Tmi

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! ...

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… ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

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.) ...

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. ...

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. ...

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. ...

**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. ...