If you're going to be your insides looked at - this is the way to go!!! :)

Hi everyone

Hope you are all well.  I thought i'd blog about my experience on Wednesday when I went in for a colonscopy and gastrophy...

I had this done by a fantastic doctor called Dr Wayne Friedman of whom I would recommend to anyone who has to have these procedures done.My anaesthetist was Joel... (sorry forgot his last name) and again - highly recommended.  Very good looking and a hot bod as well!  Didn't mind going off to sleep looking at him I can tell you! LOL!

I was a little nervous having never had either procedure before but the preparation for the colonscopy was the worst!!  My God I didn't think it was humanly possible to go to the loo so many times in a space of a couple of hours!!! 

My poor little botty didn't know what had happened to it!!!  However the stuff they give you to take is VERY effective and as such I was totally cleaned out (so to speak) by the following morning - the day of the procedure.

I had this done at the Glen Iris Private Hospital (even though I have no private insurance) as that is where the Doctor operates and it needed to be done asap.  I was pleasantly surprised at the hospital's charge too - only $400 - which compared to other hospitals I've been to lately is extremely reasonable.

Have to say the Hospital is very flash (relatively new), staff great and everything was handled very professionally.  Good to know if I have to have further procedures (which they're thinking I might have to...:( ).

Anyway I was wheeled into theatre and to my embarassment I had to move my legs up to a fetal position, I suppose so they could do what they had to down that end (but I ensured I was COVERED!!) whilst the poor anaesthetist tried to find a vein! 

What a joke...I could see him almost thinking out loud - Geez where the hell are they? so i joked away with him telling him I was known at Box Hill Hospital as the patient with the worst EVER veins they had come across!  I think that made him feel a bit better and before I knew it he was in - on the most awkward part of the hand....right on the top of your thumb joint where you wrist starts!  Ouch!  Very uncomfortable but tolerable.  After about 6 goes I didn't care where he was going to put it!

Then I had to have what I could describe as a type of mouth guard (with a large hole in it) in my mouth - this was going to be used in the gastrophy.  Again, bit awkward but not at all painful.

Then it was off to sleep and next thing I'm stirring in recovery.

Well again have to say recovery was VERY nice...once you were able to get up off the trolley, you sat in a beautiful recliner (discretely lined with a kylie sheet) and laid back as you were brought anything you liked for drinks and some sandwiches/biscuits to eat.  Each patient had a music system behind them that piped lovely soft music.  A nice way to wake up.

I was quite unsteady for some time as apparently they did sedate me heavier than usual as they had to do a throat dilation.  I did wake up with a terrible sore throat - the other end was fine I'm happy to report!

Because I have this rare skin condition (known as EB or referred to as Cotton Wool Syndrome) one of the many delightful (I jest!) symtoms is what's called "strictures" (or pieces of muscle/skin) growing across the inside of your throat which restricts swallowing alot and makes you choke on the smallest piece of food if not chewed properly enough. 

I find it's affecting me by struggling to take tablets and eating things like meat, CC's or Cornchips and other bits and pieces.

So what they did was when they had the tube down to check out my stomach they blew it up (or dilated it) so it stretched the throat and then removed the extra piece of skin/muscle.

I wasn't expecting this so it was no wonder I woke up with a sore throat!

I'm still sore now (and that was done on Weds) but it's getting better each day.

I had some biopsy's taken of the colon but the Doctor seemed to be pretty pleased with how it looked so that was encouraging.  They also took some of the stomach as I've had such trouble with both since finishing chemo they needed to make sure nothing else was going on.

So now I'm just waiting for the results which I'm sure will be fine.

In the meantime I'm preparing for the BCNA Community Liaison training for next week which I'm very excited about.  My work has been fantastic and allowed me to take a full week off so I could recover from this procedure and attend the training.

I may be able to blog from the training - I'm not sure but I shall return afterward to tell everyone about it.

Until then I wish you all positive thoughts and best of health.

Luv Helen