Preventative Maintenance

You know, we stress preventative maintenance on our cars to keep our investment running longer and more efficiently.  But, do we stress preventative maintenance on ourselves?  It's a lot easier to catch problems early and take care of them than to wait until it becomes a chronic problem that dominates your life.

Honestly, I have done a half-assed job of keeping up with my health over the years.  I go to the dentist every 6 months.  I get a check up every 5 or so years. And I got my mammograms. Other than that, I tend to stay away from the doctor's office.

This is the year I turn 50.  In anticipation of this momentous occasion, and my decision to have at least 60 more very productive years in my life, I have decided that it is time to start taking my health seriously.  To this end, I had a colonoscopy today.  (end---hahahah---- yeah, I'm still a little loopy from the drugs!)

The prep was not as bad as I was expecting.  My Doctor gave specific instructions on when to stop eating things.  High fiber foods- raw fruits and veggies, nuts, etc, were to be pulled out 4 days before.
Three days before, I stopped eating beef.  Two days before, I ate as light as I could.  Well cooked veggies, tuna, salmon.  And then came the fun of the clear liquid diet yesterday.  I won't lie, I was hungry and grumpy and headachey most of the day.  I powered through by remembering my Mom's surgery.  I swear, I can still close my eyes and see the wound and the damage caused by a colon that had ruptured due to colon cancer.  

Funny thing is, the colon cleanse was pretty darn easy.  I have problems with gluten.  BIG problems with gluten.  Honest to goodness, the colon cleanse was more gentle than what happens if I happen to have something with gluten in it.

Today was simple.  Went in, changed into a gown, laid down on a bed.  Rolled on my side, chatted it up with a nurse, and then went out like a light.  Woke up 30 minutes later.

I did have polyps.  3 of them were removed.  One of them was big.  1.5 cm. 
That big one?  It was in the EXACT SAME SPOT as my mother's tumor.

That polyp would have sat there, slowly growing for years, unknown by me until the only options were ugly, life changing options.

The peace of mind I have this evening is unbelievable.  There was something that could have been a problem, and now it's gone.  Granted, I have to go back in 3 years, but I will gladly go back, knowing that the procedure is easier than getting a root canal.  (Yeah, there's a joke there, too...)

Colon cancer is one of the most treatable cancers, if it is caught early.  I'd like to hope that the polyp wasn't cancerous.  If it was - hey - it was caught when it was small.  And it's gone. 

So, I'm asking you - what kind of preventative health measures have you taken for yourself lately?

This is the only body you've got.  You need to take care of what you have!