Ultimate Colon Cleanse: Part I, 40th Birthday Bash

As I prepare for another trip to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, I’ve been reflecting on the last year of my health journey. It has been rough, however there are bright spots, like the creation of EverGreen. For my trip this spring I’ll post info about what to expect from a trip to Rochester in what I’m calling, “Extra Mayo!”

In April of 2022, I spent a week at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, going through tests related to a new diagnosis of sarcoidosis, which I covered in a previous post.

At the time, I had been a Mayo GI patient for several years, so it made the transition to the sarcoid team at the hospital a little easier. In some ways, the trip still doesn’t seem real. But then I look down at my stomach and see my scars and ostomy bag, and remember the wild ride.

Starting in 2020, I was on a series of immune suppressing drugs, trying to control microscopic colitis; at this point the doctors said my symptoms and presentation were unique, however sarcoid wasn’t on the radar. As each treatment approach failed, I knew surgery to remove my colon could be a reality, although I tried to ignore the possibility.

As my bathroom visits exceeded 30 a day, my ability to be there for my family and enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle diminished. I could hardly run, let alone walk more than a mile from my house without stopping to find a bathroom.

I ended up meeting with a GI surgeon the first day of my April trip, and felt like it was still a long-shot to ever need his services. However at the same time, I felt a strong connection to him. The primary reason was he listened to my concerns, and didn’t rush my approach. When I asked how long it would take for me to be able to ride or run after surgery, he said my body would tell me, and he didn’t believe in subjective timelines. This was definitely my doctor!

By the end of my trip last April, I had completed every test imaginable to rule out anything else that could be causing my GI distress, beyond colitis and sarcoid. I felt strongly we had done as much as we could, and was not ready to wait out another drug option.

I scheduled the surgery for June 20, which just happened to be a few days after my 40th birthday.

More to come in part II!