Tmi on WT8P's Notes to Self

Colonoscopy II

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 03:43:00 +0000

Because I had a polyp last time, I was due for a followup at 5- instead of 10-years. Today that happened. no polyps, am now on a 10-year follow-up..

Most of what I wrote up in 2017 is identical, so I’ll just note the differences I want to be aware of next time I need to know. Nearing the 2/3rds mark.

Preparation:

I was pretty organized about the process, timing my grocery run to reduce the temptation of having fiber-foods around the house. The GoLytely (mineral salts that make you poop) documents were pretty thorough, but I found it helpful to write specific days in the margin.
An interesting addendum to the instructions provided by the doctor was a note that anyone coming into the procedure high, stoned or drunk would be automatically rescheduled. I assume this has problematic interactions with the sedatives. It is interesting that it occurs frequently enough that they feel it worth mentioning.
I intentionally tapered back on fiber a day earlier than necessary to make the purge phase easier. That worked, but midway, I was having serious fiber cravings. For breakfast and dinner, I stuck to Greek vanilla yogurt and jarred peaches leftover from my pandemic stash. Lunch was Boar’s Head chicken slices and provolone cheese. For dessert, rice pudding.
Next time, I should ask to get the prescription stuff (GoLytley, ondansetron, simethicone) in earlier so I don’t stress out about it.
Ice and Crystal Lite lemonade mix helped the solution go down.
The IV added used a plastic hose, which meant I could bend my arm. I did not realize this until the doctor presented me with consent forms to sign and he mentioned this.
The nasal oxygen cannula was placed underneath my K95 mask, which I kept on all the time.
As per last time, i received 100 mcg of fentanyl(IVP) and 5 mg of versed (also IVP). The clinic notes had a nicely formatted table listing precision down to the second:

This stuff works quickly!

Colonoscopy

Fri, 16 Jun 2017 06:29:49 +0000

You are standing in an open field west of a white house, with a boarded front door. There is a small mailbox here.

It wasn’t that bad.

(These are notes are mostly for myself for next time.)

Beware of shark

**T – 10+ days: Pick up The Kit. **The kit is a 4L container with GoLytley powder, a flavor packet, and a prescription ondansetron, an anti-nausea drug that I would cherish later. Out of pocket costs for this: $2.31. A nurse called to check that I’d done this, reviewed the information packet, and had arranged for someone to take me home on the day of the event. She proceeded to ask me a bunch of odd questions about pacemakers and other stuff that didn’t apply, then asked if I had any questions. I could hear a sigh when I responded in the affirmative…

Cholecystectomy – gallbladder removal

Mon, 17 Dec 2012 08:36:43 +0000

I had my gallbladder out Thursday. I’m gonna cut back on the bacon, maybe, but am feeling better.

Exactly 365 days after my kidney stone, I was again experiencing similar symptoms. I assumed it was one of the tiny calcite terror pre-stones in the inner part of my left kidney. Kidney stones suck, but for subsequent attacks (in my case), they are not reason to seek medical attention. I took the horse-pill (800mg) of ibuprofen and stayed up all night as my body purged both ends of the digestive tract (including the horse-pill, sigh) to relieve pressure. By 5am, the worst symptoms had abated.

Ganglioneuroma: Rarest and most benign

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:08:11 +0000

Despite scant information on ganglioneuromas (many just repackaging the NIH blurb in a different style sheet), I wasn’t losing sleep while waiting for the pathology report. However, it was still great to get the official phone call confirming it was, in fact, the most benign of -omas. Because this sort of thing is pretty rare, no fewer than four pathologists were involved in “Dude, check this out.” Hey, I would have done the same.

It’s done

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 17:22:37 +0000

Finally had surgery for the thing. Here’s a recap of the last few days.

Day before (1/11):

8:30 – last solid food. Though it was slightly tempting to have a celebratory Twinkie, I opted for steel cut oats and bananas. Going without food the rest of the day was a lot easier than I thought it would be as I was permitted “clear liquids” like black tea, Gatorade and all the tap water I wanted.

That’s no moon…

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:26:19 +0000

During last month’s Stone Concert, the CT scan showed two unexpected somethings.

Dramatic reenactment: The noisy TIE fighter? It is the least of your worries.

I went into my primary care physician ask what, if anything, I should do about them. Because I’m generally feeling fine, the gallstone can be ignored. (Update: Until next year.) I will probably have to cut back on the butter fried bacon twinkies smothered in bacon, wrapped between a pair of glazed donuts, sprinkled with Oreo bits, and surrounded by a moat of heavy whipped cream. (I really have never had such a thing, nor would I really want one. I have my bacon-limits.)

Insert your getting stoned joke here

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 01:02:35 +0000

I’ve gotten into a nice groove where my daughters’ evening dance classes have provided an excellent excuse for me to bike to work. If I leave my car at the park & ride, I’m only 2 blocks away from where I need to pick them up. I get to bike (versus a commute of similar duration), my spouse saves 40 minutes of driving, and the kids get their Nutcracker fix for the season. Everybody wins.

Snap, Crackle and Pop

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

As I’ve aged, evidence of my lost cat-like stealth comes in the form of various snapping, crackling and popping noises I make when I walk. They’re freakish sounds, though I have no pain associated with it. In fact, it actually feels good when I stretch at night.

The most common popping noises people have are associated with knuckle cracking. (… which I don’t do.) Knuckle joints look like the diagram to the right: two bones contact at their cartilage. Cartilage is surrounded by synovial fluid — a soluble lubricant. All of this is surrounded by a joint capsule.

Get versus 529 redux

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:50:15 +0000

In April of ought six, I pondered two options for saving for my kids’ college: the 529-plan I have and Washingon State’s 529 program, Guaranteed Education Tuition (“GET“). At the time, I concluded my existing 529 would have a better expected return because the expected returns over my relatively short investment horizon (10 years) would not be enough to offset the better expected return, but 20% front-end load of the GET.

2008 in review

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:54:00 +0000

**1Q 2008:**Travel to Reno (NV), Vancouver (BC), Portland (OR).

Rode (most of) SIR 200k March brevet – So close to finishing.

Had my first forty-something physical. Tried volunteering at a local school. Learned that dried spaghetti, when bent enough, will break in at least three places.

2Q 2008: Travel to: Pendleton (OR), Richland (WA)

Rode the Century Ride of the Centuries, camped at Moran State Park (WA).

Made tape art chrysalis for April Fool’s Day. Tossed out all my obsolete media. Had all of my lower fillings replaced with Folger’s Crystals.

Physical

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:43:32 +0000

In anticipation of my physical, and partly to assuage fears that the post-big four-oh one would entail uncomfortable things, I sleuthed around for things on what to expect, thinking. Clearly I’ve been watching too many episodes of House.

The American Academy of Family Physicians1 has six classifications for their recommendations of common “clinical preventive services:”

SR – Strongly recommended: there’s a net gain, it’s cost effective. Vaccines top the list: MMR[4] (despite the anti-vaccination lunacy), tetanus booster, and diptheria/pertussis. Blood pressure is always/easily checked. Since I’m over 35, they want to check lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides). Anticipating this, I fasted prior to the appointment. It’s logistically unfortunate they don’t do the tests and process the results before the doctor visit, because I would like the option of asking what the numbers mean.
R – Recommended: moderate benefit or moderate evidence. There were a lot of these. Rather than sifting through the conditionals (e.g., “for women over 65 years of age”), it was easier to consult the male[2]- or female[2]-specific charts.
NR – No recommendation: there are only four of these in the 15 page list. The only one I’d heard of was screening for chlamydia in pregnant women over 26 years old.
RA – Recommended against. I wasn’t entirely surprised they recommend against taking beta-carotene supplements. However, one that did turn my head was the recommendation against routine screening for testicular cancer[6], especially with the Lance Armstrong awareness campaigns[5].
I – Insufficient evidence to make a recommendation either way. This was one area I was surprised: prostate[7] and skin cancer[8] screening fall into this category.
HB – Healthy behavior that’s desirable, but a physician’s advice and counseling might not effective. For example, physical activity is recognized as beneficial.

Like the physical I had a few years go, this was easy:

What advice would you give your younger self?

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:25:14 +0000

  [](http://www.basicinstructions.net)

  Scott Meyer’s [Basic Instructions](http://www.basicinstructions.net/)

Elizabeth poses two questions:

What would you tell your younger self?

It was initially tempting to inventory specific sources of pain and failure and undo those. However, the more I thought about it, the more I believe these were learning experiences that helped me later in life. For example, signing a contract with Bally’s was a costly mistake (especially trying to get out of it in 1990), but I’m more acutely aware of ways salespeople may take creative liberties with reality. I have walked away if the person was overtly lying or seemed shady.

Year in Review

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:09:58 +0000

1Q 2007: Traveled to: Reno, Trondheim, San Diego. Ride: RACMOD with John, Claire and David.

Did the polar bear plunge. Blizzard. Turned forty (my “permanent record” didn’t come back to haunt me, though it occasionally taunts me). Finished knitting my scarf. Pleased that Woodstock has joined and is enjoying 43things.

2Q 2007: Traveled to: Pendleton and Portland. Rides: Century Ride of the Centuries, Wenatchee Apple Century

Finally bought a new bike. My KitchenAid broke, was fixed, then was tricked out. Assisted in a science project. Enjoyed an afternoon with Kiri. Met Scout and Jarrett. 3Q 2007: Traveled to: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Atlanta, Tucson and Phoenix. Rides: RAPSODY, Tour de Whidbey

NNWM: unusual ways my character might die

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 06:30:14 +0000

Drown in a barrel of feral, plastic monkeys
- Unnecessarily provoke a “Code Elmo” alert with the Portage Security Association — they’re much like our TSA, but with better accents and 20% more common sense
- Contract a fatal infection from the paper cut he got while licking the envelope on a strongly-worded letter to the editor
- Pranksters paint his head like a soccer ball and bury him neck deep in a grassy field frequented by Beckham wannabees.
- As a commissioned sales representative for an Armour and Weapons Emporium scandalized by cheap, Saxon knock-offs, discovers the fury of knights returning from failed quests because the Rope of Hercules can be tugged apart by a gradeschool student; the Shield of Invulnerability catches fire when the battery used to power the blinking marketing bling lights overheats; or the Sword of Cutting doesn’t, because its blade is serrated. (First two ideas courtesy of Kiri.)
- While selling “libido enhancement pills” made from dried amphibian parts and graham crackers, he spams the wrong, ill-tempered Wizard with Email ID.
- A freak accident with microwave popcorn
- Didn’t read all eighteen pages of the privacy agreement, consented to being fed to squirrels.
- Went swimming ten minutes after eating Thanksgiving pizza
- Ran with scissors, shoes tied together

What else am I missing?

NaNoWriMo: Twisted Tales and Corporate lunacy

Fri, 15 Sep 2006 07:23:23 +0000

I will be participating in — and completing — NaNoWriMo the month after next. This year, I have two themes in mind. With your help, either one could amass enough ideas to blow out 50,000 words.

Fairy tales from different perspectives and venues. For example, suppose the “Three Little Pigs” was related by an eyewitness being interviewed by a television field reporter. The story might initially be reported as “an arson,” but as the news evolves, so does the story. Another example would be setting “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” on a reality-based TV show. I’m thinking in the spirit of PBS’ “Frontier House.” Of course, each character will make an appearance in the “confessional” booth.

GET versus MOST – 529 plans

Sun, 02 Apr 2006 05:20:55 +0000

(See my update on this topic.)

We have a 529K college savings program set up for my kids through the State of Missouri program administered by TIAA-CREF, soon-to-be Vanguard. Its investment options are turnkey bundles based on age ranges. In the initial years, the investment selection is aggressive. As college-time nears, the portfolio’s mix shifts from stocks to bonds.

The program’s return has varied. From 2000 through 2003, it did poorly, like everything else I owned. The last two years have been very strong, negating those losses and then some. Overall, I’d estimate its average return has been about 6.5% over the period we’ve had it. While not bad for a retirment portfolio (especially during that time period), it is less than college tuition. I really need a way to invest into “tuition futures.”

Schedule chicken

Tue, 22 Jun 2004 13:33:24 +0000

What is the game of “Chicken?” In the movies, two hooligans with something to prove settle their differences by racing their cars towards each other. The first one to turn away, averting certain collision, is the “chicken” and loses face among his cohorts. The other player, referred to as the “winner,” gets bragging rights and the fickle heroine.

If no one turns — which is a theoretical possibility, but in practice, never happens in the movies (dramatic license and all that) — the game is officially a draw. A rematch is unlikely, but both participants are automatically entered as co-nominees for the Darwin Awards.

A sales parable

Tue, 25 May 2004 08:23:39 +0000

(for maximum humor value, mouse-over the dashed lines.) Long ago, before the mists of the dot com era wafted down upon the masses, I worked at a company that made

bananas. I traveled to a customer site with Tim, the company’s top salesman to observe his crafitness.

After we met with the Zookeeper and Primate Custodian, Tim went through the familiar sales spiel, highlighting the importance of bananas: high in potassium, a good source of energy while cycling, and in fashionable yellow. He was about to segue into the specific differentiators our bananas had, when the Zookeeper (the decision maker) asked the question: “Can your bananas be used to kill someone?“

Pummeling the deceased equine: Ted is human

Fri, 19 Mar 2004 06:47:58 +0000

To trim expenses, I consolidated my web and email providers this week. My web provider has been good to work with, but the virtual dedicated server is much more than I need (and can afford) right now. The email provider’s been somewhat disappointing, but the account had been prepaid through Wednesday.

While I was waiting for the DNS entries to propagate, I noticed someone had sent a trackback ping to the Soy Ginger Mayo recipe on the old site. Twice.