Day 97 Long Run before Roto Router Day!

Day 97, Monday - June 8th, Ran 6 miles/ Miles so far 153/ Miles to go: 147

Got up early this morning to take Taka to the airport for his return to New York. I was so glad that I could use the HOV Lane on IH 635 (also known as LBJ Freeway) as the traffic was really bad at rush hour. There is the phenomenon about highway names in Dallas. It seems that most of them have more than one name and so people get really confused who do not live here. Natives tend to call them by person names, like "Take LBJ to the Central Expressway Exit then south to Woodall Rogers" When the road sides will say IH 635 and State Hghy 75, etc. We name all the main roads after someone but then street signs usually just have the highway number. Glad I am a native is all I have to say, although they are building or widening so many roads, especially toll roads, that I fall victim to this same phenomenon when I travel to a new area of the MetroPlex. I think they should sell naming rights to the roads instead of naming them after dead people. That would at least help pay for the confusion! But then, no one really has asked for are cares about my opinion on that issue I suspect.

After dropping Taka off, I went straight to the gym at school. I wanted to get my run in because I knew I would not be able to run tomorrow, Wednesday. This is because I had to have a "procedure" i.e. what I call the "Roto Router" done...a colonoscopy and if you don't know what that is you are lucky....google it if you want more info. I have this done every 5 years since my Dad had colon cancer and detecting it early is the best way to beat it should I follow in his hospital slippers.

Fortunately they put you completely asleep and you really don't remember a thing about the procedure. That is the good news. The bad news is that the day before you have to have a total cleanse. They make you drink only clear liquids and take laxatives then drink about 64 onces of yucky fiber stuff, mixed in lime gatorade which then lets you travel about every 10 minutes or so for several hours back and forth to the bathroom. So much for a good night's sleep.

My procedure called for me to be there at 6:30 in the morning. Upon arrival the admission nurse was sickeningly sweet. I am sure she gets tired of saying the same thing every day over and over but she acted like she was a pre-school teacher and I was 3 years old. "Mr. Camp, let's go over our papers." (Just as an aside, don't you hate it when medical people use the plural "we" when it is really about "me"? These are my papers, my body that is about to be pricked and poked!) She continued "I will mark all the places that you need to initial or sign to make it easy for you. You don't have to go over all this unless you want to....it is a lot I know. This page just says that if anything goes wrong we told you it might so you wont' sue us and in fact you agree that if anything goes wrong it is your fault...." Well, she did not actually say those things about not suing, but she did tell me where to sign and mark it and honestly, I did not see a single patient read any of the consents or disclaimers, etc. After completing the 7 pages of materials, I was called to the back where they gave me heated socks and a blankie...nice. Another nurse came and got me to sign more of my life away with more papers for the anesthesiologist who would put me to sleep.

After that, I was stick for the IV, wheeled into the procedure room and, after greeting the pleasant young "put me to sleep" doctor and the older pleasant "I saw you 5 years ago" doctor, whom I am sure did not remember me from Adam, I was put under and woke up an hour or so later to a box of berry juice followed by an ice cold real with sugar coke that tasted fantastic! Gym Rat took me to his apartment, since I was not allowed to drive, where I took a long nap. The release papers told me I could not make any important decisions that day either. As I write this blog, I am about to teach my class. I suspect I will be a little more spacey than usual but this too shall pass. Oh...and the good news? Clean bill of health with the admonition to eat more fiber! Life is Good!