Hi there, hslib!
Don't be afraid of the colonoscopy. I was freaked out about it too, and put it off for years. BIG mistake! When my IBS got so bad I had no choice, I scheduled it as soon as I could so I could get it over with. It turned out to be the most PLEASANT experience ever! They give you drugs to knock you out, and they're the best drugs I've ever had! I had the best sleep, never felt a thing, and woke up feeling marvelous! I was flying high -- I hugged all the nurses and kissed my GI (EW, EW, EW!). The only bad thing about the whole colonoscopy experience is the day before, having to take all that laxative and sitting on the pot all day.
Colonoscopies are far better than sigmoidoscopies because (1) they knock you out, so you feel nothing, whereas with a sigmoidoscopy you're awake! and (2) they go all the way up the colon, not just the lower part (as with a sigmoidoscopy), so that if you should happen to have a polyp or something up high, they'll find it. With a sigmoidoscopy they wouldn't.
My GI requested one for himself because his father died of colon cancer. He was afraid he might have a polyp high up. It turned out he was right -- he did indeed have one! They removed it during the colonoscopy -- just a nice, easy snip snip.
Colonoscopies are recommended for all people over 50, and every five years thereafter. My girlfriend had one at 49 -- she had no IBS symptoms at all, no cramps, no diarrhea, nothing -- she just wanted her age-50-colon-checkup. And she said she'll have another at age 55, and again at 60. Like clockwork, just as we are "supposed" to do at our age.
You're not that old, I'm sure, but my point is that this is such an important thing to have done that we need to get over the fear of it. After my experience, I won't hesitate having it done in 5 more years.
About the weight. I have the opposite problem, I can't lose. But I love chocolate and the recipes here are too good, I can't resist them. To quote my regular doctor, "calories in, calories out." So, based on that theory, if you want to gain weight, make those "calories in" be more than what goes out. A good way to do that is with my chocolate banana frostie. Do you like chocolate? I just posted the recipe in the recipe board the other day. While it contains very little fat, it does contain a lot of calories. There's your "calories in," Girlfriend!
Good luck with those tests, and be sure to keep us posted.
Bev
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Colonoscopies and Calories
