Table of contents
- Life Update
- Tools and Tips
- Readers’ Favorite
- Stuff
Life Update
It's 8:00 AM, and I'm in the waiting area, about to undergo a colonoscopy.
For years, I've been saying I would get a colonoscopy on my 50th birthday— well, maybe not on my actual birthday, but you get the idea.
So why have it now at 44?
Because I have a family history of colon cancer.
And let me tell you, after spending two years in the US, having medical procedures done here at home is SO MUCH easier.
Just 2 minutes with my family physician for the referral, two minutes on the phone to schedule, and 20 minutes from entering the hospital to being wheeled into the procedure room.
Now I'm in the procedure room, and they're about to administer the sedative 😴.
See you on the other side!
Number 119.
Tools and Tips
My colonoscopy is done!
It's 8:42 AM, and I'm in the recovery room.
Funny, this is the first time I've ever had a sedative (IV midazolam followed by IV propofol).
What they say about how time disappears is true.
I remember everything right until they pushed the midazolam, and 15 seconds later, I woke up in the recovery room.
But it wasn't really 15 seconds.
It was 30 minutes.
It's like I traveled 30 minutes into the future.
Today, I want to share with you 3 things I learned about colonoscopy. The first one is straightforward — who should have it? The other two are things people don’t tend to share: what the preparation feels like 💩, and how to fit a colonoscopy into your busy schedule.
Let's do this:
🔵 Who Should Have It
Everyone over 45 or 50.
Why two different ages? It depends on your country of residence.
The recommended age was recently lowered from 50 to 45 because the test is so effective at early detection.
However, this new guideline of 45 hasn't been adopted everywhere yet.
Keep in mind that 45 is the recommended age for people without symptoms. You may need one earlier if you have symptoms, a family history of colon cancer, or other medical conditions.
You can read here or talk to your family doctor to know when you should have it.
Many people prefer to postpone or avoid a colonoscopy altogether. I understand.
But here's how I see it — you'll have diarrhea for a day or two, and in exchange, you'll either prevent colon cancer or catch it very early.
My advice — if the guidelines recommend a colonoscopy, do it!
Think about it: if we could prevent cancer with just a day of diarrhea, wouldn't we jump at the chance?
But we don't have that option for other cancers.
We have it for colon cancer.
One of the most common cancers out there.
So pretty please,
with a cherry on top,
just do it.
🔵 Preparing For a Colonoscopy
Many people are worried about the preparation for a colonoscopy. But in my experience, it's a breeze.
First, what is this "preparation"?
In short— your colon needs to be completely empty during the colonoscopy. Poo 💩 would block the camera's view.
In general, you should avoid fiber-rich foods for 72 hours— that means no fruits, vegetables, or whole grains.
24 hours before the exam, you stop eating solid foods but continue drinking clear fluids until 2 hours before the procedure.
During the final 12 hours, you take strong laxatives. These will make you visit the toilet numerous times (around 10 times in my case).
Eventually, you'll see only clear, watery diarrhea, which means your colon is empty 💩.
What happens if you don't prepare properly and your colon isn't completely empty?
You'll likely need to schedule another colonoscopy sooner— in some cases, very soon after the first one.
🔵 Scheduling
So, you've decided to undergo a colonoscopy and are wondering about the best time to schedule it.
Let's break this down.
There are two timing factors to consider: which DAY of the week and what TIME of day.
Which day?
Remember that you can't eat for 24 hours before the procedure.
And you'll have diarrhea during the final 12 hours.
So, you'll want a light day where you’re close to a bathroom. I chose Friday for my colonoscopy since I knew Thursday would be a light day at work.
What time?
It comes down to when you prefer to have the diarrhea— during the day or at night.
If you schedule an early morning colonoscopy, you can work the day before but won't sleep much that night.
If you schedule an afternoon colonoscopy, you'll have diarrhea in the morning hours— I strongly recommend taking that day off in this case.
I went for 8:00 on a Friday morning.
I didn't need to take time off work, and I had the weekend to catch up on sleep.
So, that was my colonoscopy experience and what I learned along the way.
It's 09:45, and I'm on my way home.
I think I'll have a nice breakfast now 🍽️ ☕.
By the way, the result of my colonoscopy was perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about.
Next one in 5 years!
Readers’ Favorite
Finally, a reading app I can use for EVERYTHING. Meet Readwise Reader, and this is how I use it.
Stuff
📱Application I use - Dropbox
I’ve tried every cloud service out there. Dropbox has been the most reliable of them all and I’ve been using it since 2011.
Epilogue
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That’s it for this issue.
See you next week!
Shay
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