Routine Procedure turned out to be not so routine......

It all started when I got a letter from my insurance company telling me it was time to get my very first colonoscopy. They also reminded me I didn't get my mammogram last year. Since Dad died from complications of GI disturbances (they removed his colon about 6 weeks before he died) I knew it would be important for me to get this screening.

I did the prep, which was not easy, if you ever have to take the multiple bottles of liquids they give you to clean out your colon, you'll know what I mean.....I am a huge drinker to begin with, not alcohol, but of all liquids, I don't discriminate, I love them all. So, two days before I started the prep, I worried I would dehydrate, so I drank glass after glass of water, juice, broth, and warm sugar free jello water. All to no avail. The first bottle of prep I took knocked me into the bed for 2 hours, my energy was completely knocked out of me. I laid down for 2 hours until Steve came home from work. Then I took the next bottle around 7pm. When it started to work, I felt dizzy and nauseous. The next morning I woke early to take the last prep, it was supposed to be at 6, but because we live so far from the hospital where the exam was to take place, I thought I better take it early, giving it a chance to be 'done' working by the time we had to hop in the car to drive the 35 minute drive to Jennie. When I took it, I laid back down on the bed, feeling dizzy and oh so weak. I got up to shower before we left, and ended up not only nauseous, but vomitting quite a bit. This left my knees weak and me dizzier and shakier.

When we arrived at the hospital the nurses were concerned that I was late, so I explained the reason. When the nurse was doing her intake questionnaire and initial physical assessment, she spend an inordinate amount of time taking my pulse peripherally (on my wrist) and also listening to my heart with her stethoscope. I thought that was very strange. She looked at me and told me she thought I should be taken to the exam room (where they do the procedures)stat to have the monitor hooked up just as a 'precaution'. Being a nurse, I began to wonder what was going on. Then the nurse anesthesist came to check the monitor. He told them I might be dehydrated, so give me a bolus of 500CC of fluid. They ran the fluid, but my heart continued to beat at 148-168-186 beats a minute. Next thing I knew, I was admitted to ICU, on a telemetry monitor, and seeing a cardiologist. LORD!!! They gave me a shot of IV Digoxin, my heart converted in about 10 minutes. I was kept overnight for observation, dismissed yesterday to home. Without any other issues. However, I will need an ECHO of my heart in the next week or two, probably before Steve and I go on our cruise to Hawaii.

Poor Steve was a basket case during the whole thing wondering if I was going to be OK. I was certain the prep made me deplete my potassium reserves, which caused the irregular heart rate, but it was a little concerning. However, I am OK today and good to go.

Steve and Isaac took off to the wooodcarving store to spend their holiday gift certificates. I have been left home with orders to not do anything, no cooking, cleaning, dusting, sweeping or vaccuuming. They never said I couldn't take the tree down, so I think I will.

I love photos of Isaac and Miss O: