What's in Your wineglass tonight?

When 5 o'clock hits and it's time to cook dinner, I love to have a glass of wine. Tonight, 5pm hit and instead this is in my wineglass:

NuLYTELY^® with Flavor Packs is indicated for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy. NuLYTELY provides effective and fast cleansing of the gastrointestinal tract and is specially formulated for better taste.

YUM! but the 4 flavors are NOT Riesling, Merlot, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir :(

I will be having a colonoscopy tomorrow (yes, I know it's scheduled for Friday the 13th and I almost changed it about 5 times). Having a parent, sibling or child that is diagnosed with colon cancer before the age of 60 puts you at higher risk so my GP scheduled me for one.

Info from the Colon Cancer Alliance:

The most common symptom of colorectal cancer is no symptom at all. Nonetheless, individuals should pay attention to the symptoms of colorectal cancer. When experiencing these symptoms, understand that you are diagnosing a condition and no longer screening. Insist on getting a colonoscopy.

The following symptoms might indicate colorectal cancer:

• a change in bowel habits
• diarrhea or constipation
• narrower than normal stools
• unexplained weight loss
• constant tiredness
• blood in the stool
• feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
• abdominal discomfort: gas, bloating, fullness, cramps
• unexplained anemia
• vomiting

If you experience any of these symptoms for more than a few days, talk to your doctor about them to determine the cause.

As I've spent time on some of the websites and listservs, I've read stories of MANY 25-45 year olds that had some of these symptoms but the doctors told them repeatedly that they were too young to worry about it being cancer - that it was just hemorrhoids or something (and of course it was a later stage cancer by the time they got someone to listen). So insist on being taken seriously if you have these symptoms or think something is wrong.

Here's Dave Barry's take on the procedure:
http://www.miamiherald.com/dave_barry/story/427603.html


Okey-dokey...I think the medicine is about to kick in so I'll be signing off for now!