NP; Colonoscopy

[Paul Mackin]

kelber at mindspring.com wrote:
> Count me fully in the camp of C-avoiders.  The indignity to be avoided is not that of the procedure itself, but that of the night-before preparations.
>
> Laura
>   

Getting that gallon of foul tasking liquid down is not pleasant.  I seem 
to have the knack for turning off the gag reflex. You hear it being 
discussed in the pre-op room. A staff member makes the rounds asking 
whether people were able to finish the whole jug and  how the 
preparation went otherwise. A number of people have some trouble with 
this part ot it.




> -----Original Message-----
>   
>> From: Paul Mackin <paul.mackin at verizon.net>
>> Sent: Apr 9, 2008 5:39 PM
>> To: pynchon-l at waste.org
>> Subject: Re: NP; Colonoscopy
>>
>> Joe Allonby wrote:
>>     
>>> On Tue, Apr 8, 2008 at 8:53 PM, <page at quesnelbc.com 
>>> <mailto:page at quesnelbc.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>>     Age: 50 or a bit later. Definitely by 55. As far as the normal
>>>     weekend, in
>>>     my experience morphine isn't that easy to come by. Good thing, too. I
>>>     could easily skip the indignity and go straight to the good part.
>>>     Just a
>>>     little prick and.... comfortably numb.
>>>
>>>     >
>>>
>>>  
>>>  
>>> It's not that difficult.
>>>       
>> You don't really experience the indignity because one moment you're 
>> lying on a gurney in a large semi-open area with an I.V. pumping slowly 
>> into your arm feeling very comradely toward a bunch of other other guys 
>> and women all about to get the same procedure. Next moment (and it seems 
>> like only a moment) you're awake alone in a recovery room with a piece 
>> of paper in your hand telling you the results of what they found and 
>> repairs they made.
>>
>> I'm describing the way they do it at a big  hospital (Georgetown  in 
>> DC).  At other facilities I've heard about they do it without anesthetic 
>> or of course an anesthesiologist  present. This makes for a cheaper 
>> operation, which the insurance companies prefer. Recently one big 
>> insurer (Aetna) announced they wouldn't pay for anesthesia any more 
>> except in special cases truly requiring it. Doctors strongly objected 
>> and the insurer backed down.
>>
>> Obviously anesthesia makes it easier for the doctor as well as the 
>> patient. Also at teaching hospitals like Georgetown there are likely to  
>> be medical students and residents standing around. It's nice for the 
>> doctor (teacher) to be able to discuss interesting things freely without 
>> fear of upsetting the patient.
>>
>>
>>
>>     
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