I don't get it. Not one bit. Not even a little. We can put a man on the moon; we can remotely program our DVRs; heck, we can even perform heart and face transplants. So, please tell me why we can't create a better tasting Trilyte solution?
Everyone says preparing for the colonoscopy is the worst part. I am living proof to tell you, yes it is. I had high hopes leaving CVS with my Trilyte solution when I saw 4 different flavor packs were included. Cherry, Pineapple, Orange and Lemon-Lime. How bad could it be when I can flavor it like kool-aid?!?!?! Ha! I made the solution and followed the directions very carefully. I put in a packet of cherry flavoring and was eager to get started, only so that I could be finished. I had to drink 8 oz glasses every 15 minutes until half the jug was empty. My husband and I figured out that equated to 64 oz. It couldn't be that bad, right?
The first glass went down and I knew I was in major trouble. It didn't even come close to tasting anything like cherry. My printed instructions from the drs office said that most people find it more palatable if it is very cold and to try putting it in the freezer for a short time. Ok, I can do that. Ugh. This didn't help it in the least bit, other than make me freezing from the inside out. Then the instructions said that some people feel it is easier if you use a straw. The only straw we had available was one from a juice box. I tried glass #3 that way and besides feeling silly, it worked a little. But not enough to make me no longer concerned I was going to throw-up. I even tried taking the other flavor packets and seeing if adding a little of that to the 80z glass would help. Maybe the pineapple flavoring would have me dreaming of pina colodas on the beach?
Each glass that went down had me more worried that I'd be seeing it all over again. I wasn't confident that I wasn't going to throw-up. And then what? Do I have to start over from scratch? No sireebob, I was making sure this stuff stayed down and came out the other end.
After finishing exactly half the jug as per the directions, I waited and waited for it to do its thing. I ended up falling asleep at 10:00pm and woke up in a panic at 1:15am that I hadn't gone to the bathroom....not once! Oh my! Was forcing this drink down my throat for nothing? Was I going to get to my appointment and the dr wouldn't be able to see a thing? Thoughts of having to do this again scared me to death and I quickly ran downstairs to drink more of the solution. Another 32 ounces later, I started to have movement. Lots and lots of movement. Finally I was going. Now I just had to make sure my bowel movements were clear in color. It literally took all night to see the results I needed, but I can hold my head up high walking in to the drs office knowing my insides are as clear as they are going to get. It only took an entire night of losing sleep and drinking a double dose of this wretched solution to get me where I needed to be.
Fasting the day of the appointment was a piece of a cake, as well as the procedures itself. You get knocked out into a deep sleep and before you know it, it is over. You don't feel a thing and that's the way I like it.
It turns out the doctor rates you on how well you did to prepare. If you fall below what he considers optimal, then you need to come back and do it over again. I was really hoping for the top rating of 'excellent'. In reality, I only got a 'good' rating. Bummer! After all that!! But you know what, it was good enough to keep me from having to repeat this process.
The results didn't show any reason for my body to not be absorbing nutrients. Once the biopsy for celiac disease comes back, I'll be in the clear and just need to take more supplements. The colonoscopy and endoscopy did reveal a hernia (and a pretty good sized one at that), plus I apparently suffer from acid-reflux. Who knew? I never realized I had this nor have been suffering any symptoms from it. Interesting. Very interesting. At least it was worth the trip to find this out. I wonder which child of mine caused it. :)
Always one to enjoy a good Kodak moment, here is a picture of the hernia.
So wait, how did you know your body wasn't absorbing nutrients to start with? And what's the overall health issue you are facing (a hernia and acid reflux clearly, but deeper than that?).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, my doc thought I might have celiac too, but he was able to rule that out with a blood test -- did your doc give you that?
I can really empathize. I had a CT scan several weeks ago (which found nothing), and had to drink 64 oz of barium inside of an hour pre-scan. It was berry-flavored but that didn't make it one iota better. It was thick and chalky, and worst of all? The radiology office didn't have any that was refrigerated. And let me tell you, warm/room-temp barium was even nastier.
Like you, I thought I would ralph it all up, but managed to keep it down somehow.
Since you drink the barium to provide contrast, I wasn't even aware of the after-effects that awaited me. Suffice to say, I bet I could have had a "clean" colonoscopy afterward!
Thanks Rebecca for the comments. Basically this blog entry "TMI" dated 6/27/09
ReplyDeletehttp://mommymeltdowns.blogspot.com/2009/06/tmi.html
explains what prompted the colonoscopy and endoscopy. Routine blood work showed a difficiency in a bunch of different nutrients.
Ugh! That Barium drink is really bad too! I started drinking it at the end of January when they were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. But they decided to do a CT scan first and see if they could see anything before I finished the drink. It was wonderful they got to me in time and told me stop drinking it. Turns out is was appendicitis. I did ask the nurse before I started to drink it how many WW points it was I was about to consume. hehehehehe.
Not fun getting older! Did they ever figure out what was wrong with you?
Your request to the nurse re: how many WW POINTS made me laugh ;-D
ReplyDeleteNope, never figured it out. I'd had some troubling abdominal pains, but those eventually stopped after a few weeks. CT scan and several blood tests showed nothing. So, who knows? A weird virus?