Not Looking Forward To Having My Behind Checked Out

I'm scheduled for my first colonoscopy tomorrow, and I'll admit I'm a bit nervous.

If you're over 50, the American Cancer Society recommends you should have this procedure every 10 years. It simply reduces one's risk of getting and dying from colon cancer.

From all the research I've done, it's not the actual colonoscopy that is the hard part. The patient is sedated quite nicely for that. It's the preparation the day before that is difficult, and that's my peril at the moment.

NO solid food for at least 24 in advance. Drinking a glass of water every hour until bedtime. That is, if you even can go to bed, what with running to the bathroom every ten minutes or so.

You're supposed to take laxatives in pill form early in the afternoon, and then a concoction of more laxatives in liquid form a few hours after that, all in hopes of cleaning out that bad boy so the docs can get a good glimpse at any potential issues.

I have to keep reminding myself it's well worth the trouble, and in fact it is. According to the American Cancer Society, Colon Cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined in the US.

Short term sacrifice for long term gain. Plus I'll probably lose some weight.