No. You didn’t miss it. We didn’t publish the May/June issue of The Tonic Magazine. Unfortunately I had a medical emergency that took me out of commission for a while. I’m hopeful that you can benefit from learning about the situation.
Regular readers know that when I was 38 years old I lost 52 lbs and turned my life around. What you likely don’t know is that one of the key motivating factors was my family medical history including heart disease on both sides, type 2 diabetes, ileitis and colitis, and colon cancer. I wanted to fix myself so that I’d be in the best possible position to survive what I considered to be a very likely serious health issue.
Unfortunately that issue did come. For some months I felt generally weaker; exhausted rather than exhilarated after a workout, unexplained constipation and morning fatigue even after a good night’s sleep. I wasn’t sure if there was a problem or if my symptoms were attributable to aging. So I booked a long overdue physical with my physician. The results all came back positive – the only substantive issue remained booking a colonoscopy, two years overdue due to covid.
On the Sunday of Family Day weekend a crisis occured,10 days before my scheduled colonoscopy. I got up from the breakfast table and doubled over with incredible pain and an overwhelming urge to pee. The symptoms suggested a kidney stone. The pain was so strong we called an ambulance – and the paramedics who came agreed that it was a “textbook case” of a kidney stone. I decided not to go to emergency on a holiday weekend and try to ride it out. 20 minutes after the paramedics left I was able to pee…but the pain got worse and I began to vomit violently. I was shaking and barely able to move. The paramedics were called back. I was rushed to the hospital.
A CT scan disclosed that I had a perforated bowel and had gone septic. Surgery was necessary or I would die. I was terrified, as my father also had a perforated bowel, at which time the colon cancer that caused his death was found.
The surgery was a success and I was told by my surgeon that although a sample was taken for biopsy it did not appear to be cancer. I was in the hospital for two weeks, the first of which I was completely incapacitated and the second I was battling high fevers and required follow up procedures. I continued to recuperate at home.
The good news is that the rupture was not caused by cancer, but diverticulosis – ironically, a condition that would have been found in the scheduled colonoscopy. My prognosis is full recovery and I have no underlying health issues. Every day I feel better and better.
I would not be here, but for the excellent care I received from the surgical and post surgical team at North York General Hospital. I can not thank them enough. But I also believe that I would not have survived the ordeal had I not exercised and eaten well over the past 18 years. I do wish that I had been more proactive about scheduling my colonoscopy and if there are any take away points for you is that please live well and take ownership of your health. It matters.
Tanya Salituro also believes in self-advocacy in the face of serious health issues. Her story is inspiring. I also encourage you to read Joel Thuna’s article on Health Canada’s new proposed regulation of the nutraceutical industry – if it goes through as planned your access to high quality, Canadian made vitamins and supplements will be greatly impacted. And if you’re anything like me, you might be interested in learning how resistance to change is holding you back and what you can do about it. As always, if you have any comments about this note or anything else you’ve read in this issue of The Tonic Magazine, please feel free to reach out.