Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. (Arthur Conan Doyle, through his character, “Sherlock Holmes.”)
Some things have been eliminated, so other things must be true. Right?
Some topics are harder, more personal, and ever so slightly uncomfortable to talk about. (Or to write about; either is true!) Being sick is both depressing and disheartening. And not being able to identify a clear cause for being sick contributes to the depressing and disheartening feelings. Not knowing whether it will be safe to be away from a bathroom can put a real damper on the day’s activities. I finally said, “Enough’s enough,” and saw my doctor, which led to another doctor appointment, which led to…
On April 24th, I had a colonoscopy. I’m a little too young for the standard screening, but multiple issues without explanation or clear causation landed me in the gastroenterologist’s office, which led to the colonoscopy.
Overall, the results of the scope were good. I’m cancer free and there are no signs of either colitis or Chron’s.
On the other hand, the scope provided no good answers for my ongoing gut issues, which is why I’m going to have food allergy testing next week. I’ve already eliminated wheat and other gluten grains from my diet, and I’ve eliminated whole-kernel corn (and popcorn) and most processed corn as well. I may find out that there are other things to which I’m allergic, and those may be the cause of the issues. Waiting can be very difficult!
On the other, other hand…one of the polyps removed last week was precancerous. They take about 10 years to actually develop into cancer, and it means I’ll need to go back in 5 years for another screening instead of waiting a decade. I would also be happier without some of the post-scope issues I’ve had.
Cancer is a scary word. Colon cancer kills about fifty thousand people a year. The risks of developing it are about 1 out of 22 for men and 1 out of 24 for women. That doesn’t seem like much until it’s staring you in the face.
I’ve already survived one cancer, and I’ve been grateful ever since that I had no chemo and no radiation. Hearing the doctor say one of the polyps was precancerous made my heart stop for a moment.
I wish I had better answers, however, at the same time, I wonder if my body wasn’t trying to get my attention. “There might be a problem here; please get it figured out.”
Listen to your body. Whether it’s your intestinal tract, your lungs, your heart, whatever it may be, listen to your body. Get screened. Whether you wait until the recommended age or have issues that send you in earlier, get screened. It could save your life.