Thursday, July 24, 2014

Frequent Flyer in the Gastroenterology Office

After a fun, too-short trip to Florida, we are back home. Early this morning--actually it didn't feel so early because I am still on East Coast time zone--I met with the nurse practitioner to schedule another colonoscopy. Yes, it was just a year ago I went through this. The result of my thyroid function blood test was normal, so Dr. Kohn advises me to get my colon scoped again. The elevated tumor marker is the main reason, but constipation symptoms contribute.  The nurse practitioner mentioned that switching back to a refrigerated probiotic (something I switched from a few months ago) and trying an over-the-counter fiber supplement could alleviate the constipation. If that is the case, I will probably follow up with Dr. Kohn to make sure she still thinks all this is really necessary!

The procedure for prepping the colon has changed a bit, using over-the-counter medicines instead of the evil-tasting Moviprep.  It still will make for a long night, but hopefully the taste will be a bit more tolerable. I have the procedure scheduled for the end of August, the first we could match Walt and my schedule with the doctor's.  Last time I think I had an 8 or 9 a.m. appointment, and the best I could do now was 1 p.m. This means a longer stretch of time when I'm awake and unable to eat (eating is so overrated!), but the good thing is I don't have to wake up so early in the morning to take the last round of drink. So much fun! And what did you do on your summer vacation?

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