1934 replies to this topic

[Matt R.]

The tool is a metre long and yes, he explained the part about blowing me up like a balloon. I’m on board with the meds, at least for the first go.

Had my colonoscopy last week and I was pretty impressed with the whole show.  The "drink" wasn't bad at all, tasted like fruit flavoured tums in water.  After the third cold litre of the stuff I was ready for a break.

 

I've never had more than a local anesthetic, never had an IV put in my arm that I'm aware of, so this experience was something new!  Arrived on time, check in was swift, warm gown, warm sheets on the bed, warm blanket on top of me and after fasting for 30 hours (and the rest...) and on four hours sleep I wad ready for a nap.  Waited in the ward for my turn, got into the decommissioned OR, started my meds (valium to start, followed up by some fentanyl and propofol) and that's pretty well the last thing I remember.  They asked if I wanted to be awake for the end of the procedure to watch on the screen, and I did.  Woke up to some twisting and turning and not much to see on the screen and then it was done.  

 

The team was verbally confirming everything with each other, perhaps there is a recording going for audit purposes and the doctor said he was using the "number nine" instrument and he leaned over and said to me "like that song, Love Potion Number Nine" to which I replied or like the Beatles song, "Number nine, number nine... " Zzzz...

 

I was conscious for the next half hour or so but do not remember any of it.  I had some water, got up and got dressed, got final instructions and results from the nurse, walked out to the car and drank an Americano and had a slice of quiche.  I did all this, but don't remember it at all.

Went home and ate and ate and ate.

One polyp removed, follow up call in a couple of weeks and nothing more for five more years.  FU cancer!

Edited by Matt R., 30 January 2022 - 05:25 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ TMI.

 

Any medical procedure starting from below the waist and above the knees should not be discussed here.  Thigh/femur surgery might be OK.

 

^ REMINDER.

[Barrrister]

Glad it went well. Think about  relaxed summer to come. Cheers

[AllseeingEye]

Had my colonoscopy last week and I was pretty impressed with the whole show.  The "drink" wasn't bad at all, tasted like fruit flavoured tums in water.  After the third cold litre of the stuff I was ready for a break.

 

I've never had more than a local anesthetic, never had an IV put in my arm that I'm aware of, so this experience was something new!  Arrived on time, check in was swift, warm gown, warm sheets on the bed, warm blanket on top of me and after fasting for 30 hours (and the rest...) and on four hours sleep I wad ready for a nap.  Waited in the ward for my turn, got into the decommissioned OR, started my meds (valium to start, followed up by some fentanyl and propofol) and that's pretty well the last thing I remember.  They asked if I wanted to be awake for the end of the procedure to watch on the screen, and I did.  Woke up to some twisting and turning and not much to see on the screen and then it was done.  

 

The team was verbally confirming everything with each other, perhaps there is a recording going for audit purposes and the doctor said he was using the "number nine" instrument and he leaned over and said to me "like that song, Love Potion Number Nine" to which I replied or like the Beatles song, "Number nine, number nine... " Zzzz...

 

I was conscious for the next half hour or so but do not remember any of it.  I had some water, got up and got dressed, got final instructions and results from the nurse, walked out to the car and drank an Americano and had a slice of quiche.  I did all this, but don't remember it at all.

Went home and ate and ate and ate.

One polyp removed, follow up call in a couple of weeks and nothing more for five more years.  FU cancer!

 

They must've changed the ingredients in that case, lol - I recall it tasting like a mixture of goat pee and chalk. Awful stuff. It was a far worse experience than the procedure itself. Geez, you've never had more than a local or an IV? Lucky you - you must be disgustingly healthy. I just finished dragging an IV around in my arm day and night for two weeks...

 

Good for you though for being proactive Matt. I know some guys - well into their 50's and one even beyond - who have never undergone it. IMO they are playing with fire, but.....ultimately.....its their choice. 

[Matt R.]

Glad it went well. Think about  relaxed summer to come. Cheers

 

I am hoping for a relaxed summer around 2028.

[Matt R.]

99.9% sure I picked up Covid when I had my colonoscopy. Tuesday was prep, so I was home, Wednesday hospital, Thursday at home all day, Friday work, Saturday symptoms and Sunday positive test. I was either contagious at the hospital or picked it up there.

Didn’t even occur to me that might be an issue, but after speaking to a variety of folks I was uniformly met with “duh, what did you think would happen”.

I told this story to 811, nobody cares. They didn’t even take my name or PHN.

Good thing I have paid sick days, lol.

[LJ]

Yeah, contact tracing was so 2021.

[Barrrister]

Remind me to not get sick. 

[AllseeingEye]

So five weeks, 3 visits to Emerg, seven days as an outpatient in the RJH infectious unit, three different antibiotics (none of which worked) and now one penicillin later the leg infection persists; I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. The condition is called cellulitis and take it from me it sucks monkey b***s.

 

The pain is like being continuously stabbed by needles all over from below the knee to the ankle, and one that doesn't heal or go away, and the visible infection in the picture also includes the area just below my knee and both the outside and entire back of my calf. Sleep has become like finding a unicorn, all but impossible. Even putting a single bed sheet over it causes excruciating pain so at night 'm forced to somehow elevate the leg to reduce pressure on it while positioning it such that no point of the infected skin is touching or covered by anything - sound impossible? You'd be correct, it is.

 

And throughout this I at least have access to my GP, unlike thousands of others, as well as the OPAT/infection folks at the hospital. I cannot imagine dealing with this - never mind a truly life threatening situation like cancer - without all that support. Staggering to think about having to go to a clinic and line up potentially for hours and perhaps for several days, before hopefully getting access to a doctor and then, if you're lucky, to the specialists. The system is itself in many respects on life support and government needs to act and quickly to fix it. I'm actually one of the lucky ones.....

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[Love the rock]

That looks screaming angry .I hope they figure out a solution soon for you and your family.

Hang in there .

[Matt R.]

Wow! That looks very painful. I am sorry you are going through this!

The man who delivered me was also my families doctor my entire life, up until he retired around 15 years ago. Tried to sell his practice, no takers. Tried to give it away, no takers. My life story is boxed up somewhere, and I can’t be arsed to get it. A few years ago, we had a young doctor move to salt spring and take a position at the health centre and we were lucky enough to get in.

Very few young people today will experience the kind of continuous care I had.

[Mike K.]

Yeah, who would have thought our family doctors would turn out to have been so special.

But hey, kids today think our system is the best in the world because Michael Moore said so.

ASE, hang in there. Is there any way for you to get down to Seattle?

[AllseeingEye]

Wow! That looks very painful. I am sorry you are going through this!

The man who delivered me was also my families doctor my entire life, up until he retired around 15 years ago. Tried to sell his practice, no takers. Tried to give it away, no takers. My life story is boxed up somewhere, and I can’t be arsed to get it. A few years ago, we had a young doctor move to salt spring and take a position at the health centre and we were lucky enough to get in.

Very few young people today will experience the kind of continuous care I had.

 

Yeah same here; I've had GP's continuously all my life since I was about 8. All two of them.

 

My sister who is 55 just found out her GP, who she has had since she was 19, is retiring in April and she is worried sick with all the horror stories lately about clinics closing and the lack of new blood replacing the retiring family doctors. I have the same concern although my guy claims he's still years away because he still has two daughters living at home, heh. That's his story, but OTOH I know he has to be all of 65 so that day is surely coming.

[spanky123]

Yeah, who would have thought our family doctors would turn out to have been so special.

 

The NDP have really botched things up. They force private clinics to close so that they can be replaced with UPCC's and then they can't staff the UPCCs properly.

 

Unfortunately there is no incentive to fix it as politicians and professional heathcare workers can get the treatment they need at any time.

[Mike K.]

Or work in the US for a very healthy salary, as we’re discovering our doctors are doing.

[spanky123]

Or work in the US for a very healthy salary, as we’re discovering our doctors are doing.

 

What is happening is that many GPs have figured out that they can work tele-health the hours and days they want and make far more money with less grief. Since they peel off all of the trivial work (ie prescriptions, referrals, notes, etc) that leaves the GPs working out of a clinic to deal with all of the complex care work without any increase in fees. A functional practice has to have a balance of work if all you get is a flat rate per patient.

 

Also what has happened with tele-health is that you have groups bombarding clients with messages to call if you have a headache, are feeling sad, or just want someone to talk to which is driving up healthcare costs.

[Barrrister]

Want to solve the GP problem? Pay them 20% more than they can make in the US. There are other things we can cut out like politicians pensions for a start.

[Mike K.]

What about nurses? Or medics?

If we want to pay American wages, or 20% above, we might need to go private.

[Barrrister]

Same thing with nurses and paramedics. If you need more of them then pay them better. 

[A Girl is No one]

How about we increase the number of graduates every year?
Sure there will be diminishing returns ie a greater proportion won’t make it to the end of the program but as we stand, a large chunk of the graduates just pack up and go to the us, or now work for US from here.