did downward dog and child's pose on the bed in the recovery room while I waited for my wife to come back and get me. It must be strange to work in a place where everyone is encouraged to break as much wind as they can.

Stopped off at a store and I got this rollup sandwich and devoured it. Then got home, had a latte with plenty of milk, did some shoulder stands to try to get rid of the rest of the gas, and read for the rest of the day.

Went to work yesterday, even though they said I would probably not feel like it.

So the worst part, as they say, is the prep.

If you have gotten this far, thanks, and I hope that it informs you some, when it's YOUR time. And now that I have gone through it, and do not need to for 10 more years, I am urging you to do it, once you hit 50.

It saved scody's life and it could save yours.