The Tale of Three Colonoscopies in 16 Months

Part I:  the First Colonoscopy

Little did I know, but the first week in May would be the last week before my life took a drastic change.  Winter semester had ended about two weeks earlier, I had just quit a job selling window well covers, I had accepted a dream job as a teacher and I had just started a chemistry class at the spring semester at BYU.  In addition to this, I had just said goodbye to a newfound love interest, Andrea (now my wife), for the summer.

So, did I know something was coming?  Not really.  A little bowel troubles a couple months earlier prompted me to get a sigmoidoscopy (a sort of mini-colonoscopy that inspects only about half of the colon).  After having this procedure, the doctor told me that there wasn't anything major to worry about.  So at the end of April when I got a stomach ache I didn't think anything of it, even though it seemed to be getting worse. 

When it became so painful that it started interfering with work and school I decided to visit the doctor.  After a short visit and checkup he saw that my situation was serious.  He prescribed an emergency colonoscopy for Thursday.  This was on Tuesday.

The Prep: 

I was sent home with two pint size bottles of a very salty solution--a sort of turbo ex-lax to prepare me for the colonoscopy.  At this point I was in so much pain that I couldn't go to school or work.  On top of that, my little stomach ache didn't seem so harmless anymore.  Was it cancer?  We didn't even know what Ulcerative Colitis was and so we didn't even consider it.  Taking the prep solution only made things worse--it is unpleasant enough for the healthiest person.  But for someone who would be later told that the inside of his colon looked like it was "covered in second degree burns,"  the pain was almost unbearable.  The churning of my bowels was so painful that I often asked my Mom if we could just give in and go to the emergency room.  After most of it had passed through me, the pain subsided and I went to bed.

The Procedure:

I still felt terrible in the morning, but grateful that I had survived the ordeal from the night before.  I don't remember much about the events preceding the colonoscopy.  I remember that I was so sick that I needed to be helped into the clinic.  I remember that the clinic was smaller than I had expected.  But nothing more than that.  The next thing I remember was waking up after the procedure.  (That's one of the nice thing about colonoscopies, generally you're not awake for the procedure.) 

The news that the doctor brought was perhaps the most vivid memory that I have of the day.  My bowels were severely swollen--they looked like they had second degree burns on them.  Because of this, he couldn't complete the whole procedure--he was afraid he might puncture my colon.  He had only made it to about the same distance that a Sigmoidoscopy covers (about half the colon).  Thankfully, it wasn't cancer.  It looked like it was either Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's disease--two very similar gastrointestinal (digestive system) diseases. 

The Aftermath:

The next thing I remember is sitting in my bed that night having one of those moments when your life flashes before your eyes.  Just a couple of days earlier I was working, going to school, and enjoying the beautiful spring weather that had literally just arrived.  Now I was lying in bed, feeling sick as a dog, choking down about 16 pills a day.  My mind was constantly filled with concerns.  What's happening?  Will I be able to keep my job?  When will I be able to return to business as usual?  These, and other concerns, swept through my mind, but never did I even consider that this was only the beginning of this experience.

-Part II: The Second Colonoscopy coming soon-

(Note:  Please do not make the mistake of thinking that all colonoscopy procedures are this painful.  I was very sick at the time and my other two colonoscopies were blissful experiences compared to this one.  Don't let my rainy day scare you away from something that could save your life!)

A Lyte Intro

A week after my 23rd birthday I found myself waking up in a recovery room at the University of Utah hospital.  I had endured my third colonoscopy (fourth, if you count the sigmoidoscopy). 

My name is Justin, and how I got here and how I feel about it are stories that I plan on sharing with you.  Both stories begin with a month long hospital stay during the summer of 2008.  It was simultaneously one of the most trying yet terrific experiences of my life.  I have wanted to share some of these experiences for a long time, and this blog represents the fulfillment of this desire.

As I have pursued a career in the health care professions I have become enamored with a type of medicine called "preventive medicine".  Preventive medicine includes procedures and practices that people can use to prevent having to go to the doctor's office /hospital/ER in the first place.  In an age where the future of medical insurance, and healthcare in general, changes with the political tide, preventive procedures like a colonoscopy represent one aspect of our wellbeing over which we have total control.

There ain't no way to sugar coat it!  A colonoscopy involves a doctor sticking a camera up your butt!  Couple that with the nasty stuff you have to drink to clear out your system (one of the options is a salty drink called "Go Lytely") and it can be an unpleasant experience. 

However, the discomfort is well worth what it can prevent. 

Colon cancer is the third most prevalent cancer in the US (source), but it starts out as a tiny piece of harmless tissue called a "polyp".  A colonoscopy allows a doctor to check for any polyps and remove them before they become cancerous.  A very short procedure could save you from years of suffering or an early death.

As you can tell, the main purpose of this blog is to encourage you to PLEASE GO get your colonoscopy--it could save your life!  Indeed, in the posts to follow I hope to show you that if I could get 3 in the first quarter century of my life then you can get 1 in the first 50 years of your life!

Additional purposes of this blog include:

• To document my experiences and struggles surrounding my Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis and the life changing lessons I learned.

• To promote healthy living and preventive medicine. 

• To show how attitude and outlook can change a bad experience into a great one.

I hope you enjoy the posts that follow.  I hope to hear your feedback.  And I hope that you will live healthy and PLEASE GO get your colonoscopy!

Justin

Inspiration

Are you almost the dreaded 50? Over the hill parties, gag gifts, the realization that life is on the downhill...it can all be rather depressing. To add to the pain, a colonoscopy is in order.

Justin, a three time colonoscopy survivor is here to tell you that there is nothing to fear. For years he has wanted to share his experiences with others and here's how he can do it. Don't let a colonoscopy scare you away from being happy and healthy in your grandparenting years!

Merry Christmas.  I hope you will use and love this blog as much as you love sharing with others how easy it is to take part in preventive care.  Way to go Doctor To Be!

-Andrea