MAR 2, 22 .. WRAPPING UP THIS FEBRUARY 2022 MAYO CLINIC VISIT

Today, Wednesday the 2nd of March 2022, is Ash Wednesday (The First Day of Lent)

Monday the 28th of February

Last Monday, the 28th of February, Patti and I drove (30 to 40 minutes) from the Northwest area of Phoenix, Arizona, South to Tempe, Arizona, to a new-to-us Mayo Clinic facility we didn’t even know existed.

Wow !!

The Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center

We (well I was) were thrilled to be patients at this Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine Center. I will be doing a post on blogspot showing photos of this facility.

Patti received two epidural steroid injections in her back to ease the nagging, almost constant back pain she has been experiencing for some years. Patti has had these epidural injections previously (dating back to 1996) with great results so we were optimistic these injections will also give her relief. This will be her first epidural injections since those she received on Tuesday, January the 28th, 2020, here at the Mayo Clinic.

And ?? At this writing, two days later..

Bottom Line : Patti is experiencing great, lower spinal relief from the epidural injections.

Tuesday the 1st of March.

This will finish what I started yesterday and I cut short because of really, agonizingly slow (to NO as I kept getting dropped) internet service here at our Motel 6.

This was my day-in-the-sun or my day-in-the-hot-seat.

This was not my first colonoscopy. It was far and away the most complicated, perplexing and dramatic one of them all. I was told that the pre-colonoscopy preparation was from 5 to 7 days. I (on my own) cut it down to three days, Saturday, Sunday and Monday with the procedure today on March the 1st. Yesterday I ate only four miniature servings of Lemon Lime Jello and drank only clear liquids all day as Patti and I were travelling down to Tempe, Arizona, and back for her epidural injections.  

What a ride my own experience was today. It took forty (40) minutes for the staff to prepare me for the procedure. They affixed various electrical patches to my upper body (like those you get with an EKG which they probably were, heart monitors). Inserted an I.V. drip into my lower wrist. I was visited by my about to become anesthesiologist. At which point Patti came into the preparation area and we held hands and visted. VERY NICE. My Doctor  then came in and I asked him about my diverticulitis telling him that it felt like it was progressively getting more and more bothersome and downright painful. With Patti as my witness, he was totally non commital saying he’d know more after the colonoscopy (which he himself performed). 

The time to rock-and-roll arrived. Patti was able to follow my every major movement on an electronic status update board.

So Patti knew that I went into the Operating Room at 12:06pm. The procedure began at 12:14pm. I was in the recovery area at 12:40pm.

What a hoot it was. Up until this experience, an anesthesiologist had always been advising me on his procedure. Always saying to me, “Please begin at 10 and count downward.” and kaa-boom the lights would go out and I would awaken after everything was over and done with.

I was asked by the staff to please roll over onto my left side. They positioned my legs just-so and with absolutely no warning whatsoever, I took a little, 1 or 2 minute nap waking up asking the staff when we were going to begin. I was quietly told that, “Cap the procedure is all finished.” The rascal (anesthesiologist) never ever hinted what he was up to!

Off and out (me in a wheel chair) to meet up with Patti (my driver today) about 1:30pm out in front of the building. The other rascal (My Doctor) never said word one about my (at least in my mind) worsening diverticulitis. I am happy to see how it goes for a month and will see him again when Patti has her next Barrett’s Esophagus procedure April the 8th.

Back to Lake Havasu City tomorrow!

Smiling and still chuckling ..

Cap and Patti

First thing we did was to stop at a Circle K to split a Froster icy drink. Then to Costco. Then home to our Motel 6. I was hungry. I hadn’t really eaten in three days. So I had a tuna lunch kit with crackers, a Lemon Lime Jello, some hummus, a food bar, a bowl of some Smart Food White Cheddar Cheese Popcorn, some peanut brittle and Gatorade.  Ahh, it felt so good to eat some solid food again!

• ← MAR 1, 22 .. FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH
• MAR 3, 22 .. ON THE ROAD .. PHOENIX, AZ .. NORTH TO LAKE HAVASU, AZ →