During these hot and steamy July days, many people are going on vacation. Others choose to have a stay-cation. One might say I had a stay-cation of my own one day last week.
It actually began the night before, when I had to drink a special cocktail; no alcohol, it was magnesium citrate. The next day, I was on a liquid diet but nothing red or purple. The true preparation began in the afternoon.
Then I had to take some special tablets and proceed to drink 64 ounces of my choice of sports drink, mixed with a complete 238-gram bottle of MiraLax. I didn’t shop right. I had a 32-ounce bottle of Gator Aid, so I mixed half of the MiraLax with that.
I drank, and drank, and felt proud to have drunk the full amount within an hour. The instructions were to drink the fluid within two to three hours. Then I used 32 ounces of Propel water and mixed the rest of the MiraLax with that.
By then I was sick of drinking, and it was more difficult to get that second set of 32 ounces down, but I completed it within the next hour. I was feeling even more proud of myself at that time, but I was also feeling a bit sick.
The information I had gotten warned me that it was normal to experience nausea or bloating during this period. That was me, for sure, and the next hour I spent feeling uncomfortable and taking vacation trips to the bathroom.
After a bit, I began to feel a bit more normal but still stuck close to the bathroom. Orange Jello became my friend. I was glad I had made a large serving of plain orange Jello earlier that day, because it was one thing I could eat, and it went down easily.
That day of stay-cation involved a lot of vacation trips to the bathroom, but at the end of the day, I was able to sleep knowing I followed the orders and the upcoming test should turn out well.
The scheduled colonoscopy was the next morning in Wausau, with my daughter as my driver.
Colonoscopies have been part of my life for many years. In the beginning, I was on the normal 10-year plan, but more recently I have had the five-year plan, due to polyps. I admit it is not something I look forward to. However, I know that it is a protection for my health.
It was not painful, because they gave me some type of drug that puts me in la la land. When I got home, it was with the knowledge that I was not to sign any legal papers or even use the stove.
While this colonoscopy was not eventful, I well remember one I had about 15 years ago. I had company staying at my house. I had deadlines for The Shawano Leader, and my toilet quit working.
The nonworking toilet hastened the departure of my company. Living in a small town, with a plumber, meant the toilet was fixed that same morning, and I guess I wrote my articles for the newspaper between vacation trips to the bathroom.
Vacations or stay-cations, now is the time, because summer is going by way too quickly.
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