In my relentless quest to get as many doctor’s appointments and procedures accomplished before everything shuts down again, I scheduled a Covid-19 test. The Covid-19 test was required before I could have my colonoscopy (scheduled for August 25). I chose the Covid-19 testing site at Sister’s Hospital in Buffalo because the tests are processed in the Hospital’s lab. Results are usually available in 24 hours. I expect my results to be negative since I rarely leave my house.
I debated over postponing my colonoscopy until 2021. But, in the end, I decided that since Western NY’s coronavirus rate is less than 1% right now, why delay? So Monday I’ll be drinking my Gatorade and Miralax to purge my digestive tract. Tuesday, I’m the first patient in for my colonoscopy (7 A.M). Then, a day of sleeping off Happy Drugs. How are you dealing with doctors and procedures during this pandemic? Are you going to get a Covid-19 test?
First of course I wish you good results, dear George!
Re the colonoscopy:
If I remember correctly, you’ve had it before so you know what to expect – Have fun!
I already had it twice. The first was more than 15 years ago but I don’t remember the reason, I only remember that for more than 24 hours I wasn’t allowed food and had to drink liters of horribly tasting stuff.
It really was a pain in the a** (pun intended)!
At least the results were ok.
The last time wasn’t so bad, they had different stuff to drink, tasted not bad, you just had to drink, drink, drink …
I still remember getting my sedation injections lying down and kind of dreaming. When I saw the nurse coming in I said: When do you start the procedure?
And she laughed: It was done 30 minutes ago, everything ok, in another 30 minutes you can leave …
PS:
A relative of mine was diagnosed this way with diverticulitis so he has to follow a strict diet – many of his favourite foods are forbidden …
Wolf, this will be my 5th colonoscopy. Maybe my last one if everything turns out okay. As you point out, the preparation for the colonoscopy is far worse than the actual procedure.
Wolf, I had the same thing. First time, yuck. Second time, no big deal. I mixed it with imitation Gatorade, I think.
Jeff, I get to pick the flavor of the Gatorade I use with the Mirolax (except no red or purple Gatorade). I’m going with Gatorade ZERO clear.
I’ve been to the doctor once since covid hit—a regular checkup with bloodwork a couple of days before the appointment. I’ve also been to the dentist for a regular checkup/cleaning. In all three cases, when I got to the facility, I stayed (masked) in my car and called the receptionist from my cell phone. A masked/suited person then came to my car to take my temperature and verify my information. At that point, I waited for a phone call telling me to enter the building and go to the appropriate location. Other than during the dental work, I was masked the whole time—and, other than one clerical staff member who was sitting in her own alcove, all medical personnel and other patients were masked.
I’m returning to work in the school system Monday. Students aren’t returning until after Labor Day, so I assume they’ll have filing or other busy work for us to do for the next two weeks. I’m expecting another huge wave of covid infections once students return. We seem to be living in the land of magical thinking where viruses don’t act like viruses. But, of course, covid doesn’t know that.
Good luck, Deb! Going back to school, plus one or two major storms heading your way this week! Stay safe.
We’ve only one storm (Laura) that should hit us hit us pretty hard, although the current track shows that storm headed straight for your driveway.
Classes start Monday here. Escambia County, across the Pensacola Bay from us, has less than half of their students signed up for in-person classes. Our county, Santa Rosa, has Over 90% of its students headed back to brick-and-mortar schools. Interesting times ahead for us.
Yep—we’re screwed!
Deb, as soon as I heard about that storm headed your way, I thought immediately of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjQgkHzbTk
Jerry, the public schools here are embroiled in controversy with the Administrations, teachers, and parents all on different pages. Meanwhile, the private schools (most Catholic) have rising enrollments since they pledge to have in-class education FIVE DAYS A WEEK! We’ll see how that works out.
Deb, our thoughts will be with you next week as you return to the school system. All our local colleges here have had students moving in all week long. How long will the colleges stay open? Not long if the experience of Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill are examples of what’s to come.
Did they tell you to bring your own cleaning supplies, Deb? I figure you’ll be scrubbing down walls and desks. No, that is black humor. But I agree on the Magical Thinking. Mayor DeBlasio seems to be operating in a fantasy world where schools can open here September 10 and “everything will be fine” (until it isn’t, I guess). He is just not giving teachers and parents enough SPECIFIC information (typical for him) about what they’ve done, precautions they’ve taken, what will happen when (not it) children start testing positive, etc.
What is the positivity rate there? New York has been under 1% positive for the last 14 days, but I’ve seen rates still in the 20%+ range in Florida and Arizona and Texas.
And George, Laura is followed (or possibly preceded) by (Not So Little) Marco!
Jeff, I’m glad we live in Western NY where no wildfires, hurricanes, tropical storms, or murder hornets attack us! I can deal with a little snow and cold.
Jeff, I wouldn’t trust the numbers reported in many states. I think the Trump Administration and many State Departments of Health are cooking the books.
I haven’t had a Covid-19 test yet but I have seen a couple of doctors since all this started, and Deb’s description of the process is probably pretty standard. I found it all a bit cloak-and-daggery, but these are the times we live in. Good luck with your colonoscopy. I’m not due for another one for 2-3 years. If anyone discovers a way to have one without that godawful prep they should be a shoe-in for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
Michael, actually there was a recent WALL STREET JOURNAL article on new cancer testing in the form of blood tests that would identify over 100 different cancers. That might doom the future of colonoscopies!
My COVID test a couple of weeks ago proved negative. It was fun having them scrape the bottom of my brain with a stick.
I’ve avoided doctors while self-isolating but Kitty has an appointment Monday for a recurring eye problem, and another next month for a different problem. My latest colonoscopy was last year and I came through with flying colors (but I won’t tell you what the colors were because you have a sorta family blog). The doctor told me I will not another, ever! Evidently he thinks that if I get colon cancer in the future, I’ll die before it kills me because I am older than dirt. That’s a great example of the power of not-quite positive thinking!
I have been in the hospital ER, in a PC office, in a dermatologist’s office, in a dentist office several times. And more to come. I felt safe enough but what do I know.
Patti, last week I met with my Ears/Nose/Throat specialist, went to a Sleep Clinic to schedule a Sleep Test that Medicare insists I take, and when to my Left Hand Specialist for a cortisone shot. Next week I hit the trifecta with my colonoscopy on Tuesday, my yearly eye exam with my ophthalmologist on Wednesday, and that Sleep Test next Saturday night. I’m trying get a lot accomplished before the Second Wave hits and everything shuts down again.
Mirolax – yum! Been there, done that. Actually, the last time was last year and it was Jackie’s turn for a colonoscopy. I had sailed through mine, but she got sick from the prep and I had to clean up the bathroom for once (usually, she is cleaning up after me).
Yes, I’ve had a Covid test – two of them in fact. I was scheduled for my laser prostate procedure on May 21, so three days in advance I went (myself, no visitors allowed) to Lutheran Hospital (now NYU-Langone, but everyone still calls it Lutheran), where I was having the procedure. They were very efficient (except for the woman with the extremely disturbed son who was wandering the hall outside the testing room, refusing to put on a mask). Next day I went on line, only to read that the virus was “Detected” in my test! WTF? Like George, we were not going ANYWHERE back then, except to the grocery. Jackie immediately went to our local CityMD for a test, which came back …negative! Double WTF? We’d been together 24/7 so something had to be wrong. The doctor pushed back my surgery – the hospital would not allow me in, even if it had been a false positive. He said two weeks, plus another two to be sure, so I was stuck until June 18. I went for a second Covid test the Monday before, and thankfully this time was negative.
Yes, they push the stick up your nose, but no, it does not feel like it is boring into your brain. It is no big deal.
Good luck.
Jeff, while I sail through colonoscopies, Diane has had Bad Results from anesthesia every time. The anesthesia knocks Diane out for two or three days. She’s told the anesthesiologist to reduce the amount, she’s taken anti-nausea drugs, and nothing has worked so far. Diane’s due for a colonoscopy in September but she’s thinking of postponing it until 2021.
We’ve been to the dentist – and then Jackie had to go to a second, much more crowded, dentist’s office to get a tooth extracted.
I’ve been to the urologist’s office half a dozen times since this started. They are usually empty or nearly so. They take your temperature when you enter the building downstairs and ask a few questions. The waiting room is big and spread out. Everyone is masked, and the receptionists have screens in front of them. The seats have “DO NOT SIT HERE” signs on every other chair. (This was actually amusing to me last time I was there, as a young woman was waiting for one of the doctors, and her “supportive” boyfriend sat on one of the signs! Moron.) Jackie went to have her ear wax cleaned out in the same building, same result.
Our regular doctor (I had to go before my procedure, Jackie last week) is a smaller, more crowded together place. After checking in, they made me sit downstairs in the lobby, where I was the only person in a huge room.
When we got home in March and I first had my problem, we went to CiityMD. There were plenty of people there, all masked, but I did NOT feel safe. (Of course, this was early and no one knew how easily it was spread.) They couldn’t help me and sent me to a different office in Sunset Park – smaller but less crowded, but we sat there for an hour, only to be told I had to go to the ER at Lutheran (several blocks downhill) and Jackie couldn’t come in. They made me feel MUCH more secure than the treat & release places, All Covid people went to a different entrance. There were few people waiting and we were kept separate, I was taken in quickly and the few hours I spent there were not too horrible.
I’m just hoping this is the end of it for us for a good long while.
In the end was that an intentional pun?
Ray, you caught my pun!
Reading this I feel really good – had to visit the hospital only once when the pandemic had just started because I “scratched” my arm badl and lost a lot of blood – my skin is really thin and since I take Xarelto and Amiodaron and … my blood flows like crazy if there’s the smallest wound.
My wife accompanied me to help with the language, but I had no problem – the doc spoke English.
The only check at the entrance was temperature and a thorough look at you …
PS:
The devastating forest fires in California are a hot topic here in the news – let’s hope for the best.
Wolf, while we have devastating wildfires in California and rampant coronavirus in many states, I’m concerned about the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Germany, France, and Spain. Is the Second Wave beginning???
George, I’m not sure re Germany.
There are some hotspots again – people partying on an Island in Croatia seems the reason.
But generally the number of new infections seems to be quite low.
Of course we’ll have to see how the situation in schols etc develops after the summer holidays.
But since my crystal abll is being repaired right now I actually have no idea – just hoping for the best.
PS:
I haven’t been too much In Germany this year, stayed with my partner in Hungary most of the time – moving house was the main reason.
And here I get mixed feelings. Almost evrybody wears a mask but for many it seems to be just pro forma, their nose id free or the mask even is just on the chin – if they generally treat the danger as kind of non existant or irrelevant, what will happen then?
An extreme example:
We have a lake nearby with veryshallow water and a lot of trees which is ideal for children to swim. Went there with our granddaughter a few times and it was so full with families, on the lawn as well as in the water – min distance being maybe less than half a meter.
So what would happen if one of the guests is a spreader? Especially since we know now that children often have no symptoms but can distribute the virus …
We both had eye exams and got new glasses. That’s it. My medical attitude during the pandemic is AVOID. I’m sorry, but I’m not going anywhere sick people might be. Wrestling with tech problems is enough stress, thanks.
Rick, I share your concerns. But, on the other hand, Western NY was shut down for about three months. Gyms and movie theaters are still closed. Diane and I decided we would try to fit in as many doctor’s appointments and procedures as we could before the Second Wave hits and shuts everything down again. Diane has a hair appointment on Monday and a dental cleaning appointment later in the week. With an infection rate under 1%, this seems to be the Right Time to access as many medical services as we can.
I just read that we hit a new low in New York yesterday – 0.69% positive, a far cry from Texas and Arizona and Florida. I think you’re right – this is as safe as we’re going to be, before schools open and everyone moves indoors. Until there’s a vaccine, which Trump claims the FDA (aka “The Deep State”) is trying to delay but which most of his followers won’t take anyway, all we can do is stay away from everyone else.
Jeff, the latest CDC survey says that 50% of Americans are likely NOT to get the vaccine. Trump and FOX NEWS have poisoned people’s minds once again.
You make it sound like you LIKE medical appts. I HATE them, and only go because if I don’t they won’t renew the meds I need, which is blackmail.
Rick, I like all of my doctors and look forward to seeing them. I try to be pro-active about my health. During the New York State Shut-down, many of my appointments were postponed. I’m just starting to catch up. But the Second Wave is looming so I feeling like I’m under the gun to get things done fast!
I’m getting a colonoscopy Monday! Got pre-screened Thursday and since they didn’t call with any bad news I’m okay!
I have Chrystal Lite to flavor the sludge but I doubt it’ll be any more appetizing! This may be my last procedure.
Bob, I think we’re doing the Smart Thing by getting our colonoscopies done before the next Wave of coronavirus hits. This might be my last colonoscopy, too, depending on the results.
I also have to go to my family doc in Germany every three months to get prescriptions for my meds (7 pills every day – ain’t I lucky?) and since i get 100 for three months I built up an “iron reserve” over the years.
So I was really lucky, having enough meds for those months that I was kind of jailed here in Hungary, not being able to get to my doc.
Though I’ve been living part time in Hungary for many years my first residence is Germany where I also have my insurance.
Wolf, sometimes–depending on insurance coverage–problems occur with out-of-state costs. Only a few medical policies that I’ve seen cover travel to all the States.