A flexible sigmoidoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible endoscope is used to screen the large intestine up to the last part of the colon. A camera is inserted to look for the symptoms of several diseases such as irritable bowl syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and other colorectal disorders. Four days ago, I underwent this procedure.
For the past six months, I’ve been having some gastrointestinal problems – weird pain, constipation, and other things I won’t even go into. What was minor indigestion had become searing abdominal pain that I had no choice but to get checked out. After a few appointments, my physician decided that the best plan of action was the flexible sigmoidoscopy.
Needless to say, I was a little nervous; aside from the discomfort and the inherent possibility that the surgeon could botch the whole thing, what if something is really wrong? I had two whole weeks to worry about the deadly possibilities and diseases that might be playing hide and seek in my body, but after the first few days, I just decided not to think about the bad stuff. The most important thing was for me to find out what was making me sick and to get it treated.
The doctor instructed me to drink a bottle of magnesium citrate and take two dulcolax tablets at 6 p.m. the night before the procedure to “clean me out.” Let’s just say 15 hours later, I was cleaned out. I've never felt so emptied.
I arrived for the 10:30 a.m. appointment on time, and two hours later, the whole thing was over. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it’d be. Biopsies were done, the results of which I’ll know in three days.
Too often fear allows us to be inactive when it comes to our bodies. It is okay to be afraid; life is fragile. But it can be preserved and the only way to do that is through knowledge and action.