Day 34: In And Out

The end of day thirty-four and the start of day thirty-five…  End of week 5 in sight!
Morning weight:  313lbs.
I am now down “60/67”.  As in, 60lbs down from my fasting start weight:  373lbs, and 67lbs down from my highest weight ever (two days before I started the fast):  380lbs.  Today’s loss is a 2lbs loss, down from 315lbs yesterday.
Today I had my colonoscopy / endoscopy at the local hospital.  They took my vitals and my weight (on their scale) was:  330lbs.  I asked how accurate the scale was since it is different than my home scale and, at my visit to the urologist on Monday, his office scale put my weight at 309lbs.  The nurse said it is a professional-medical grade scale and is calibrated every quarter by the State hospital inspectors because it is used to calculate the anesthesia for procedures.  He said it should always be within 1 or 2lbs of totally accurate.  This weight is significantly different from my scale, but I don’t have access to their scale on a daily or weekly basis, so I will continue to use the weights from my own scale.  As an experiment, when I got home I tried to duplicate the weight by moving my feet and leaning forwards, backwards and to the sides.  I was not able to get within 5lbs of 330lbs, no matter what I did.  As I said, I’ll just have to stick with the girl I came to the dance with…
Results:  I don’t know.  The doctor said he found a single, small polyp in my colon, which he removed for biopsy.  He also said he found something in my throat / esophagus.  Unfortunately, I was still pretty doped up and didn’t catch what he was saying.  My wife said she didn’t either – except I’m to call next week for a follow-up appointment.  By then the results of the biopsies should be back.  So, time will tell…  My wife also said the doctor said I won’t need the procedures again for five(5) years.  Since I am currently on a three(3) year follow-up, that’s a good thing.
Prep Notes:  Just a quick recommendation to anyone who has to take the “Suprep Bowel Prep Kit” for your own future colonoscopy, it is foul tasting at room temperature with tap water.  The mixture says to keep it non-refrigerated and to mix it with cold water.  I had the first batch (there are two you have to take) at room temperature with “cold” tap water.  EEYYUCCKKK!  It makes you want to retch.  This morning, I mixed the second batch with ice water (sans ice), and it was tolerable.  The flavor is cherry cough syrup with a healthy bit of sea water mixed in.  Still yuck, but not as bad as when warm / room temperature.
A second thing I feel worth mentioning is the main / first ingredient is Sodium Sulfate which is considered a “neutral” salt.  Now, because I’ve been fasting, I’ve had very little salt in my diet over the last month.  (Yes, I know my “veggie-broth” contained salt and pepper.)  The “salt” is considered to be an electrolyte – similar to what you would find in Gatorade.  There is a caution in the attached medication guide that the kit can cause arrhythmia in those persons subject to them.  Well, I have AFib, which is a type of arrhythmia, and guess what?  Last night I woke up with severe palpitations which lasted from 12:30am until just before 4:00am.  They were bad enough I had to get out of bed and sit up to feel comfortable.  Which is why you should ALWAYS read the medication guides before you take the meds and ask your doctor about them.  In my case, didn’t and did.  I didn’t read and I did ask my doctor.  However, I didn’t ask him specifically about this Rx.  I did make sure he was aware of my AFib in advance.  Next time, in three or five years, I will be a little more aggressive about my questions.  A word to the wise…
Tomorrow at noon will be the end of week five(5).  With the news from the hospital scale, I’m now a bit disappointed.  I know I shouldn’t be, but facts are facts even when they are ugly.  If I am really 30lbs away from 300lbs, I won’t get there in a week or two.  If I choose to go with my home scale, I’m within a couple of weeks of breaking 300lbs and being able to think:  “I lost 80lbs!”  This is where ego and vanity and a sense of accomplishment intersect and get twisted.  What started out as a seven(7) day juice fast to jump start a change in behavior is becoming (between my ears) something else.  The question I have for myself is:  “Okay…  Then when is enough, enough? 50 days?  100 days?  80lbs?  100lbs?”  Perhaps I’m just tired from last night’s lack of sleep, but I don’t have a good answer.  At the moment, it’s still Saturday at noon…
.
On This Day In:
2021	Why Republicans Are Unhappy
	I Guess It’s True
2020	A Tiny And Fragile World
	Your Lyin’ Eyes
2019	Day 1: Done
	#IncompetentDonald Fails On All Three
2018	I Put It Down To Bad Teachers
	Day 34: In And Out
2017	And The Future Is Now
2016	I Am
2015	Positively Aiming Higher
2014	Suspicious Minds
2013	We Are Not Alone
2012	Lawyer, n.
2011	Each Day Remember…
2010	Impossible Dreams of Camelot