If you’re in the Southern California area and need a colonscopy, may I recommend The Endoscopy Center in Encinitas with Dr. Seeger? Everyone there was incredible and super friendly! What I was afraid would be a painful experience wasn’t painful at all. And it was sooo easy. Truly the hardest thing is drinkin’ the bowel prep and enduring a few hours on the toilet.

Why did I need a colonoscopy at 40 years old? My colo-rectal surgeon sprung it on me: one is needed a year after a bowel resection; just to make sure everything is okay inside.

Okay, on with the findings: a small polyp was discovered inside my sigmoid colon and removed for biopsy. The rest of my guts looked great! Wanna see?

My favorite thing I learned from your colonoscopy? I still have my ileocecal valve! I thought that bad boy was removed during my bowel resection. Seems like I still have it, according to the photos! I’ll ask my colo-rectal surgeon when I see him. Yay! And I like that they could see, and photograph, the section where my guts were stapled together!

Thursday night’s bowel prep was…a lot. I thought I poo’d a lot for my November 2018 bowel resection? Oh my god…I poo’d 32 times. Thirty-two!

And Friday morning’s prep? I crapped 41 times! Including 20 minutes before the camera went up my bum! Apparently my rectum is competitive and had to beat the record from the night before. One day I’ll log the times, etc., but not today.

The plan? Wait for the biopsy results, discuss with my physician, and have another colonoscopy in five years!

A huge thanks to The Endoscopy Center crew for making my first colonoscopy wonderful: the receptionist, Tanya, the nurses (Elaine, Allison, and Lia), and Dr. Seeger. I wasn’t gassy or sore or bloated or anything I feared afterward. It was truly a pleasant experience (well, except for the prep ha!).

PS – if you’re ever afraid that you’ve still got some liquid-poo inside your guts and you’re going to just poo all over the staff during your colonoscopy, rest assured: they’ve got suction at the end of that li’l camera! It was my one big fear; and they alleviated it by explaining the suction! YAY!