Cooper Digestive Health Institute

AKA “Donna goes for a Colonoscopy.”

At the end of August I was diagnosed with anemia. My red blood cell count was so low that I was close to needing a blood transfusion. Immediately, the doctor put me on iron supplements 325mg three times a day, which is equivalent to 1083% of the RDA.

My primary physician referred me to a hematologist. The iron supplements aided in increasing my red blood cell count, but the question as to why I became so anemic so quickly still remained.

The hematologist ordered a long list of blood tests. I found out that more tests equal a greater amount of blood drawn from my body.

One cause of unexplained anemia is a condition called Celiac Disease, which is a digestive disorder that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have Celiac Disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley.

I began thinking about all of the things I would have to stop eating...peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal, animal crackers, pizza, beer...beer! Without delay, I was online to see if gluten free beer exists, which it does, but I will admit it didn’t sound very appealing.

The good news is that I tested negative for the condition. The bad news was that we now needed to explore other avenues for the cause. Enter the Cooper Digestive Health Institute.

The way I understand it is that my anemia is the result of bleeding somewhere in my body and that my colon is the first place they need to check. The way they do this is by performing a colonoscopy.

If you don’t know what that is or if you kinda know what it is but not in much detail then I am about to do a great service for you.

About two weeks ago I was informed that the FDA recalled Fleet Phospho-Soda, the bowel prep I needed to take the day before my procedure. Apparently there are some serious side effects including destruction of the kidneys, but the nurse told me they had been using it forever and that I had the option of taking that or having something prescribed.

I decided to live life on the edge an opted out of the prescription. The day before my bowel prep party I could not find the product anywhere. It had been pulled from the shelves so that warning labels could be applied. Fortunately the on call doctor prescribed me something called HalfLytely.

The directions were fairly simple. Take two laxatives in the morning and then wait until you poop. Then, select the flavor packet of your choice (pineapple, line, orange or cherry) and add it to the container.

Fill the container with half a gallon of water and drink 8 ounces every ten minutes until the solution, which tastes like salt water, is gone. Ten minutes is just enough time to finish on the toilet before it’s time for the next glass. I spent the next several hours on the toilet.

The entire day I was only allowed to consume clear liquids and Jell-O. I polished off four boxes of Jell-O (8 cups) and two and a half boxes (10 cups) of chicken broth. Let me tell you, it didn’t do much for my appetite.

After midnight I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything, which wouldn’t have been bad if I had an appointment in the morning, but mine was not until 12:30 in the afternoon.

When I met the doctor she told me that the worst part was already behind me (no pun intended). She was right, although I wouldn’t classify having a stranger stick a camera up my ass while I’m unconscious as a completely comfortable experience. The nurse hooked me up to a heart rate monitor, oxygen and stuck an IV in my arm. I felt warm and fuzzy and then I woke up.

A few minutes later, the doctor appeared with lovely snapshots of my colon, which I took home as a souvenir.