2004-09-04 - 1:28 a.m. - Cycle day:

No, I shouldn't be up this late, especially the day after being drugged up and videotaped from the inside, but my sister's plane has been delayed by nearly four hours and someone has to go get her. That someone probably won't be me, but The Husband is napping in anticipation of his 2:30 am airport run, and the baby's asleep in a different room. So if I were to go lie down with The Husband to make sure he doesn't smack the alarm clock off the coffee table, I might fall asleep and not hear the baby if she wakes up needy. And if I were to go lie down with the baby, I'd probably fall asleep and not be around to rouse The Husband (who has been asleep for three hours now). Is this what being The Mom is about? Hovering between two rooms, making sure the entire family is attended to, and wearing myself out in the process? I'm probably overdramatizing things a bit, but it does feel a little microcosmic. I didn't say "Hey, I'll make sure you get a nap in and set an alarm and check on the baby and keep track of the scheduled arrival time" but someone had to do all that and it just automatically fell to me. Because I'm The Mom. (And probably also because I'm The Sister and I want to make sure my only sibling isn't trapped at the airport in the middle of the night.)

Anyway, since I'm here, I might as well report on my sigmoidoscopy. Apparently they didn't find anything of concern, or at least that's what I sort of remember the nurse telling me as I was fading out of my narcotic stupor. I went nearly two full days without food, gagged down 17 doses of industrial-strength laxative, sat in a waiting room with some very, very crabby people for two hours, and the doctor didn't even hang around to give me the results himself. Bah. My instructions say I'm supposed to go back to see him in a month, but I'm not sure what for. They went looking for the source of my bleeding and didn't find anything. What else is there to talk about? I'll probably have a follow-up with Dr. Hippie, though. It's time for another well baby visit for M. anyway, so I'll just make an appointment for me, too. Which is exactly why I wanted us to have the same doctor.

Advice for anyone about to undergo a GI scope: 1) don't mix the laxative powder with any beverage that you want to be able to enjoy in the future (I can never look at Lemon Lime Gatorade again), 2) Wear socks, and 3) Bring a book. If not for reading, for defending yourself against the angry, hungry people in the waiting room.

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