My Colonoscopy at 41....a bit early but never too late.

My Loves

 THE SWEET LIFE

I don't play around with my health.  I take it very seriously.  I think I'm more serious than the doctors most times.  I want to talk about the sweet life and what it means to me, why I decided to write this blog and more.  The "Decorated" tag line is more than furniture, antiques or collectibles, it's all the ways your life feels and is complete and wonderful.  It starts with being healthy, inside and out.

All my life I've waited to feel "whole" and satisfied and the photo above taken over the weekend in North Beach, Maryland shows a happy family. We are that. We aren't a happy family all the time. We don't always have sweet moments.  We argue, we disagree, we feel sad at times but we always make up for it but recently my health has been under fire.

When I lived in New York with new babies at home, I rarely saw specialists, never thinking I'd need to see a Gastroenterologist.  I went to my yearly physical with the local doc in town and crossed all the t's and dotted all the i's.  I was fine, a little stressed being away from family and close friends, raising my daughters in a small town in upper New York state.  I did what I could; exercised, tried to eat more veggies and lean meats, but never quite going at it 100%.  I ate my girls' left overs most times and retired with a glass of red wine at the end of a long day.  

Most doctors were a half hour away in another town and most times these appointments would interfere with our daughters nap times or otherwise growing schedule.  It just seemed overwhelming to me, all of it; it could wait I said to myself.

Now just shy of 41 and back in my hometown and close to fantastic medical facilities (I gave birth to my girls 5 minutes away at the hospital here in Maryland!) I'm more aware of my medical needs and the special parts that need attention.

After the stress of moving and finally settling in this year, I felt just not right that's all I can sum it up to, not sweet, just "off".  I was experiencing major tummy troubles, some symptoms not nearly as evident as before: trouble going to the bathroom, infrequent bm's, and pain going to the potty (I still call it that).  Not good.  The bloating and gas becoming more frequent and persistent and extremely noticeable.  One nice walk with my family in the mountains in Virginia led to another nice family asking me "what was I having....a boy or another girl?"  I was devastated by that comment, not that I wouldn't want to have another child because I would but the question was innocent and I did look five months pregnant-she was very curious to ask me-I just wasn't pregnant, I was experiencing major gas!  I wasn't comfortable and it didn't seem to pass with anti-gas medication.  I needed to make some major changes.  

How could this continue I asked myself?  Why would I continue to suffer these inexplicable symptoms and be okay with it?  I now was clearly not okay with it and it was time to head to the tummy trouble doctor. You see I wanna be around for my family, my life line, my soul mates, my loves in the photo above.  Would a Colonoscopy be necessary and the right thing to do?  I'd find out.  Can I have a female doctor please..................

After my consult with the physicians assistant and discussing my experiences and symptoms with her, we both decided it was the right path.  To check for polyps would be a plus.  With the colonoscopy scheduled for tomorrow at 1 pm, I'm a little nervous but hopeful they don't find anything; a preventive exam and most of my 40,000 mile check up completed. Ahhhh........

Let the cleansing begin.................I've got frozen fruit bars and chicken broth to get me through the day before the procedure.  I'll be back on Tuesday of this week with the final results.  

A side note: one of my two favorite actresses and humanitarian, Audrey Hepburn died at the age of 63 I believe her age was when she passed of colon cancer, leaving this world much too soon.  She loved her two boys and gardening and being at home with her children and dogs like I do.  This procedure is a must have.  I wanna be around and very healthy for a long time.  Let's get on with it.

With her son.

Timeless.