One word, I can't do more...right now.

Surgery.

cleaned out and checked out.

So I finally drank the stuff and well all I can say is poo poo. Yuck!

Today I went for my appointment and what should have been a 1/2 hour procedure with 1/2 hour recovery time turned into an almost 2 hour then 1/2 hour recovery. I woke up towards the end and asked them to put me back down....rather I begged! But they said they couldn't give me any more sedation. Damn it! is what I wanted to mutter. So I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

At the last colonoscopy they gave me real sleepy stuff this was more twilight. Difference, no anesthesiologist. The nurse pushed the twilight. I like the Dr type of push much better.

So this is what I learned. Dr. E took lots of biopsy's and cleaned all polyps out of my colon. He did go up into my small intestine a bit and said it looked great so I can not worry about that anymore. There are stories of people who were told they had UC and then ended up being Crohn's patients.

One particular polyp had to be "piece mealed" away. And by the pictures it sure looks like Dr. E did just that. Looks like....."OUCH!"

So what I remember him telling me is that "I did all I could. I got everything needed out. Hopefully we can save you from surgery." I craved more information but being loopy he knew I wouldn't understand much more. He told me he would see me in a week. Probably hear from him in 3 days. So now I wait. I do however have beautiful colon pictures to gaze at while I do just that.

Waiting and Praying for NO SURGERY!,
ML

Procrastinating clean out.

So here I am blogging. Reading blogs and checking Facebook, yahoo mops board and email. All the while procrastinating the worst part of the day before a colonoscopy. Drinking this terrible terrible solution that will "clean" out your insides. I have already not eaten all day, swallowed the laxatives at the assigned time, drank only clear liquids or the liquids that were on the "approved" list. Now, it's time. Ugh! I hate, hate, hate this part. Did I mention HATE!

Wish me luck on getting it down as often I fight back vomiting. Too much information.....read the disclaimer to the side.

Also, please please pray for me tonight. Please ask the great healer upstairs to spare me from surgery. Please allow for the first diagnosis to be incorrect. I so want to hear good news tomorrow when I wake from my sedated nap. Bless Dr. E with the ability to kindly break the news if there is no change and surgery is then moved up on the "to do" list. And may he sing praises to the Lord if there is Good News when I wake.

Please let my colon be dysplasia and cancer free. Amen!
ML

2nd Colonoscopy Scheduled.

So I will be going under again.....I actually don't mind the going under part....its the getting ready for the going under I don't like.
UGH the prep work for the colonoscopy is brutal! I hate every minute of it. The whole day before is just plain "shitty." No pun intended either.

OK, now that I have said my first naughty word on my blog we can all relax. After all I did post a disclaimer right? Right.

So next Wednesday I will be meeting Dr. E down at the medical center for my colonoscopy.
He has already told me that he plans on taking out the polyp that was left in my transcending colon for further inspection. His plan is to take like a million (OK so not a million but you get the picture) biopsies of my colon. He also is going to go down inside the colon and not just biopsy the top layer.
I looked a little frightened when he said that apparently so he calmly said to me with a very thick accent. "don't worry, I will be sedating you much heavier than normal." Well alrighty than, nice deep nap for this mommy. Sign me up!

So there you have it folks. Next Wednesday I might have a better picture of where my future lies. Dr. E told me he might be able to wake me and say "no surgery" or give me bad news.

Let's pray, Let's pray really hard that the news when I awake on Wednesday afternoon is "no surgery."

My colon in dysplasia and cancer free,

ML

Making things happen

So I called this morning to get an appointment with Dr. W. The doctor on the list of two that Dr. H said that I should call for a "second" opinion colonoscopy. Well this Dr. W doesn't take my insurance so I went to the second Dr. on the list. Dr. E. Dr. E, I learned takes my insurance. Dr. H thought that Dr. W and I would have more face time but I will just have to have less face time so that my insurance will cover the time I do get.

So I make the appointment with Dr. E, it was set for July 31st. Hmmm, that's a long time to wait for just a consult prior to a second colonoscopy. But Dr. H told me that would happen and that as soon as I set the appointment I was to call his nurse. Then he would push it along.

SO I call Dr. H's nurse, Nurse Jackie. Tell her the appointment time and date. She says "we'll handle it."

I get a call later, about two hours later from Dr. E's office offering me a date of the 28th...I thought to myself...that's not much better than the 31st but instead I say, I cant take that date because my son is getting tubes in his ears that day. By that way that is a true comment, not just one to get an even better date. So then all of a sudden the 22nd at 230pm pops open. I say "sold."

So I have the appointment with Dr. E. I will meet him at 230pm on the 22nd.

Dr. H has already talked with him about me so it should be short. Just basically giving me my prep assignment and the day of my colonoscopy. I am assuming this to be the case so lets see what really happens.

Till then.....My colon is dysplasia and cancer free!!!!
ML

Mind over matter.

All day I have been walking around chanting "My Colon is dysplasia and Cancer free."
Chant it with me folks...."ML's colon is dysplasia and cancer free!"

Wouldn't it be amazing if it was and I didn't have to have this surgery. At least at this stage of the game. I mean I KNOW one day my colitis will come back, one day I might get colon cancer because of this disease but wouldn't it be nice if I was spared. If I was spared at this particular stage in my life. I just really have so much I want to do right now. I feel great and to take a year of my life feeling ill just feels like I am being cheated. That my family would be cheated. Can you hear a little anger in my words. I am a bit but I am more excited at the chance of hoping I might be spared.

So I am chanting, I am visualizing, I am praying that I be spared.

"My Colon is dysplasia and Cancer free!"

ML

Dr. H calls personally

UPDATED July 18,2009 (morning)

As mentioned I had called the nurse and she said he may call me over the weekend. Well he did call only to get my voicemail because I was putting the kids to bed for the night. I listened to the message and heard him say to call the online doctor and tell him that Dr. H needs to speak with me. His message also mentioned that if I didn't talk to him until Monday that would be fine as well. Well I was not going to wait until Monday. I picked up the phone and called the on call doctor and left a message. Then the wait began. I waited and waited and no call back. Finally I decided to go to bed at 10pm and the phone rang. Lance brought it to me saying it was Dr. H.

My heart sank into my stomach as I said hello. It then began to be lifted back up into place as he spoke. He told me that I need to contact one of the following two GI's for another complete work up. As the main pathology at Methodist in the loop felt there just wasn't enough information to perform a major surgery. That we needed more to go on. I gasped. He said I was a grey zone and that he doesn't operate on grey zone patients until more information is retrieved. Dr. H also said "I don't want to get your hopes up but there is a chance that you wont need surgery." He continue to say that their are polyps and dysplasia. In UC patients it can be tricky BUT that I could just have Polyps that need to be checked on once or twice a year. My heart was dancing as it was still on the words "chance that you wont need surgery."

On Monday I will call Dr. W (one of the two doctors that he recommend that I call) to schedule the work up. Tonight I start praying that my colon be healed that it show not signs of high dysplasia that the 1st GI thought he saw and biopsied. That there just be regular ole polyps in my colon. Do you have time to pray a little pray for me on this issue. I would be grateful.

Praying,
ML




So today Dr. H rang. But didn't leave a message. I couldn't get to the phone in time as I was busy trying to get my little ones into their rooms for naps. I called back like three minutes later and this is when I found out that he called personally. My thought....NOT good news.
They told me he was now in a room with a patient that he would call back. When I didn't hear back I figured that it wasn't a big deal but that I might try calling down to his office again.
I got a hold of his nurse and she said she wasn't sure what he was going to tell me but she did know that he did talk personally to the Dr. that is reviewing my pathology and cell slides. So, Hmmm. That left me thinking that either he was calling to tell me that I need to come in....but why would he call me just for an appointment. Unless it was the "come in" for a new colonoscopy call that he told me that I might have to have if this certain Dr. reviewing my cells and pathology report from my GI didn't agree on my diagnosis. So here it is Friday night and I am pondering what the call was about. Maybe it was just to touch base....doubt it. But the nurse kindly said she would tell him that I called and mentioned that he may call me over the weekend.

I am pretty sure that I wont hear anything till Monday but till then enjoy your weekend and stay tuned.

Bracing myself,
ML