Colon Cleansing--really a good thing?

My colonoscopy went well. The procedure was completely painless. The anesthesiologist administered a lovely drug that resulted in my not even remembering being wheeled into the operating room much less being probed in such a delicate area.

So why does everyone dread having a colonoscopy? It’s because of the necessary preparation the day before the procedure. Having a squeaky clean colon is necessary for the scope to do its job, and that means spending the day in the bathroom after having drunk several disgusting liquids. Well, drinking yukky fluids wasn’t my only horror before the procedure.

The doctor’s office called and said he was sick and would not be able to do the procedure. Well, I had already drunk the first of two laxatives required and had already spent quite a lot of time in the bathroom, and in anticipation of all this I had also taken off several days of work.

Now, I know doctors are human, and I also know that they get sick, but I am quite sure I screamed bloody murder when the nurse told me. She immediately suggested that one of his colleagues do the procedure, and I immediately accepted. I had had no recommendation from a friend about the second doctor as I had with the first, and I wouldn’t have time to research if he’d ever killed anyone on the table. I just knew I couldn’t go through the preparation process again anytime soon, and I hadn’t even done the second go round of laxatives yet.

Well, the second doctor was fine though he did not come in after to discuss the results. The nurse did that. I thought it should have been the doctor. She told me everything was fine, and I did not have to another colonoscopy for 10 years. She did say that I had a couple of “non-bleeding diverticula”.

The prescription for them NOT turning into a problem is a high-fiber diet, something that will be easy to subscribe to as I love vegetables, but I found a few other suggestions on the list that I had not considered high fiber but are. I thought I’d share the ones that surprised me:

• Kidney beans 13 grams of fiber
• Baked beans 6 grams
• Raspberries 8 grams
• Papaya .8 grams
• Almonds 1.1 grams
• Bean sprouts 1.5 grams
• Canned corn 2.9 grams

Add those to the others you know including whole grain foods (bran cereals and multi-grain breads), root vegetables (carrots, turnips and potatoes), cabbage and dark, leafy greens, fresh fruits with their skin, and dried fruits (prunes, raisons and apricots), and you have the prescription for a large, soft, bulky stool that passes through the bowel easily and quickly, and the way to avoid digestive tract disorders.