The most photographed bowel in history.

Hi Guys,

So over the past few weeks I have been having some lovely tests done to get a real good look at my insides before surgery.
As well as your basic bloods I have also had to have an X-Ray, two MRI's and a Colonoscopy.
The X-Ray was to take like a screenshot of my stomach and bowel in one go. Despite the half hour wait, this only took two minutes to do.
I then had to have an MRI of my pelvis. This involved lying in a tunnel with a fairly heavy grid type thing placed over my pelvis. I had to have a pad in between my bum cheeks so as to get a good enough picture and then all I had to do was lie very still whilst it played out a mix of beats and sounds which remind me a lot of drum n base music - in other words, horrific. I was also asked to try and clench my bum cheeks together for the duration of my MRI. Now let me tell you, that 40 minutes of buttock clenching is actually near on impossible. I gave up after about 30 seconds, I would be very impressed if anyone could manage this!
I had some head phones to listen to Radio1, Chris Stark and Scott Mills once again got me through. Having a giggle to Innuendo Bingo is probably not the best way to keep still, but at least I was enjoying myself. Every now and again a little voice sounded through my headphones to let me know how long was left. I have had quite a few of these now, so they don't really phase me. I weirdly now find them quite relaxing.
The second MRI wasn't so pleasant. This one was to track my bowel and it involved drinking a jug of lovely looking 'squash like' fluid and being injected with a contrast to get a better picture.
I was given half an hour to down this jug, one small plastic cup at a time. The MRI man explained that it was a mild laxative that they would then track moving through my intestines. To put it mildly, it is not the nicest tasting drink. Towards the end I truly thought I was going to be sick but got through it in time. Never one to turn down a challenge me. I got strapped in to the MRI bed and a nurse came at me with a cannula needle, ready to inject the contrast dye. At this point I was also told I would be given a muscle relaxent. Muscle relaxant and laxatives - two things nobody should have to hear in the same sentence. I was lying in the tunnel filled with images of unspeakable horrors for about half an hour. Thankfully none of these came true and for being such a brave girl Mum treated me to a McDonald's on the way home.

My consultant has recently requested yet another CT scan to try and identify a possible abscess which would explain my very high temperatures. After that I can't imagine there will be any part of my digestive tract which hasn't been seen! I must have the most photographed bowel in history.

Lots of love xxx