With some justification, us guys get bad marks when it comes to taking care of our health. It seems that women more readily go to see their doctor with ailments and concerns than we do. We pass stuff off. ‘There’s nothing really wrong’, ‘it’s just a passing phase’, ‘I can’t be assed to sit in the surgery waiting room for hours’, and so on.
I read some of this stuff. Now, the toilet is something we really don’t talk about. Everyone does it, usually every day, but most of us go ‘ewww’ or ‘yuck’ or ‘TMI!’ if we dare to mention it.
Well, I’m gonna talk about it anyway. We’re talking #2’s here if there’s any confusion. I’ve always been a regular guy, all my life. Every day, often more than once. However, over the last few months, it’s gotten to be several times a day on many days. I put it down to too much beer (I usually drink craft beer, which is often unfiltered and has natural yeast sediment). I also put it down to my other favorite brew – coffee. I’ve always drunk plenty of that, and I know that the caffeine tends to act as a laxative. No, I’m not going to drink that caffeine free stuff, any more than I’m going to drink alcohol free ‘beer’.
I did put it off for a while. Then I went to see my doctor. He ordered some blood tests, and they have all come back normal except one that indicates that I have raised calprotectin levels.
On that basis, my doctor referred me to a gastroenterologist, who has decided that I am to receive a colonoscopy. Also while I’m having that, I’m to get a gastroscopy, so I’m getting cameras in both ends.
This all takes place tomorrow, so today, I have had my last meal this morning. I was allowed to eat low fiber foods, so I had scrambled eggs (protein keeps you fuller longer), some white bread, and some cheese.
At five o’clock this evening, I have to take these sachets of stuff called MoviPrep to clear out my gut. That’s not my idea of fun, but, of course, everything has to be clear inside to enable the cameras to see around.
Right now, I’m looking forward to this time tomorrow, when it will all be over and done with!
