And speaking of genetics, it freaks me out that my mom had colon cancer at such a young age. The general guideline to begin cancer screening is 50 years old UNLESS you have a family history. Then, you are supposed to start screening 10 years before your immediate relative was diagnosed. I don't remember very clearly, but mom died at 45 years old, and I believe she was diagnosed stage 4, three years previous to that, but she was having bowel issues and problems about 2-3 years before that (when the doctors dismissed her and told her to change her lifestyle, that it was all stress). So that would make her approx 39-40 years old, I believe, when she had symptoms. So, as paranoid as I am, I told the doctors I thought mom was diagnosed at 37, so I pushed to get a colonoscopy at 27 (two years ago). Everything was clear. I want to get one every 2 years and there's about a 6 month wait for screen tests, so I am going to go to the doctor for my 6 month referral this coming month.
To talk about colonoscopies--they are not as bad as they seem. The worst part was not being bare assed in front of about 2 nurses and a doctor. The worst part was the laxative you are required to take beforehand to completely clean your bowel, and the diarrhea that ensues. First off, the laxative I took last time was disgusting tasting. It was very difficult to get down. Then everything is timed by how long you have to do this, how much you have to drink, when exactly you have to stop eating, when you can and can't eat, etc. It's a process that lasts 24 hours and it's not very pleasant. The procedure itself was actually very nice! They give you a medication to induce a twilight and perhaps amnesia--I can't remember (haha)--so you're awake and can respond to questions, but nothing hurts, you're kind of out of it, there's no embarrassment because you don't really care, and afterwards, you don't really remember every detail. I remember being wheeled into the procedure room, meeting the nurses and doctor, seeing the screen, laying on my side having my gown lifted up, nothing, and then I was in recovery and I couldn't sleep. The nurses came in and told me to relax, just sleep a bit, but I couldn't. I was very curious still with everything going on as I was in the middle of my schooling and I wanted to absorb everything. I was really out of it, and remember bits and pieces of the day, but what I mostly remember was it was a very mundane thing to have to go through, as far as procedures go. So if you're over 50 or you have a familial history of colon cancer, please get checked! It's really no big deal at all! I also don't believe it's embarrassing to take charge of your health. Sure something will be venturing up your rear end, but those doctors and nurses are professionals, do it every day so it's nothing to them. They're desensitized to the embarrassment of butt cheek. Don't worry. Take charge of your health!
Meals
1 whole grain bun
2 slices deli meat (one ham, one chicken)
1 slice of swiss cheese
1/2 cup of spinach
1/2 cup tomato and pickle
1 tbsp olive oil Tuscan Italian Dressing
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of strawberries
2 cups of water
1 bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios
1 cup of skim milk
3 cups of water
1 multi grain bun
4 oz pulled beef with approx 1/5 bottle of BBQ sauce
2 cups of roast vegetables (l/o)
2 cups of water
Exercise
45 minutes of interval hill treadmill
30 minutes lower body machines
20 minutes stretching
Notes:
-The diet* was decent today. The BBQ pulled beef sandwich for dinner was delicious! I made it without a recipe--trial and error--since I've never made it before, just concerned with in tasting good. Next time I'll cut the BBQ sauce in half because it really didn't need it all. It was really good though!
-Wow, how my muscles hurt! This week I've increased many of my weights, and I can really feel it in my legs. Even with all the stretching, although I no longer feeling like jello, I'm stiff. Throughout my whole workout, I felt the muscle fatigue, even after resting the 48 hours. It was difficult to get a good stretch at first, but by the end I could tell my muscles loosened up. I'll just have to make sure to take it easy tomorrow after 4 huge workout days. Maybe just an hour of cardio or something, depending on how I feel.
*I use diet in the traditional meaning of the word. I take pride in not cheapening my new lifestyle by calling it a "diet" as I plan this to be my life, not some temporary "fix".
diet /di·et/ (di´it) the customary amount and kind of food and drink taken by a person from day to day. (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/diet)
