LittleJoe

Colonoscopy - all done, all fine

When one hits the half-century mark, it is recommended to get a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer and other ailments. I'm 51, so I was overdue.  This is the wrong way. I opted instead for a more standard colonoscopy, which I had done this morning. It turns out that the actual procedure only takes 15 minutes. It's the before and after that requires one to allocate some time. The prep day: I was told to eat no solid food the day prior, and to drink only clear liquids. This was pretty easy, really. Some years back, Shirley and I used to do a juice fast on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week. We'd drink just fruit and vegetable juices and water, and then break the fast on Friday when we'd meet for a salad. So one day was easy. AND black coffee was allowed, so no worries. The more interesting part was the procedure to empty out one's insides. At 11am I took the prescribed 4 pills. The packaging made them look huge, but as the second pic below shows, the pills were actually quite small - very easy to swallow:

The next step was to add some warm water to the HalfLytely powder, cap and shake the container to mix the solution, and put it in the fridge to cool. Then it was back to juice and coffee for the next 4 hours. Starting at 3pm, as per instructions, every 15 minutes I drank 8 ounces of the HalfLytely mix. It's sort of like a slightly gelatinous, somewhat salty  Gatorade ...with a mild lemon-lime flavor. Given that I don't care for salt, it was a little unpleasant, but not bad. It takes about 8 doses (1 every 15 minutes) to get all the solution consumed. And trust me, it works! I'd not heard nor read much about this, so I figure I'll let the curious know ...after about 5 doses I took up residence in the bathroom. It was like a firehose. That sounds funny and disgusting and it is quite accurate. After a few hours (and finishing the other doses of the solution) I knew that the doc would have a very clear view of my innards. Picture day: Today was picture day, the day for the doc to take a video of my colon and check for any issues. I'd been told to stop drinking even water after midnight, so I was a tad thirsty. Oh well. After signing in at the hospital (and waiting around for the required time that one must always wait it seems), I was given a lovely gown to wear (the kind that's open in the back :). A needle (for IV) was positioned in my right arm (they wanted to use the back of my hand, but it was so frickin' cold there that my veins had wisely retreated for warmer parts). I was led to the procedure room, chatted a little with the doc - and asked if he might supply me with some pics of my innards - and they started the anesthesia. The next thing I knew I was lying on a bed in a little recovery area and Shirley was seated in a chair next to me. Somewhere along the way I remember the doc saying that I'd done a good prep (I so knew that already). Everything looked good inside, which means I'll go back for another movie day in 5 years. And the good doctor was kind enough to supply me with pics, so that you, dear reader, may now know me inside and out. With no further ado, here are pics, in order, of the inside of a human colon (mine) as the instrument travelled along:

It's now 5pm, and even though the procedure was done at 8:30am this morning, I'm still feeling very slightly foggy. So it makes sense that they warn patients to not drive, to not work (and probably should not blog) for 24 hours after the colonoscopy. Oh well. The End.

Toward optimal health

This next week I plan to do a liver flush and cleansing diet. I'll also be adjusting the type and dosage of the nutritional supplements I take. I've been exercising almost every day for a year or more - doing a few miles on the treadmill usually. And I've cut out eating cheese, quit eating red meat about 30 years ago, in general just eating birds/fish, veggies, fruit, and whole grain. With the diet and exercise, I'd figured that cholesterol numbers would be pretty good. Well, a month or so ago I had a check-up, and total cholesterol was in the upper 200's, HDL was just under 50. The doc I've been seeing wanted to 'treat' this by putting me on a statin drug. I think he was wanting to do 40mg a day of Zocor.

BUT ...I've had stress tests (treadmill test) with echo cardiogram with a cardiologist and that shows the heart to be in VERY good condition. Blood pressure is 108 over 73. Pulse is 63. So aside from this magic number (the total cholesterol), I seem to be in good shape.

So rather than start buying and taking a brand name drug, I have decided to 'flush' the liver to help it deal with the cholesterol. About 10 years ago I followed this liver flush and diet. I dropped the excess 10-20 pounds I'd been carrying, felt great, kept the weight off for years (it is back with me now :), and I also noticed that total cholesterol dropped to 160.

While on vacation this week, I read this book (pictured above) which includes references to many, many peer-reviewed studies published in JAMA, Lancet, etc. The gist of the book is that our bodies have the ability to heal and to stay healthy ...but we often may need to supplement our diet to give the body what it needs to do its job. Even when eating whole foods, those foods are often grown in a manner that limits their nutritional content.

The other thing I've done is to start working with a doc at Wellness Works to see what I can do to help my body achieve optimal health. There are certainly times when prescription drugs are necessary, but I do think that many physicians unfortunately fall into the habit of a rushed 15 minute appointment - determine the main 'complaint' and prescribe something to address the primary symptom. I would much rather take ownership of my health. So the revised plan now includes continuing with the cardio workouts, and I'm revising my supplements, doing the liver flush (this is my idea, not the doc at Wellness Works), adding a few weight-lifting workouts each week, reducing the amount of water I drink (suggested by the doc, after reviewing the rather massive quantity I've been consuming), and possibly other modifications after I do my next consultation with the doc at the end of the month (to review results of hair and blood analysis). This will be interesting!

Lilikoi Ale at Waimea Brewing Company

Late tomorrow night, Shirley and I will catch a red-eye flight from Lihue Kauai back to the mainland of the USA. But today and tomorrow it's still vacation. Typically on Thursday evenings, we get together with several friends for our local gathering of Drinking Liberally. We couldn't be with them in body today, but we were with them in spirits. Here I am enjoying a Lilikoi Ale at Waimea Brewing Company - the westernmost brew pub in the USA. This is a lighter brew than I usually order (I'm a fan of brown ale, mostly), but it was quite good, with a definite and very pleasant passionfruit flavor. Yum!

Yesterday we had lunch at a little pizza and pasta joint in Koloa and I had a pint of Longboard Lager from Kona Brewing Company on the Big Island. That was also a tasty brew - tho' I think the Lilikoi Ale is the one I'd buy on the mainland ...if one could find it anywhere. I do truly enjoy sampling the local beer, wine, and coffee whenever any of those are produced locally. Gosh, one could kind of build a whole vacation around that, huh?

Aloha :)

Aloha from Kauai

Shirley and I arrived late last night to one of our favorite places on earth - the beautiful Hawaiian island of Kauai. This evening we went to Beaches Restaurant (click the thumbnail pic to see the full-size pic). The pic shows Shirley with a Mai Tai, and me with a mojito ...sitting overlooking the ocean as the sunset drew nearer (with the sliding doors open behind us, it is too bright to see the water; look a bit to the right where the glass is cutting the glare, and you'll see the water).

It's a little weird being here without Ben - we've been here 2 other times and always with Ben. Ahhhh... Kauai. The Garden Island. Beautiful and peaceful. Peaceful is the main thing. We're planning to spend some serious time this week doing ...well, pretty much nothing :) .....the main plan is to just relax. And, with that ...I do believe I've already spent too much time online.

Aloha