Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 10

The party’s over and the anticipation proved to be much worse than the actual event. I got to the hospital at noon, not wanting to proceed with the blessed event but I did. After waiting for 30 minutes and listening to Red Green talk about GPS (“It’s a $500 excuse for men to not ask for directions.”) on TV and I was led into another room, asked a few questions and give a couple of gowns to put on (“The first one opens at the back, the second one opens at the front.”). I was led to a bed and hooked up to an IV. The nurses said the doctor I had was the best and that the preparation for the procedure was the worst - meaning, the oral purgative I had taken last night and this morning. “That wasn’t so bad" I thought but still refused to believe them that was the worst part of it all.

I was wheeled into the hallway and waited for 10 minutes before being wheeled into “Endo 1.” The doctor was there as well as a nurse and a pre-med student, looking very young and reminding me of someone I used to work with. “You should try this,” I thought to myself, “in order to get the full experience.”

I was still nervous. I was rolled on to my side, given a light sedative - enough to relax me but not enough to put me to sleep, and watched the TV monitor as the little camera began it’s journey to the centre of my body. It wasn’t distasteful or offputting - more like something that would show up on Discovery Channel. Lots of wet, brownish coloured tunnels. Nothing unusual. A little uncomfortable but certainly not painful.

Fifteen minutes later it was all finished and I was wheeled back in to the first room to recover.

The results indicated no polyps or anything else unusual but recommended returning when I’m 50 (I’ll be 50 someday?). I’m glad it’s all over.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 9

10:00 AM 196 pounds.

Finally! I’m starting to drop some weight.

The time creeps by so slowly.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 8

8:30 AM 198 pounds

I no longer feel hungry but I definitely lack energy. I feel tired and lethargic and want to sleep. Perhaps it is because I didn't get too great a sleep last night but I think that was more a result of the hot weather than any internal workings. Now I’’m just nervous and waiting for the day to pass by.

Is it still called poop if it comes out like pee?

No, says my wife. It’’s called elimination.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 7

6:15 AM 199 pounds.

I thought I’d be losing weight with this process. Certainly it feels that there’s not much left inside.

I took my second dose of Pico-Salax, my oral purgative. It doesn’t taste as good as the last one, probably because now I associate the taste with repeated sittings on the toilet. I’m off to the hospital at noon for the really fun stuff - the stuff I'm not looking forward to. Really, they should just knock me out when I get there and wake me up to go home. Sigh. Six hours of waiting followed by 3 hours of activity. I’m nervous.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 6

Well, it didn’t taste too bad. A little bubbly and frothy when I made it and a litte chalky but the amount was small enough and the taste benigh enough for me to be able to down it quickly. “Expect bowel movements to happen anytime after taking the medication,” read the instructions. There was a little gurgling in the stomach as it went down but nothing else . . . yet.

8:00 PM Still 200 pounds.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 5

4:45 PM 200 pounds.

What's going on here? I thought I was supposed to lose weight with this adventure.

Oh well. The real fun starts tonight with the first dose of the “oral purgative.” Supposedly it tastes good - that's what the adminstrative staff at the doctor’s office said. But then, she never actually tried it.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 4

Still hungry, still grumpy, but the feelings have settled down. Polished off another cup of Jell-O and about 750 ml of grape and peach juice. I’m starting to get sick of it. Another 24 hours before it's all done.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 3

"Lunch" consisted of 2 cups of chicken broth and a cup of lime Jell-O. I can't wait ’til supper.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 2

I'm hungry - and grumpy.

Of course, saying things to others before I have really thought them through doesn't help either and now I’m feeling like an idiot. I'd feel better if I could eat something substantial but it’s a clear fluids day today.

It's not even lunchtime.

Gastro-Intestinal Fun Part 1

Okay - so this doesn’t make good breakfast time reading.

I am on what can be seen as a cleansing or a super-fast weight loss program in preparation for a colonoscopy on Tuesday. Not really of my choosing, mind you - I can imagine better things to do - but I'd rather be safe and know and deal with any deep dark nasty surprises now while they can be managed rather than later when they might not be so pliable.

So, today - no solid foods, only liquids (and no red or purple ones at that). My breakfast consisted of a half glass of pulp-free orange juice and several glasses of apple juice. My lunch is to be chicken broth and green jello. The apple juice I had brought to work is already gone because I'm already feeling hungry. Perhaps I should warn my co-workers that, if I seem irritable, it's because of this diet.

7:00 AM 198 pounds. I hope to come out this as light as a feather at the very least.

Half Marathon Training #3

Three weeks of training and I’m atill at it, in spite of hot weather. Yesterday morning I went out, hoping to do my weekly long run. It was sunny and hot and the temperature was around 27°C and climbing. I thought that I could do it anyway, having run 10 km in similar temperatures. But it was hotter, sunnier and more humid and I lasted about 5 km. I had to walk back, thinking all the way “How am I ever going to complete 21 km, let alone train for it in this weather?”

This morning I woke up and checked the temperature - a pleasant 15°C. I’m not a morning runner, preferring instead to go in the evenings, but I thought I’d better take advantage of the situation. So off I went, plodding along slowly at first since I always take a bit to get going, even in the morning. In the end I managed to run 12 km, my longest distance so far this year. Not my fastest time - I had a few walking breaks - and not anywhere near 21 km but it’s getting there.

Pre-Strike Posting #10

It's official now - no strike this time around. OPSEU finally announced the results of the contract votes - 3 days after it happened (why so long?). Now there will be no strike for at least 4 more years. Thank God.

N 45° 02.592 W 078° 30.206

Geocaching in Haliburton

Coaching 8 year old girls

I was asked to coach soccer tonight for my daughter’s team as the usual coach had conflicting duties. I’ve coached soccer before, a few years ago, but the players were 5 and 6 years old. At that age coaching is essentially getting the kids pointed in the right direction and having them pay some attention to the ball. Eight year old girls, I've learned are much different.

Many eight year old girls seem to be surprisingly sure of themselves and aren't afraid to share their knowledge. This is the case on the soccer field as well. "We don't do it that way," they say. "He’s not our coach. The coach wouldn’t do that," and other confidence-building statements.

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself: These are just 8 year old girls. You just need to show them who’s boss - or something along those lines. To which I'd respond: These are 8 year old girls. Try living with one of them. It's like having a third parent in the house.

In short - the coaching experience wasn’t quite as enjoyable as it once was. Still, the Palisades Laser Hair Removal team in the U8 Girls category is still undefeated, even under my short watch.

Joy in Life?

Lately I have been feeling at loose ends about work, life, etc. and wondering what it is that I truly enjoy. Sadly, I feel that there is not much that I get excited about, that I truly enjoy. Family, of course, and being with them, together on a trip is one such thing but it's something that can't always happen.

Last night I received a call from someone with the Haliburton Sculpture Forest (no - I did not do those maps), asking me to complete some maps for them. It's a small job that was put out to tender. Nothing unusual on the mapping side. But when I got off the telephone I felt excited and happy. This is one of the things that brings joy in my life - a new cartography job for a new client.

Joy from work - perhaps there's too much guilt in my life. Do I have trouble enjoying things that are not "productive?" In the back of my mind are my parents words accusing me when I was younger of being lazy. Not lazy, perhaps, just unmotivated because I hadn't found what interested me yet.

Half Marathon Training #2

Week two is drawing near and end and the training is going well. Long run on Sundays (mine was this past Saturday with the 10 k run in hot weather - see previous post), with short runs on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. I joined the Running Room group on Wednesday and Thursday for 3 or 4 km runs and these were completed with ease. Mind you, it helps that the weather is cooler.

I see, once again, that so much of it is psychological. Not only must you force yourself onward and believe that you can do it, you must always be thinking about it all the time - which almost daily running gets you to do. I never wanted to become so obsessive about what I do but I also want to accomplish a larger, challenging task. And so this summer I will be a runner.

Church of the Run

I went to the Running Room's weekly Wednesday night run club last night for the first time. My half-marathon clinic was running together, a short 3.8 km run. Other groups were there as well. In total there were about 50 or 60 people milling about the store. The store owner got up on a step ladder and made a few announcements and told everyone what was happening that evening. And then we were off on our run, together at first, but by the last kilometre I was off on my own, a few people way ahead of me and most of the group behind me. So much for experiencing the enjoyment of running with others.

The run club also operates on Sunday mornings where participants can go out for longer runs. An internet survey by the Globe and Mail indicates that less than 20% of people attend religious services regularly. I guess some of the 80% who don't go to church end up here.

10k in 29C

I ran the 10k Classic put on by the Peterborough Road Runners' Club last evening. The temperature at starting time was 29C, down from the day's high of 31.4. The run was hot and challenging but I finished it in 60:50, good enough for 33rd place out of 63 participants. Not the speediest of the bunch but considering the hilly course and the hot weather, it was an okay time for me.

Pre-Strike Posting #8

Good news!! Looks like the union and management have come to a tentative agreement. The details, posted on the OPSEU website, seem to indicate a better package than what was offered initially. I can't see how this would be rejected by the membership and I think it is safe to say that the deal will be accepted. That's a relief. I'm glad this game of brinksmanship is over.

The masters of happy-sad are back at it

How do they do it? Coldplay is back with another album (do they still call them albums or am I showing my age?). I don't think there has ever been another pop/rock group that has given me goosebumps on my skin, just from listening to them. These guys are good, really good.

Half Marathon Training #1

I went to my first Half Marathon training clinic tonight at the Running Room. A little educational session about clothing and shoes. Apparently shoes are to be replaced every 500 km. My current shoes are 300 km old or so and, after the half marathon training is finished, we will have run 500 km. I can see that this running thing is not a cheap endeavour.

The talk was followed by a 3.28 km run- not too fast, fairly easy, even in this humid weather, but I still couldn't help wondering how I was going to run the 10 km race on Saturday when the weather is to be virtually the same.

The training schedule recommends 4 to 5 outings per week. I currently do 3 or 4. Most of the outings are short at this point in the training - 3 or 4 km - so it shouldn't be too much of a challenge. But I can see that the important runs are on Sundays (long runs) and Wednesdays (hill training). I will have to readjust my schedule accordingly.

Half Marathon

Well, I signed up for a half marathon clinic at the Running Room, with the hopes of running the Prince Edward County Half Marathon in the beginnning of October (check their site out - another example of bad web design). I am currently up to 11.5 km so sometimes (when I'm not running) it doesn't seem like a stretch to complete 21.1 km.

There is a 10 km race that I'll be participating in this coming Saturday. I ran in it last year and finished with a time of 59:15 - not quite competitive, considering the winning time was 35 minutes or so. Mind you, last year by the time the race rolled around I had not yet run 10 km. This year I feel more prepared.