Colonoscopy

 

A necessary evil.

If you're 45 years old or older, it's time to get your colonoscopy. It is the gold standard for detecting colorectal cancer early, when it is most treatable. It can identify and remove precancerous polyps before they develop into cancer. It's a no brainer. Just do it.

The procedure itself was a piece of cake. The days leading up to the colonoscopy was a different story though. A few days before I had to cut out high fiber foods, which wasn't too bad. But the day before the procedure, it was only a clear liquid diet and the dreaded bowel prep. Without getting too graphic, most of my day was spent sitting on the toilet. It was brutal. 

On the day of the colonoscopy, my mom dropped me off at 9:30 a.m. since I was not allowed to drive myself home afterwards. I just sat in the waiting room for nearly 1.5 hours before I was called in. I would've brought a book or laptop if I had known I'd be wasting so much time. 

But once I got gowned up and rolled to the back room, it seemed instantaneous. Once the anesthesia was administered, I closed my eyes and immediately woke up... or at least that's how it felt, as if time barely passed. I was done and going home by 12:30 p.m.

As for my report, it's all good. No polyps (thank God). So now I won't have to do this for another 10 years.