Three Days of Limited Fun

This past weekend was a holiday weekend in the U.S. - it was Presidents' Day.  We had a three-day weekend at work, which was great.  Usually I would have a bazillion plans in my head, and do maybe two of them, but this time around something specific was happening:  this past Tuesday, I was scheduled for a colonoscopy.  Ugh.

Over the years, I have learned that prepping for this procedure is a slog for me.  Most people fast for a day, use the solution prescribed by the dr, have the procedure, end of story.  That was what I tried to do about the first four or five times, without success.  Apparently I am one of the few people who have an extremely long colon.**  Mind you, I can't win the lottery, but I can be one of the fewer than 2% of the population with an extra long colon.  Sigh.

What does this mean?  It means I get to fast for three days - two of them strictly liquids, and the first day I can have some breakfast.  To say this is unpleasant is making it a family friendly statement.

So on the one hand, I was lucky enough not to have to use an extra day off from work on Monday, since we were already off.  But it meant that it was a long weekend in more ways than one.  So in honor of Three on Thursday, I am sharing Three Days of Limited Fun.

Day 1:  I am allowed to eat breakfast on this day.  Ever since reading on Ellen's blog about some biscuits she had made, I wanted to try the recipe.  So I gave it a try.  My results were good but mixed, since I am not good at determining the thickness of dough - so some were not as "biscuit-y" as they should have been.  But it was my first try, and I'm calling it a success.  If you like biscuits, try this recipe - these are really really yummy!

So my baking success made me very happy on that day.

The first day is never too awful, since I've at least had something for breakfast.  And though I would have liked to have some dinner, missing it on that day did not make me overly miserable.  I think having the Olympics to occupy my time definitely helped.

Day 2:  OK, I woke up hungry for breakfast.  Or anything really.  I had a cup of tea and some jello and decided that reviewing and organizing my stash was way overdue, and that it would be an excellent activity for that day.  I try on a regular basis to do this, because I accumulate yarn in various ways other than by purchasing it myself.  A lot of people give me yarn that someone has given them or that they received when grandma or Aunt Tilly died or downsized to a nursing home.  I'm not a yarn snob, but a lot of it is just not stuff I'm that fond of, or the colors are ones I don't like.  Also, there are bits of yarn left from projects where I know I will never ever want to use the yarn again!  

Whenever I do this activity, there are also yarns that I have that I really like, but realize I'm never likely to use.  Those yarns get a one-time reprieve, but at the next go-round, if I haven't been inspired to use them, they go to the donate/give away pile.  

This time, I had a lot of things that I was not keeping.  Most of it I put into a box to take to Interim House for their Knitting Club.  I've donated yarn, magazines, needles, etc. here for years, and it always makes me happy because they are so incredibly happy to receive it.  The coordinator told me that it NEVER goes unused!  Then there are a few skeins I put aside to give away to certain people.  (If you decide to donate to Interim House, please let me know and I'll forward you the info for the knitting group coordinator.)

In any case, this activity took the better part of the day.  After which I was tired and hungry, and had a headache from not eating.  Let's just say the furniture even started to look tasty.

Day 3:  This is always the worst day.  I always wake up with a KILLER headache, and of course cannot take anything for it.  I'm grumpy, and tired, and miserable even more than just any given day.  I start to think even more than usual that everyone in the world should just DIE.  I have hardly any energy.  

The plan was to spend the day knitting, reading, and watching the Olympics or anything else that appealed at all.  I didn't do quite as much knitting or reading as I had wanted to do, due to my headache and difficulty concentrating.   The Tim had the day off, so we watched the Olympics and some shows we'd recorded.  Then in the evening, I had to start the prep for the next day's procedure.  The less said about that, the better.

So, I obviously survived and lived to tell the tale.  The procedure was successful (thank you GOD), and I don't have to do it again for three years (last time I only got a 2 year reprieve, so that extra year pleases me), and though I don't feel really great, I can at least eat and drink what and when I want to.  Fortunately, I drink a lot of liquids anyway, so it's not hard for me to do the prep liquids-wise.  It's everything else that makes me miserable!

I think I did pretty well this time around keeping myself occupied while fasting.  Even if I'm feeling hungry, when I have something to keep me busy, the distraction keeps me from focusing on wanting to eat.  

But it's not pretty all the same.  

Here's hoping that all of you reading only ever have average-sized colons ... ;-)

**The Tim says this is medical proof that I'm full of s**t.  He's a laff riot.