ONE WORD: COLONOSCOPY

This has been “one of those weeks.” You know, one of those weeks when everything falls off the rails; you can’t keep track of what day it is; everything is kind of tossed up in the air; you forget things you’re supposed to do; your disciplines come apart and you just slip into “survival” mode. I guess I’m explaining why I haven’t remained faithful this week to my “blogging through the Bible.”

I had a doctor’s appointment a couple of weeks ago. My annual routine check up. Everything went great. I heard what I expected to hear: “You have to lose weight and get more exercise.” Otherwise, I got a clean bill of health. I almost made it out the door before my new doctor said, “Oh, have you had a colonoscopy yet?” Rats! Caught! The fact is, I stopped going to the doctor when I was 39 just to avoid such an unpleasant experience. I had a physical last year and the doc told me I needed a colonoscopy but I think he must have forgotten about it. This guy had me dead to rights.

So the test was scheduled for last Tuesday, the 17th. Monday was the day from hell as I had to drink a gallon of some lime-flavored, syrupy liquid. My system processed that stuff very quickly and I discovered I couldn’t be more than about ten steps from the great white throne. I didn’t finish the devilish concoction until 11:30 at night and by that time I was pretty miserable.

But the test went fine. I slept through the whole thing. I remember waking up a couple of times, aware that something was going on down there but not caring! The doctor called Mia and me into a little room to talk about the test. He removed three polyps and found a fourth that he didn’t like the look of so he took a biopsy.

The doctor called on Wednesday at noon and told me that pathology found some cancer cells in the biopsy and he wanted to see me and schedule a CAT scan right away. So I ran down to Bakersfield and met with the doc. He told me that most doctors would call the polyp “pre-cancerous” but that he doesn’t mess with that. For him, if there are cancer cells, it’s cancer! Then he told me that he was confident he found it very early and that I would live another 35 years.

Thursday morning I went back down to Bakersfield for the CAT scan. It went fine except that the IV they put in my arm must have had a needle on it that measured about a quarter of an inch! Haven’t gotten the results from that scan yet. But from there I had to drive up to Fresno to pick up my dear friend John Armstrong who flew in to spend a long weekend with us ministering to our church people.

We had a great weekend with John. Friday we met with seven church planters in our group from Tulare Community Church and discussed missional ministries. Saturday we had a great lunch with the men of New Hope. John preached this morning for us. And tonight we had an all-church dinner and discussion that was truly groundbreaking for us! We may be able to look back on this weekend as a direction-changing, ministry-shaping, vision-developing weekend! Our people were thrilled with John’s ministry and I can tell they are very excited about where we’re at as a body.

I take John back to the airport in Fresno in the morning. Then Mia and I will go to the doctor on Tuesday to discuss the CAT scan and make plans for the surgery to remove the polyp in my lower colon. The odds are that it’s no big deal. But you don’t use the word “cancer” lightly with two people who have already been through so much cancer stuff! Let me just say, it hits pretty hard. I feel suddenly very wide awake. Both Mia and I would appreciate your prayers over the next several days and through the surgery.

I’ll be back to the regular blog tomorrow, Lord willing! Thanks for stopping by!