Turning 40 ... and my tickle spot!

This morning I had to go for an Eco-Cardiogram and as I sat in the waiting room I began to reflect on how much my doctor visits have changed in the last two years. So I think it’s only fair that I start this post with a warning: IF YOU ARE A MALE UNDER 40 THERE MAY BE THINGS IN THIS POST YOU FIND SHOCKING AND MAYBE EVEN DISTURBING! If you are a male over 40 then you know damn well what I am about to talk about is TRUTH! If you are a woman of any age you may be pissed off once you realize how easy we actually have it at the doctor’s office.

When it comes to the doctors guys have it easy. Really the worst thing we have to deal with at any exam is the “turn and cough” routine. Other than that it’s the usual breath sounds, blood pressure, pulse and the pressing on the stomach. OK, I will admit I am VERY ticklish and the stomach thing always gets me, very embarrassing when I start giggling during an exam. But there it is … that is the extent of our physicals. UNTIL WE TURN 40!

At age 40 is when the doctors want to start poking and probing around other areas of your body. They call it “preventive measures” … which I think is so ironic because for the past 40 years I’ve been preventing that very area from being poked or probed by anything!

Now before you start to call me immature let me remind you; I STILL GIGGLE WHEN THE DOCTOR PRESSES ON MY BELLY. I know that because the first time a doctor pressed on my belly I giggled. THAT’S how I found out about THAT tickle spot … This isn’t the time in my life I want to find out I have “another tickle spot” … I can’t imagine me starting to giggle at that particular time would sit well with my doctor.

OH, here’s a “The more you know” moment for the younger readers: If your current doctor is a big guy and has hands like and NFL linebacker … get a new doctor before you turn 40! (Insert NBC’s jingle “The more you know…” here). You are Welcome!

Now some people may say I got lucky because when I went for my exam the doctor decided it would be best for me to have a colonoscopy due to some issues I was having with my stomach. So in lieu of the poking and probing, he was going to send me for a colonoscopy. That triggered some mixed emotions for me. It was like watching my ex-wife drive off a cliff in my brand new BMW… I was relieved yet sickened at the same time!

If you have ever had a colonoscopy then you know the worst thing about a colonoscopy is the PREP. If you have never had a colonoscopy then you should know the worst thing about a colonoscopy is listening to people who have had a colonoscopy tell you about how awful the prep is going to be for you. In short? IT SUCKS! Let me explain…

First you have to drink this disgusting mixture of water and what I can only describe as CHAULK! Then? Well then the fun begins! When I had to drink my mixture I had a good friend standing next to me yelling “drink, drink, drink”. This is funny, because 20 years ago he was more than likely standing beside me screaming the same thing as I chugged a bottle of Tequila. Chugging a bottle of Tequila and chugging a bottle of “the drink” both have the same end result … they just come from opposite ends!

The doctor that performs the colonoscopy is called a Proctologist. As I was waiting for my procedure to begin I started to wonder … who goes to medical school and says “I wanna look at butts all day”? Not to offend anyone, but my guess is a Proctologist is the guy who was just about to fail out of med school and the school said “Hey wait … we need a butt specialist”! But I digress…

Yes, the prep is the worst thing about a colonoscopy. See, when you have a colonoscopy performed they knock you out. I remember lying on the bed and the nurse saying “OK, we are going to go to sleep now” and I said “I really think one of us should stay awake” … and that was the last thing I remember. Next thing I knew I was laying in a recovery room with a nurse standing over me saying “OK Mr. Lynch, all set … I just need you to pass gas and then you can go home”.

Passing gas is something I have never had a problem doing … I’ve just never been able to do it on demand and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to start now. It was time for me to use a skill I perfected in middle school. As soon as the nurse stepped outside the curtain I stuck my right hand into my left arm pit and LET IT RIP! I wasn’t standing on an aircraft carrier or nothing, but I felt like I had a banner over my head that read “Mission Accomplished” … it was time for me to go home!

From what I understand I am free and clear from any poking and probing for another 10 years and my Eco was painless. If you’ve never had one of those it’s just like an ultrasound they give a pregnant lady, except of your heart. The pictures are pretty neat too. I actually asked for a copy of one … I want to send it to my ex-wife, for years she told me I didn’t have a heart and now I had medical proof I DO!