Author Archive
Danielle M.D.
I’m often referred to by some as my friends as “Danielle M.D.” Affectionately nicknamed (I’m sure…), I am often picking up on someone’s slightest clue that they don’t feel well and trying to help them figure out why. While it ends up driving them crazy and freaked out that they have the strangest disease known to man, I like to think it helps widen their awareness of their bodies. Either way, I hope to make them realize that whatever the symptoms, it’s important to go see a doctor and get it checked out.
While it’s often a joke that all conversations with me turn medical (or poo-related), I started thinking the other day why that’s the case. I mean I’m not trying to sabotouge a fun time and be the downer. And good friends being candid about bathroom habits and funny body happenings is usually a good time. But even when I have no intention of bringing up the health-side of things – it always finds its way to come up when I’m around.
I’m realizing, or maybe just accepting, that this is life for me, and that it won’t change. And I’m not certain that it should, for that matter. My life was radically impacted by strange symptoms that went on way too long, and finally a doctor visit that ultimately saved my life. And while I know most of my friends aren’t dealing with life-threatening illnesses when they mention something’s wrong – I can’t help but be extreme and plead with them to get it checked out. You absolutely never know what’s happening until you get it checked out.
So while I might continue getting teased, or see a million eye rolls, as I continue to help people navigate through feelings of sickness and unhealth, I will wear my imaginary nurse’s hat with pride. Not because I have all of the answers, nor because I’m medically trained. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s because part of my story is telling my story – and the message of prevention and care must go on. I had no idea what was wrong with me, but I wish that I would have shared my symptoms much earlier with someone who would have known to let me know that something wasn’t right. Lucky for my friends, I will be that person for them. And although I will continue to freak them out and talk medical, I promise to not bring up poop at the dinner table.
Welcoming Dr. Oz to the Colon Cancer Cause
It feels good to have one of the most reputable doctors (granted, he’s on TV) talking about your cause.
He’s putting Katie Couric to the test for sure.
This week, Dr. Oz opened up his show’s season premiere by giving a very personal look at his colonoscopy.
He went in for a routine scan since he turned 50 over the summer, and came out shocked and stunned.
His first-ever colonoscopy found a pre-cancerous polyp that had it not been removed, would have turned to cancer.
Thanks to my mom for mentioning the show to me, I had no idea.
I found the episode to be quite emotional, as did Dr. Oz.
The look on his face showed that he was totally surprised by the results – something I can definitely relate with.
Nobody thinks (especially those who are generally healthy) that they will get colon cancer.
It especially tugged at me when he realized what it meant for his kids. He knew it was a game changer.
When your path report comes back and says your body had started to turn that way, it’s unsettling.
I’m so thankful that he caught it early and avoided even a stage 1 diagnosis.
I didn’t think I could get colon cancer it at age 17, and then again at 25.
A host of my good friends never expected the diagnosis in their 20s, 30s and 40s either.
Nobody thinks that their body is growing polyps, and especially the pre-cancerous kind.
And especially the perfectly healthy Dr. Oz.
But as he showed the world, pre-cancerous polyps and colon cancer CAN (and does) happen to anyone.
If anyone saw the episode – don’t freak out. I don’t know why these people on TV stay awake for their colonoscopies.
I’ve never been awake during one, and I’m always sedated and have a nice sleep.
The gallon prep they showed is also something of my former days – the prep I do is much easier.
But the multiple bathroom trips, bloating and lovely hospital gown are all the same. Sorry about that.
Colon cancer is no joke.
I know that people can get tired of hearing about it and ignore the scans due to the prep, but it’s time to stop waiting.
A colonoscopy saved Dr. Oz’s life, it saved my life, and it will save many more.
Colonoscopies are must-haves for everyone, just as mammograms are for women. There’s not really a way around it.
So – if you’re over 50 and have not have a scan yet, call and get one set up today.
If you’re not over 50, but you have a family history of the disease (AHEM all of my aunts, uncles and cousins), get screened earlier and don’t mess around if you have ANY symptoms of the disease.
If you’re African American, you need to be screened closer to age 40-45.
And if you have any unusual gas, bloating, bleeding, weight gain/loss, or any other strange stool issues, please get it checked now.
How often should you go number two?
Ahh, our second session with Dr. Taormina from Midwest Gastroenterology! Today’s question applies to most normal people in the world (AKA those with regularly sized colons.) But hey – they go poop too. So fellow semicolons, I apologize. We’ll get back to our stuff soon!
Dear Dr. T,
How many times should the average person be going “Number Two” each day?
Dr. T’s Answer:
It varies, depending on the person. Some go 2-3 times daily and others go once every 3-5 days!
So I thought I would start a garden…
As most of you know, this was my big year: I was going to start a GARDEN! I come from a long line of green thumbs, and especially on my mom’s side. My grandma had a garden the size of Texas (kid-view of course) growing up, and my mom followed suit and planted one when we were kids as well.
I basically knew what to do. Thanks to a little help from Triscuit’s gardening site (which is fabulous by the way), I was for sure good to go. I even had a woman from church who is a Master Gardener come over and give me advice for the trek. I was excited, confident and excited to grow my own food!
The Beginnings of The Garden
It started off so well. To take it slow and ease myself into my new hobby, I decided I’d do a very small garden – a 4×4 bed. I bought a kit from the hardware store that even made assembly easy (no messing with the lumber yards of nails for me!) I knew I wanted to do green beans and zucchini – my favorites – and then decided to do a small pepper and tomato plant. I had marigolds to keep the rabbits out, and even cleaned out my hairbrush over the garden to make sure the bunnies and other animals for sure stayed out!
The Garden Grew
After a few weeks, and a few good rains, my garden began to grow. I was so excited as I saw success with my little plants emerging from the soil. I was particularly fond of “Bean” as I called him – my green bean plant that rose up from germination to make my gardening experience a success. “Zuc” soon began to steal the show as his leaves grew large and magnificent. And “Pep” and “Tom” held their own as they began to produce fruit before the other two. It was a harmonious symphony. At one point, I even had a salad thanks to Pep and Tom – with two of the veggies coming from my own hard work!
Little Bean
Mid-Bean
Big Bean
Zuc
Pep and Tom
First Fruits
Then One Day…
I feel like Shakespeare as I continue my story, because as he showed in his great writings – some amazing and beautiful stories end in tragedy. As the summer continued to grow hotter and hotter, I continued to water and watch over my little garden. A question I had been often asked as I shared my plans for gardening was that of my two dogs. Known for occasional mischief, and especially in (or getting out of) our backyard, others were concerned about the trouble they might cause to a delicate garden. I wasn’t worried about them, and the first two months had proven me right – the dogs hardly went near the garden. I assumed they knew how important it was to me, so they helped watch over it and keep the rabbits out.
Well, let’s just say I learned my lesson. One day I felt bad for the dogs because I was locking them up in their kennel so much. Mike had been gone for nearly 10 days, and I knew they were dreading the cage once again. I decided to “reward” them for good behavior and let them stay in the backyard for the day. It hadn’t crossed my mind that they might happen to take an interest in the garden that day, or that this would happen….
D-day
Not just tramped on, but DUG up
Yes, Joey’s still alive
Lindley is too
Lessons Learned
So, my first summer of gardening ended more abruptly than I thought it would. While I typically steer away from writing the tragedies, I realized that they are sometimes unavoidable. My garden had a sad, sudden ending. But I did learn several great lessons, even from year 1 and I was able to eat at least ONE salad from it.
Here are few of the nuggets I learned:
– Don’t feel bad for dogs. They’re animals. Lock them up, go with your better judgment. They’re just dogs.
– Gardening can easily be paralleled to a spiritual life in the sense that if I don’t watch over my faith, tend to it and keep out pride, unforgiveness, doubt, blame, etc – it will eventually erode away or have the tendency to be dug up.
– A garden is also like a body. It must be properly cared for, hydrated, and watched over. “Dogs” can also creep into the body and wreak havoc if it’s not well attended to.
– Don’t give up. Food is food, and try again next year. There’s always the farmer’s market.
…… until next year!
Butt Station
One of the best random gifts I’ve gotten lately: A Butt Station!
My amazing husband found this online and KNEW that it was just what my desk needed. I mean, it’s a colon blogger’s dream gift! Not only does it hold pens and post-its, but paperclips and tape as well – all in the disguise of a green man sitting on a toilet! Thanks, Love!
Can Twizzlers Make Your Poop Red?
By far, one of the most common Google searches that leads people to my blog is, “Can Twizzlers make your poop red?” So – I asked our resident SemiColon Blog expert, and here’s what Dr. Taormina from Midwest Gastroenterology had to say:
Dear Dr. T,
Can eating Twizzlers make your poop red?
Dr. T’s answer:
Yes. The dye in Twizzlers will make your poop red, depending on how much you eat and how rapid it transits the gut. Beware the sugarless variety ! It has sorbitol and eating enough of that will give you red-tinted diarrheal stools!
So there you have it, blog readers. Yes, Twizzlers CAN make your poop red. Now – if your poop is red, like blood, and you haven’t been eating a bag of Twizzlers, get it checked out.
Good Colonoscopy Report!
Just wanted to make a quick post and happily report that my colonoscopy yesterday went awesome! Yep, the words colonoscopy and awesome were just used in the same sentence – twice now.
There have been several hurdles that come from having a semicolon, but having a colonoscopy is not one of them. This time, the prep and clean out were pretty easy, especially since I’ve not got much to clean out these days! The day of fasting went well, I found several new updates for my Colonoscopy Survival Kit, and I had a decent evening.
The morning of the test was a little nerve-wracking, as I tried to calm my fears that Dr. T would find some sort of polyp or sign that cancer is trying to crawl back – but he found none! I even had an upper scope performed to give me a baseline scan since I’m a highly suspicious to have Lynch Syndrome, and even that was clear. Everything looked great. And to top it off, Midwest GI has switched their sedation medications to make it a better experience for patients, so I remember talking to the doctor, going to Starbucks afterwards, and even watching a movie once I got home. No more zombie fogginess embarrassment stories.
So yes, that’s my small update about my personal health. Praise the Lord I am IN THE CLEAR.
Colonoscopy Survival Kit – Updated
Today I had the privilege of enduring yet another colonoscopy! Privileged not because of the procedure, but because I actually still have *some* remaining colon to check out. As I prepped yesterday, my Colonoscopy Survival Kit came to mind. And while I followed some of my own recommendations, I stumbled upon a few extra tips. Here are few additions to my previously mentioned Colonoscopy Survival Kit:
- Coffee. I know – some people probably think I am crazy, but I’ve never had coffee the day before my test. I’m not a HUGE coffee drinker, but yesterday I started sucking down the joe and it was fantastic. Helped curve my hunger almost all of the day.
- White Grape Juice Slushies – another fantastic clear drink. I’m a big grape juice fan, so this white version made my day. My husband finely chopped some ice in a large cup, and I poured grape juice over it. Just like a Sonic slushy, except less sugary, definitely colonoscopy-prep safe, and (besides for buying the juice) FREE.
- DVR (or Tivo) – Nothing like having a long TV show, or movie, to help entertain you the night you clean out. But what’s even better than good entertainment is the ability to pause live TV throughout the evening. Life. Saver.
Blog Sabbatacal
Sorry to my faithful blog readers. I’ve been on blog-sabbatacal. Taking some time to soak in life and all things summer. But don’t you worry, I’ve got many blog posts planned for the future. I mean I can’t not talk about things like…
- This new “butt station” desk toy that my hubby bought me
- Mooning fish in one of my first experiences at the lake
- My experience with a blocked small bowel at a family reunion last weekend
- Introducing a new co-worker to our IBS/constipation talk during lunch
- My garden… and then my pile of dirt
- New recipes with fresh foods
- And my …. colonoscopy …. THIS FRIDAY!
Yep, much to divulge so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy this picture.
Now THAT'S what you call good friends
I ran across this lovely toilet setting at a cute little cafe in Carbondale, IL. This was what the womens’ bathroom was like. And guys always wonder why girls go to the bathroom together. It’s so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to pee right next to your pal.
The Joy of Cooking. Fried Chicken.
Last week, I came home to a big surprise. Laying on the bathroom counter was a thick, crisp cookbook. I didn’t give it much thought at first, thinking my husband had borrowed it from his mom, who’s a FACS teacher, and left it on the bathroom counter after some “leisurely reading.” Looking back, I realize this makes no sense, however, in the moment that’s what I thought.
But, after a few minutes I realized that this brand new book positioned in a spot that I would quickly visit once I got home was a surprise gift for me. Cooking is something that I enjoy but do not do enough. I also happen to LOVE reading through cookbooks. So, to help bring some “joy” back into my life, he went out and bought me “The Joy of Cooking.” He’s clever, I know. I was honored that he went out of his way to bring me a creative gift to help bring some pep back into my step.
I immediately started thumbing through the book and a recipe for extra crispy fried chicken caught my semicolon eye. Now normally, I avoid fried foods at all costs, and especially fried chicken. But something sounded particularly delicious about this meal on that evening, and so I decided to go for it. I didn’t have anywhere to be later that night, we nor the following morning – so I was in the clear to let it all … clear. Plus, we were looking for a really fun date night idea.
The following pictures show the cooking extravaganza that followed. We didn’t stop at the chicken, we added homemade biscuits, mashed cauliflower and zucchini gratin to the mix as well. And I do have to say, it was an absolute blast.
A note and disclaimer: I still stand by my decision to prepare and make this meal at home. In the future, I intend to stick with my plan of eating a meal that resembles anything like this at home for, er, obvious reasons.
Another quick note: I know fried foods are bad for you. But it was really fun to let loose for just one night. I tried to make up points with the (organic) mashed cauliflower, though. Just ignore the half-and-half that made them fluffy.
Semicolon Stories 
