Bum-Cam

Something that I'm sure I've stated in a blog post at some point is that there are no taboo subjects on this blog (consider yourself warned).  In keeping with that point I'd like to share with you dear reader, my take on colonoscopies.  The ins and outs if you will.  Why?  Because I'm linking up with Kirsty over at My Home Truths for her I must confess... linkup and today's topic is medical confessions.

Some background.  And sorry if it's a bit 'heavy', but it is what it is.  Both of my maternal grandparents died of bowel cancer when I was in my early twenties.  When I was in my early thirties, my mum had part of her bowel removed due to the same thing - she's now 70 and going strong.  Then in my mid thirties, my (then 32 year old) sister had surgery for the same thing - she'll be 45 this year and is the picture of health.  Despite genetic testing not showing any markers, that's three generations of bowel cancer.  So colonoscopies are now de rigueur in my family and as such are talked about (and joked about) quite openly.

Anyhoo back to my confession.  I went for my first colonoscopy almost 12 years ago at the age of 36.  For those not in the know, this is a day procedure in hospital and involves a general anaesthetic.  Now I hadn't had a general anaesthetic since having my tonsils removed at age 6 and had no idea what to expect.  I was worried that the anaesthetic would make me say/behave inappropriately as I came out of it.  It was a thought that was on my mind and worrying me as I came to in recovery.  The following is the lovely Wayne's recollection of the exchange that happened in the (full) recovery ward between myself and a very patient nurse...

Nurse:  Hi Gary, how are you?

Me:  I'm good, I'd really love a good fart though (they 'inflate' you to make it easier to shove a camera up your arse do the colonoscopy)

Nurse:  Go ahead, you'll feel better.  Would you like something to eat?

Me:  Yes please (see, manners)

The nurse arrives with a sandwich and a cuppa.

Me:  (thinking I'm speaking quietly) I haven't said or done anything embarrassing coming out of the anaesthetic have I?

Nurse:  The anaesthetic won't make you say or do anything you wouldn't normally do.

Me:  Oh shit.  I probably told the surgeon to fuck off then.

Nurse:  (laughing) I'm sure you didn't.

I should also point out that the waiting room for family members was adjacent to the recovery ward and the lovely Wayne later told me that every word I said could be clearly heard from said waiting room.  And I was talking VERY LOUDLY apparently.  When I was finally allowed to leave (in the care of the lovely Wayne) I was then trying to direct traffic in the hospital carpark.  This is another of those occasions when my family refer to the lovely Wayne as "Poor Wayne".  This is also why the lovely Wayne gets nervous when I go for my three yearly visits.  So there you have my medical confession - that I was a right pain in the arse when I went for my first bum-cam experience.

Lastly, a tip for you if having a colonoscopy.  The worst part of a colonoscopy is the 'clean out' the afternoon before.  You get to drink a little potion the day before.  Many visits to the 'throne room' ensue.  Due to the number and nature of visits one's 'freckle' can get a bit raw.  My tip is to pop a dab of Am-o-Lin cream on after each visit.  This will ensure that following day when you're ready for my close-up Mr DeMille, your 'freckle' doesn't look and feel like someone's thrown a bucket of hydrochloric acid over it.  You're welcome.

G. xx

The impatient patient

I've been out of action for the last few weeks as I had to have a little op that has resulted in me taking things very slowly whilst I recuperate.  And I'm doing just fine too.  I should also confess that I'm not known for being the most patient of souls at the best of times, so you can imagine just how patient I've been as a patient!

You know how opposites attract, right?  Well that's kinda how it is here.  The lovely Wayne is very patient (well with me anyway) and has looked after this here patient very very well since I came home almost two weeks ago.  There have been a couple of days where I have needed a dose of reality - you know, those days where you feel a little sorry for yourself.  Well he has been very patient and understanding and has just ignored that.  He truly is a gem and I reckon I'm a very lucky guy.  These past couple of weeks have made me thankful for a couple of things...

1. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the lovely Wayne is my rock.  Thanks handsome, you are my world and you go out of your way to make sure I feel like the centre of your world - love you long time. xx
2. In the scheme of things, my op and recovery are but a blip on the radar.  I've given myself a stern talking to during this time and told myself to drink a cup of concrete and harden the fug up.  True story!

The lovely Wayne - he's kinda awesome in my book!

What did I learn from this?  I have to confess that I'm an impatient patient!

Do you think opposites attract (are you and your significant other opposites)?

Are you an impatient patient?

What are your tips for learning how to be a little more patient (asking for a friend)?

I'm linking up (a little late) with Kirsty at My Home Truths for her weekly I must confess... linkup.  You should too, confession is sooo liberating you know!

G. xx

DonateLife Week 2014

This week is DonateLife Week (23 Feb to 2 March).  DonateLife Week is Australia's national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation.

 

Organ and tissue donation saves lives.   One donor can transform the lives of up to 10 people and significantly improve the lives of many more.  People of any age regardless of gender, ethnicity or religion can one day need a life-transforming or life-saving transplant.   Around 1,500 people are on Australian organ transplant waiting lists at any one time.

 

This time last year I blogged about a lady (the friend of a friend) who had just received a double lung transplant.  Like I said back then, I only 'know' Camille via my friend Carly and via social media, which is how I've been privy to her transplant journey.  Camille recently celebrated the one year anniversary of receiving her new lungs - her lungiversary!  During that time she has gone from relying on others and on oxygen, to now spending time with her active young nephews, riding her bike, going for long walks, walking her dog, travelling, working, and recently playing her first game of (her much loved) basketball in many years.

 

Camille trampolining with one of her nephews
11 months after her double lung transplant.

 

Remember this is Camille's story, I'm just a very privileged onlooker who has witnessed (from afar) the amazing difference organ donation has made to her life.  I encourage you can read about and see the difference to Camille's life in her own words here.

 

The majority of Australians are both willing to become organ and tissue donors and know that family confirmation is required for donation to take place.  To optimise every potential organ and tissue donor, every Australian family needs to ask and know their loved ones' donation decisions.  Although three in four Australians have discussed the subject with family members, only 53% of people know their loved ones' donation decisions.  Importantly, 96% of those who do know their loved ones' donation decision say they would uphold their decision.

 

So please have the chat this week with your friends and family - how good would it be for everyone on the Australian organ transplant waiting list to experience what Camille has?

 

I'll leave the final words in this post to Camille.  When I contacted Camille to ask if I could write about her and reference her blog and photos, her reply included this sentence...

 

If everyone could only see what a difference it can make - not only saving a life, but being able to begin again with a brand new life!

 

Kinda sums it up really.  Thanks Camille, and Happy Lungiversary!

 

G. xx

 

 

Notes:

1. Camille has kindly allowed me to share her story. 
2. This is NOT a sponsored post however it IS a subject that I am passionate about.

 

Stop the stigma

It is a sad fact that bullying and mental illness only ever get a showing in the media when something dreadful happens.  When someone dies.  Surely I’m not the only person who thinks that’s kinda fucked up wrong.  Bullying and mental illness shouldn’t only be trotted out when someone dies as a result of them.  They need to be discussed openly and people educated about them on a regular basis.

 

I’ve previously touched on being bullied when I was younger and the effect that had on me.  Still has on me.  Yes, it still messes with me.  I still have dreadful bouts of depression and anxiety and have only recently acknowledged that sadly, it is here to stay.  I maybe a 6 foot 1, 47 year old man but I still have days where I think there is only one way out.  Thankfully they aren’t too regular and I can now recognise what they are and how to get myself through them.  The battle never truly goes away though.  There are days where I simply can’t function, when doing the morning routine (breakfast, shower, etc) is almost impossible, let alone leaving the house and negotiating traffic and work.  And life.  On the bad days I don’t make it to work and end up taking the day off with no pay.  No pay – because that is easier than confessing that I’m one of those people with a mental illness.  See, that there is the stigma that I’m talking about.

 

When we only highlight bullying and mental illness when people die, we feed the stigma that already exists.  As a society we should be destigmatising bullying and mental illness.  Without the stigma, maybe more people would seek and receive help, and hopefully not as many would die.  Education is the key so people start to understand the toll that bullying and mental illness can have.
 

EDIT: Speaking of education, I encourage you to read this blog post by a fellow blogger Sandra.  She has captured what is for me, the essence of depression (and is quite similar to how it affects me and many others).
 

I'm not looking for sympathy, just sharing my story and hopefully reducing the stigma associated with mental illness and bullying.

 

Lastly, please be kind to others, and spare a thought for victims of bullying and those with mental illness.  They don’t want your pity, they want your understanding.

 

G. xx

 

If you need to talk to someone, please contact Lifeline: 13 11 14.

Old, fat & lazy!

This afternoon the lovely Wayne and I had our annual check-up with our doctor.  Yes I'm aware that this is such an 'old people' kinda thing to do - the his and his check-up!  Thankfully all was well, however Dr P said that now that we are middle aged (puhlease!), we should both lose a little weight and increase our (nearly non existent) exercise.  He also said we should cut down on the booze and extravagant lifestyle!  Now I have been doing Weight Watchers as I've discussed previously but I haven't been sticking to it as rigorously of late.  Ok, I may have gained a little, but I'm still lighter than I was!

 

Anyhoo, as we were walking back to the car (see, exercise) I remarked to the lovely Wayne that Dr P had basically told us we were old, fat and lazy!  We were both agog for a minute at that realisation.  What did we do?  The only sensible thing of course, we jumped in the car and headed for a fave restaurant for a scrumptious meal washed down of course with a nice bottle of red!  Our new lives will start tomorrow I'm sure!

 

Image source

 

Any tips for turning over a new leaf peeps?

 

G. xx

 

PS - yes I am sitting here writing this post with a glass of wine at hand!

DonateLife Week 2013

First up let me say that this is not a sponsored post, it's a post about something dear to my heart.

 

A few months back I wrote a post that touched on organ donation.  Now although this is something that am in total support of, my only experience of it is what you see or read about in the media.  That has changed a little.  Let me tell you a little story about a friend of a friend.

 

My friend Carly has a friend (we'll call her CurlyPops) who has been waiting for a new set of lungs for a very long time.  Well an amazing thing happened to CurlyPops recently.  After many false starts, she received an early morning call telling her to get to the hospital because a new set of lungs were waiting for her.  CurlyPops has now had a double lung transplant and is on the long road back to good health.  Words can't express how thankful she is that a beautiful family somewhere had had the discussion, and at a time of immense personal grief gave the ultimate gift to a total stranger.  I've been very fortunate to be kept up to date on CurlyPops' progress by our mutual friend Carly.  I don't know CurlyPops but have felt the highs and lows of her journey so far.  Here's a few recent words from CurlyPops about the amazing gift of life she received.

 

Where am I going with this you ask.  This week is DonateLife Week.  DonateLife Week is Australia's national awareness week to promote organ and tissue donation. It is led by the Organ and Tissue Authority as part of the national DonateLife campaign and supported by community events and activities across Australia.

 

Did you know that as an organ and tissue donor, you could transform the lives of 10 or more people. But to make your wish count, we all need to discover the facts about organ and tissue donation and to register our decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register.

 

And to make every wish count, every Australian family needs to know each other’s wishes. This is because in Australia the family of every potential donor is always asked to confirm the donation wishes of their loved one before organ and/or tissue donation can proceed.

 

During DonateLife Week, Sunday 24 February – Sunday 3 March 2013, take some time to share your wish with your family and close friends, and ask them about their wishes.

 

For more information, visit www.donatelife.gov.au

G. xx

Health and donations

A few weeks ago I mentioned a routine visit to my doctor and how he wanted me to have all manner of tests undertaken (except a pregnancy test!) and would like me to lose some weight.  This week I had my follow-up visit with Doctor P to find out the results.  I have to say that I left feeling pretty darn pleased with myself, even if I had been a little nervous about obtaining the results.  It appears that although I could lose some weight, I am in fact the picture of good health - those were the good Doctor's exact words!  And to top that off, I've now lost 5 kilograms in 4 weeks!  So what does one do?  Goes out for dinner to celebrate of course undo all the good work!  I may have indulged in a rather decadent dessert and a decent quantity of wine too!

 

This got me thinking that my bodily organs are actually in okay condition.  On many occasions I've said to His Handsomeness that I wish to be an organ donor.  I've always added that as I wear glasses, drink, don't always eat completely healthy etc, that should the donor decision need to be made, there probably wouldn't be much that could be donated anyway.  Like I said, this has made me re-think this.  The result is that I'm keener than ever to be an organ donor now because I may actually have something recyclable.

Image source

Australia has a national organ donor register which you can read about here.  Note that I'm not trying to recruit, just sharing my new found awareness.  I know that this is after all, a very personal choice.

 

How do you feel about organ donation?  Feel free to share your thoughts on the subject of organ donation.  No judgements will be made, I'm just curious (ok, maybe a bit nosey too!).

G. xx