2010: Begin Again. Proud as punch and Boldy Going

Proud as punch
Big evening for the Bly and Harper families at the Royal Canadian Legion this evening. I’m very proud to say that Lynda, my better half, and Kelsea, my sweetie-bird daughter, were both part of the installation ceremony for the Ladies’ Auxiliary. Lynda is now officially president and Kelsea is the sergeant-at-arms. With Lynda’s mom in attendance, three generations were represented – all members of the Legion’s Ladies’ Auxiliary. I don’t know if there are very many mother/daughter combos on Legion executives, but I’m darned proud of these two!
Photos: Lynda and Kelsea with my mother-in-law, Sharon. And the proud hubbie/papa with the two special women.


Up yours!
This coming Thursday a doctor in Coaldale will boldly go where no man has gone before . . . straight up my rectum with a little camera. Yup, it’s colonoscopy time! OK, truth is one other doctor has followed the same route, but that was 12 years ago.

A few days ago I shared a bit about seeing a men’s healthy program on the Dr. Oz show. I don’t normally watch Dr. Oz, but the theme tied in perfectly with my 2010: Begin Again life theme. And one of the topics being covered was the need for a colonoscopy as part of a health maintenance plan. I already had one scheduled for this Thursday, Jan. 7. Actually, I initially had it scheduled for early December, but it was postponed by the clinic in Coaldale as the doctor involved had injured himself with an auger digging fence post holes.

Hmmm. The guy who’s going to go rooting around in my bowel injured himself with an auger? Ironic.

So, here’s the poop on colonoscopies. As Dr. Oz notes on his website:

“No routine cancer-screening test brings about more anxiety then a colonoscopy. Not necessarily the worry of results either. It's the test itself that drives people to skip the test. It is invasive, uncomfortable, embarrassing and intimate. It is terribly inconvenient: It takes a day to prepare and a day for the test.”

But it SAVES LIVES! On the show, Dr. Oz noted about 25,000 people in the U.S. alone die needlessly each year from colorectal cancer. A colonoscopy can make the difference. Uncomfortable embarrassment or death? What to choose, what to choose?

I made my choice.

From my own single experience, I would say the actual cleanse is the worst part. No shit! I’m not kidding! That bowel needs to be clean. The first time I went through it, I had to skip food the day before and drink this horrible liquid – four litres of it! To be honest, I couldn’t make it through the full jug. I got just over three litres choked down, but that was enough to clean like a white tornado.

This time it’s a two-day prep with a liquid diet, two drinks of a pico-salax mixture and three bisacodyl tablets. Instructions say ensure a toilet is nearby at all times. I start the liquid diet on Tuesday. Take the first pico-salax Tuesday night. Stay home from work on Wednesday for the thrill of the PS after effect. Liquid diet on Wednesday, final PS and bisacodyl tablets Wednesday night, then examine on Thursday.

On the upside, after Wednesday it will be a few days again before anyone can tell me that I’m full of it! Also, maybe this’ll kick start my weight reduction plan! Do not expect photos from the procedure!

Health Bonus:
Here's a cool story about the bacteria that help us out and where they live on our bodies, courtesy of Live Science.