Update on DH's Health

[Haudlady]

Hello! Well, as you may remember, DH is scheduled for a colonoscopy on March 26th. I'm trying to keep my chin up about the whole thing, and this really helped:

I called the pharmacy today to ask about the prescription (we just got the prep instructions), and the pharmacist couldn’t figure out what I was talking about when I asked about the “Golytely.” Poor guy. He just kept saying “I’m sorry ma’am, what did you say?” I had to spell it before he got it. I was pronouncing it “Golly-telly” (wouldn’t you?)… but it is pronounced “Go-Lightly!” I had to keep from hysterics on the phone…

Golly Telly! Golly Telly! It gets funnier the more I say it. :D

Not to mention... Go Lightly? That's pretty funny, too, considering what it does to you! :rolleyes:

[mimitabby]

I guess if you'd heard it out loud first like i have.... that is really funny. That druggist is going to go home tonight and tell his family about golly telly.

Hey, my DH has to have one of those soon too... hmm. me too, but his
is because of a symptom!
keep us posted.

M

[doc]

OMG. Calling it Golly Telly is sooooo funny. You're right though. if you never heard it pronounced, that is how it is spelled.

And the name is no accident. It is full of electoLYTEs that make you go. There is even a product, get this, called golytely lite.

[DDH]

I think I would have pronounced it the same way. You know that pharmicist thought you were nuts. LOL

[HillSlugger]

At the tender age of 46 (on Sunday) I am already a veteran of 5 bowel preps (4 colonoscopies and another procedure). They are not fun, but the worst part is drinking the prep medicine. I never used the Golytely, but I did use Phospho Soda for my first procedure. Rather than having to drink a nasty liquid there is a pill-form bowel prep medicine called Visicol. I used it the last four times and found it to be a much better alternative. Now, it's the only way I'll do it.

[MomOnBike]

In addition to GoLytely, there is also HalfLytely.

Also a new product called MoviPrep.

There is a special place in Hell for the people who dream up these names.

[CycleTherapy]

Another pill form for bowel prep is Osmo Prep. I've used it (3) times in the past four months. It's the only thing I will ever use. :)

Please everyone, commit to a colonoscopy screening.

[Aggie_Ama]

Haudlady that is FUNNY! Who comes up with those ridiculous names, they must think they are SO clever.



Please everyone, commit to a colonoscopy screening.

March is Colon-Rectal Cancer Awareness month. If you or someone you love is due for your screening, please make it a priority.

My father is currently in remission from colon cancer, he had part of his colon removed and 6 months of chemotherapy last year. I will have to have a colonoscopy at 40 instead of 50 due to my family history, but I have have seen the alternative so I won't complain. My Pawpaw had colon cancer and had a colstemy (sp?) bag for a month. I will take a day of awful prep over that.

My Step-MIL said she would never have another colonoscopy, it "wasn't worth it". Broke my heart to hear anyone think like that.

[emily_in_nc]

Please everyone, commit to a colonoscopy screening.

Seconded.

One of my husband's best friends was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer nearly five years ago. He's been doing pretty well (given the severity of the disease) up until the past several months. He's had surgery (permanent colostomy bag), multiple radiation treatments, and multiple rounds of chemo. Recently, they found that the cancer had spread to his lungs (it had previously spread to his liver), and now he has been given less than two months to live. His friends, including my DH, are all devastated. He lives across the country now, so that makes it harder, though we got to visit him last year, when he was doing much, much better.

The saddest part? He was having symptoms for months before he finally went for a colonoscopy. He had been laid off during the high-tech bubble (same time as my DH) and didn't dare go to the doctor before he had employer-provided health insurance again. He was on Cobra but knew that was going to run out soon. He had four children and a stay-at-home wife and didn't want to wrack up huge medical bills and burden his family or cause them to lose their home. That decision could have been the difference between life and death.

That something like this can happen to a college-educated computer professional with everything going for him who had the misfortune of getting sick at the wrong time points out some major inadequacies with the US health care system. It makes me furious just to think about this!

My DH and his friends have all learned from this, and DH got a screening colonoscopy when he turned 50 without even being dragged in by his ear. Thankfully, it was all clear. I'll be getting one when I turn 50 also (or earlier, should symptoms arise).

It's really important, folks.

Emily

[LBTC]

The prep I had was called pico-salax. Mix one packet with about 250 ml (I think) of water and drink. 7-9 hours later do it again. I did not have a choice about what to use - I don't even know if we can get all those happy sounding preparations here in Canada!

Drinking this stuff was not the worst part. Having only clear fluids for 2 days before drinking this stuff, and then no fluids after midnight (and, of course, the effects of the drink).....that was pretty hard.

I'll see the specialist on Wed next week to find out what they discovered where they looked, and what the biopsies showed.

In the meantime, I'll try to do more than just sleep whenever I'm off work. :eek:

Keep us posted, HL

Hugs & Butterflies,
~T~

[Starfish]

Thirded. :o

A friend here in town (who can still kick my @ss on the bike while on chemo) is fighting this cancer, too. The docs said if they had found it with a scope even a couple months earlier, they could have just snipped it out.

I've had 4 bowel preps for several reasons, and they are no fun, but better than the alternative. Great to hear about the pill form of the *make you go* stuff. Never heard of that before!

[mimitabby]

The prep I had was called pico-salax. Mix one packet with about 250 ml (I think) of water and drink. 7-9 hours later do it again. I did not have a choice about what to use - I don't even know if we can get all those happy sounding preparations here in Canada!

Drinking this stuff was not the worst part. Having only clear fluids for 2 days before drinking this stuff, and then no fluids after midnight (and, of course, the effects of the drink).....that was pretty hard.

I'll see the specialist on Wed next week to find out what they discovered where they looked, and what the biopsies showed.

In the meantime, I'll try to do more than just sleep whenever I'm off work. :eek:

Keep us posted, HL

Hugs & Butterflies,
~T~

TWO DAYS of fasting??!?!?! wow, I wonder why they made you do that.
You only have to fast one day here.

[LBTC]

TWO DAYS of fasting??!?!?!

Yup, that's what knocked me on my @$$ the most, so to speak.

Not sure if the exam for Crohn's is perhaps more thorough than a routine cancer screen....or if the product I had to use to do the clean out is not adequate and the extra fasting helps give them a cleaner work area. :eek:

Either way, I will ask about the other products if/when I have to do the next scope.

H&B
~T~

[Pika]

Thanks for all the info ladies:
I have an apt with the specialist for a colonoscopy next month. -Actually I think this first apt is just to meet the specialist- then he gives me an apt for the colonoscopy.
I am in Canada too- I know we likely don't much choice in what prep we take but then again it is all covered(gotta love universal healthcare) so I am not going to complain.- otoh- can't hurt to ask about the pill form- I am already having nightmares about the gagging and choking that is going to happen as I try to get down the prep!!

[kelownagirl]

Pika - where are you from? I see you've done the Golden Triangle. I would love to do that - maybe next summer...

[Duck on Wheels]

March 26? You've had a loooong wait for this. I'm glad it's finally scheduled. The prep is not exactly fun. Here too there's a day on clear liquids then day 2 you add in the saltwater-and-laxative treatment, and then on day 3 when you're totally drained and dehydrated you eat and drink nothing until after the exam (which is not too bad if you're first on the morning schedule, but if you're last in the afternoon you're pretty much wasted). But that's all about visibility in there, so not much you can do about it. The exam itself is not so bad, given that they sedate you pretty well. And after it's over then at least they know what's going on. For pretty much anything they find there are now effective treatments, even for colon cancer if it's caught before it spreads. Survival rates are up around 80% last I heard (and that was years ago).

Fingers crossed for you guys. Hopefully all will be well once the end's well.

[Haudlady]

Phew... I have to admit, today I'm feeling pretty sad and glum about the whole thing. :( The husband of one of my co-workers just found out that he has cancer, and she has been very upset (of course)... but it's sparking a lot of concern in me.

Poor DH, too... I think that, because the wait has been so long, it's getting to him. There is a race series he loves to do - and he hasn't signed up for it yet because he doesn't want to waste the money on registration if he will be too sick to do it. I'm trying to convince him to sign up anyway, and that we can't put our lives on hold just because he might have a problem! I keep trying to look on the positive side, but sometimes it's hard! And, the silly thing? It might just be nothing! All this worry, and it might be nothing! Of course, that's what we hope.

Selfishly, I'm also feeling conflicted because I am supposed to go on a big trip to Norway, but I haven't bought the tickets yet. Here I am saying he should go ahead and sign up for the race series - operate under the assumption that everything will be fine - and I'm doing the same thing as he is!

[LBTC]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Haudlady}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

I know it's hard! It's hard to wait, it's hard to not know. Is your DH still having symptoms? Are they any different?

If you wait until the test is done and the follow up visit is over, will he still be able to register for the race series? Will you still be able to get your tickets? If waiting wont' mean losing your chance to do these things, I would wait too. That's just me.

In a few weeks you'll have some answers. Once you have those, you can work on the solutions! Focus on the good stuff until then. You're with each other, you've got some riding to do, all the wonderful little things that make being together just perfect for you...

Hugs and soothing butterflies,
~T~

[Duck on Wheels]

Norway will still be here for you. And rides as well. Hang in there Haudlady and Haudsir. And hang onto the thought that it may well be a bagatelle. That's what we're all hoping for! That's the trouble with your symptoms -- while they may indicate something very serious, they may also be about more or less nothing.

[Haudlady]

Thanks for the replies... and for letting me moan a little bit! I'm feeling more cheerful this afternoon. It just comes in waves, like any emotion.


it may well be a bagatelle

Bagatelle? I had never heard that word before! Is this what you mean?

From Wikipedia: A bagatelle is a game-like literary tool used in fiction. The author empowers a character or object beyond natural or expected abilities (i.e. of comprehension, awareness, memory, etc.) so that it may carry a point across to the reader more transparently. A bagatelle creates a more direct communication between author and reader than common in fiction; it is the equivalent of a wink.

Ha! Maybe the fates are just winking at us! :cool:

[Duck on Wheels]

Ha! Cool. I've never really looked up a definition of bagatelle, always just thought it meant something relatively insignificant. I may be confused about this because that's how the word is used in Norwegian. As sometimes happens with words, when they move across languages they can shift meanings. Husbond in Norwegian means a farmer (as in animal husbandry), moved to English it came to mean male partner in a marriage; kvinne (woman) became queen (royal female). I wonder what bagatelle means in French?
.... dictionary break here .....
OK. Dictionary report. Bagatelle (Fr) means bagatell (Nor). Websters shows the first definition of bagatelle in English as "trifle" (and I don't think they mean the British English dessert). So all three are pretty consistent. The second Websters definition is where Wikipedia picks up. Anyway, to get back to the important point:
Here's hoping that the colonoscopy reports show nothing seriously wrong. [Duck lifts her teacup for a toast]

[Aggie_Ama]

Haudlady- Just thinking about you and DH...

[kelownagirl]

Yes me too. Crossing my fingers and keeping you both in my thoughts.

[LBTC]

Haudlady - how did your DH do with the test? Is he feeling okay now? It was yesterday wasn't it? Did they say when you can meet with the specialist again to go over the results?

Let us know. Oh, and here's a few more hugs for you, too

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[Haudlady]

Hello everybody, and thanks for checking in!

Well, we're not quite sure if it's good news or not... the doctor came out to talk with me after the colonoscopy. It was great - he sat down next to me, talked for a few minutes, and answered my questions. Of course, I didn't know that he was going to come out to see me, so I think my heart stopped when I saw him... :eek: phew!

The doctor didn't find any problems or issues, which is good news (I think). We have a follow-up appointment with him on Friday April 6th to talk about other investigative procedures. He didn't find anything that would cause blood in the stool, yet there it is. It sounds like he might do some of the other scopes that you have had, LBTC!

Poor DH was pretty loopy... he told me five times that he wasn't allowed to operate heavy machinery. I had some fun - the first time he said it, I replied "oh, so no running the tractor this afternoon?" The second time he said it, I replied "I guess you won't be mowing the fields with the tractor this afternoon..."

The third time he said it, he said "the doctor says I can't operate heavy machinery - he even told me I couldn't run the tractor." Then, he got this puzzled look on his face... "How did the doctor know that I have a tractor?" :D

[margo49]

Just take it one thing at a time.
Good news what it is *not *. As to what *is* the way they test is to take the worst thing first and then gradually on down the scale of serious-ness to other possibilities.
(They learn this kind of thing in Med School, you know how to approach diagnosing)

[Brandi]

Hey is everything still ok?

[Haudlady]

Hey Brandi, thanks for asking!

I guess it's okay... DH has an appointment for an "upper endoscopy" on the 25th. Since the Doctor didn't find anything going up the system, he's going to try going down. :rolleyes:

Here's something interesting... DH hasn't had any symptoms since a week or so before the colonoscopy! The Doctor said that we will meet with him after this new test to decide what to do next. He said it's possible that we would choose to do nothing, at least until the symptoms show up again.

Who knows???

[Duck on Wheels]

Dear HL and her DH,

I think you can pretty much assume that it isn't either the big C or ulcerous colitis. Neither of those would have disappeared so quickly, spontaneously, and leaving no scopable trace so soon after. There's a whole range of things that can cause abdominal pain and blood in stools, of which I think maybe just one more serious one (Crohns) that might not show on a colonoscopy. Your doc is doing the right thing by trying to check out all the serious stuff first. If none of those shows up, and nothing else pops up as an answer while checking those out, then you can safely wait til symptoms arise again ... which they may never do :)

Just in case Crohns turns up on the upper endo (I'm assuming Crohns is another of the possibles your doc is checking out), I can mention that my DD and I are both doing fine. She's symptom free now on a maintenance medication plus a daily "dose" of yoghurt. I'm nearly symptom-free and tweeking my meds to get there. Today we're heading out for a ride together. She's prob'ly in great shape as she's been training all winter for the ALC (San Francisco to LA) which is in just over a month now. I've been training indoors and don't know how I'll do out on the road again, but did a spin on her bike last night to get the saddle height right and boy, did that feel good :D :p So ... Crohns is definitely to live with once you get it under control. And I think that's about the only really serious disease left that you doc hasn't eliminated. From there on, you're on the lighter end of the scale as to seriousness of disease.

Oh, and if you go ahead and book your Norway trip now, when would you be making the trip? And what would you be planning on seeing? Any chance you'd come up to my part of the country and do a ride to H*** and back?