Yesterday was an "interesting day". It was where all the preparations for today's colonoscopy came together. I expected it to be a lot worse, but it was not that bad.

   One mad idea I had for yesterday was that I would go for a walk at lunchtime, and end up in The Jolly Farmers. Fortunately sanity prevailed. There were two reasons for sanity. One was that my low fibre diet was coming to the end, and from 1pm I would have to start fasting until after my colonoscopy today. Prior to 1pm I had two cheese rolls, and some ice ceam as my final top up. I expected to feel starving by the end of the day, but it was not that bad.

  The other good reason for not going out was that I was expecting a parcel delivery from Amazon. It actually arrived just before 1pm (and so I would have missed it if I had gone out). It contained my two new Spike Milligan books, and some Firewire connection leads. I used one of the Firewire leads to finally connect my new Firewire external hard drive to the Mac on the dining room table. It worked, but there were many things I wanted to do with it that I have yet to get around to.

  I spent almost the rest of yesterday resting - snoozing when I could, and passing more time reading from both book and PC. In the evening I watched TV, but before that I had one task to do. It was to make up my first dose of hospital strength laxative. It comes in powder form, and has to be dissolved in a pint (actually 500ml) of water. I did that before I needed it, and as recommended, I covered the glass it was in, and kept it in the fridge.


  The instructions said to take it at 7pm. Some suggested it would be foul tasting, but while it was not pleasant, it didn't seem to taste that bad to me. The big unknown was how long it would take to work, and whether it would have an explosive affect.

  It turned out that it was working in a bit under 2 hours, and it was not explosive. It was almost gentle - I have had far worse "laxatives" from the local kebab shop ! While gentle, it certainly worked, and must have emptied my digestive tract most thoroughly.....or maybe almost thoroughly. I think it is the second dose that does the real wash out, but as I write this I have only just started taking it.

  I made quite a few trips to the toilet yesterday evening. I am happy to say that none had any great urgency. I have experienced some sort of food poisoning in the past where you only get 60 seconds warning, and if it takes 62 seconds to get to the toilet.........yuck !

  Each time I needed the toilet I could just feel some mild pressure, and even then I usually needed to squeeze out whatever was due to be released. At first it was mostly solid, but then what I can only describe as "soupy". I never did get as far as what is often called "the rusty water" stage. That might happen this morning.

  One other bother would be whether I would be comfortable sleeping. Fortunately the answer as yes. It was mostly over by the time I went to bed, at some time after 11pm (I watched some extra TV last night). I had to get up to pee a few times, and I think one of those occasions I did have a small runny poo, but there was no urgency about it at all.

  As far as I can recall, I had a dreamless night, although I suspect I probably did have a dream or two. If they were in the last hours of sleep I would most probably have forgotten them because I had other things on my mind - mainly that at 6am I was due to take my second dose of "bowel cleanser". I am actually doing that now in big sips every minute or two. I think this is the one that will flush through my digestive tract, and produce mostly water. I am also drinking plain chilled water, and by the end I will have drunk about 2 pints of liquid in total. That sounds a lot until you put it into the perspective of drinking beer in a pub. That can easily be three pints, and on rare occasions even more.

  This morning I expected to have lost a lot of weight, but I seem to have gained 200gm. I suspect I am retaining some water because I did not eat much yesterday - just two cheese rolls for lunch, and instant noodles for breakfast. The lack of food is reflected in my blood glucose readings. The three readings were 5.4, 5.1 and 5,9mmol/l. Readings in the fives are rather rare for me, and so, up to a point, it is all very wonderful. The catch is that I can't eat again until after my colonoscopy, so almost 5pm today. By then my blood glucose may have fallen too far, and I would feel like I was drunk.
 
   The instructions I was given say to suck some glucose tablets. Which I would do if I had any. The best I can do is to drink a can or two of full sugar Coca Cola - which fortunately I have, and have had for maybe 10 years. I hope they still taste OK. If not then I guess I'll have to dissolve some sugar in water and drink that. I will be trying one can of Coke soon, and the other (or sugar water) I'll have a couple of hours before my colonoscopy - it says not to drink 2 hours before it.

  My plan for today is fairly simple. I need to leave here at about 2.45pm if I take a very slow walk to my 3.15pm appointment at the hospital. Prior to that I will wash my hair and have a shower. Before that I will just be very lazy, and mostly if I can snooze I will snooze. After the colonoscopy, which apart from the usual waiting time, should only take about 20 minutes, I will come home and have some sugary snacks to increase my possibly rather low blood glucose.

  Later on it is my intention to order a takeaway. I have to decide between a kebab (or kebabs plural !), or Pizza. At the moment I am thinking that may be it will be Pizza. One reason for Pizza is that it is easier to order excess and have the excess as a meal or snack, or even breakfast the day after - either cold, or warmed up. I could even do what Jodie is always doing - adding extra cheese before re-heating it.

  As I write this I may be getting some very mild hints that the second dose of "bowel cleanser" (aka laxative) is starting to work. Errr, it is ! Not yet running clear, but getting there. I can imagine quite a few more visits to the toilet in the next few hours.