The Definition of Tough

My parents are in the mid to late 70s.  They both needed a colonoscopy.  In order to save money and time, they decided to have their colonoscopies at the same time.  It is my understanding they had different Dr.s and a different endoscopes (digital rectal devices).  Apparently one Dr. can not actually do a husband and wife dual colonoscopy at the same time even if the elderly couple requests it.  I would imagine that a dual-endoscope would look like a large "Y".  Since it is not advisable to have general anesthesia and drive a car, my parents flipped a coin to see who would get the general anesthesia and who would get local anesthesia.  My mom lost the coin flip, so she got the local (awake for the procedure) and my father got the general (knocked out) for his procedure.  My mom drove them both home after their dual colonoscopies.

That is my definition of tough.  Not necessarily bright, but certainly tough :-)

This is what happens when you grow up on farms in Minnesota.  As my mother likes to remind my father, the farm she grew up on had neither electricity or running water.


Just as a technical reminder (according to wikipedia) the first step in having a colonoscopy is usually a digital rectal examination, to examine the tone of the sphincter and to determine if preparation has been adequate. The endoscope is then passed through the anus up the rectum, the colon (sigmoid, descending, transverse and ascending colon, the cecum), and ultimately the terminal ileum. The endoscope has a movable tip and multiple channels for instrumentation, air, suction and light. The bowel is occasionally insufflated with air to maximize visibility. Biopsies are frequently taken for histology.