Feeling sorry for myself

I'm sitting here typing this with my stomach and guts sounding like a bubbling concerto.

I have been mildly anaemic now for years, and all of a sudden the doctors want to find out what is causing it. So I had to go for an Endosocopy three weeks ago. Camera up the Jaxi type of thing. And it was agony, because they couldn't get the camera to go round into the down section of my large intestine, they kept pumping in more and more air until it was unbelievably painful. So the sadist - sorry surgeon - referred me for a Barium Enema - and that was today.

Of all the most undignified investigations, this has to be the worst. Worse still was that there were two men there but no female chaperone. I had two of those awful hospital gowns, one in front and one behind, but had to keep turning around on the bed as the operator pumped in air and Barium and xrayed me at the same time. It was very uncomfortable and totally undignified. To make matters worse he decided that he needed to give me an injection to stop my bowels from cramping - so he injected me in my left wrist only the first time he didn't get into the vein so he did it again. So now I have a painful bruised and swollen wrist to go with my painful and swollen stomach. And for both investigations I had to starve for two days and take a powerful laxative to 'clear me out'

Sorry for moaning - I suppose I ought to accept these things as necessary to maintain my health, but when you are in the middle of twisting onto your back on a very narrow table with a tube shoved up your bum, it is very difficult to think positively about it. I'm glad they don't video these things :)

Oh well at least that's all over now. I've had the full set - camera down the throat and up the behind, so I don't think there's much more left to investigate :)