by Robert Bertram

Created on: November 07, 2009   Last Updated: November 26, 2009

I have spent most of my life treating my intestinal tract as if it wasn't important. Not because I'm anti-colon or anything like that, its just that I never really considered it at all. I would pump anything that didn't eat me first through my insides and as long as it came out the other end without much fuss I thought all was well.

Saturday night live used to have a really funny skit about a couple named "Doug and Wendy Whiner" and they had diverticulitis. I would laugh at that for hours it was the funniest darned thing I had seen up to that point that wasn't from the Monty Python group.

When I started having stomach pain and lots of cramping in my lower intestines followed by the passing of blood, and I mean a lot of blood. I started to pay a lot more attention to what went inside my mouth. and while my eating habits seemed normal to me before this I didn't realize (or care) that I was getting almost no fiber.

Now that I have diverticulitis its not all that funny anymore. OK I admit I'm kind of grinning even as I wright this, it really was funny. Mom and Dad were from the south and we ate everything fried and lots of mashed taters, and that seemed normal to me and my siblings. After I tricked my lovely bride into marrying me, it must have been a trick because I married way up, I found what a real treat a variety of foods could be.

Of course it was a little late in the game for my intestinal tract, by now most of the damage had already been done. Now I don't consider going anywhere new or anything like that without pre-planing where the restrooms are. It can be a real pain in the rear end if you'll pardon the pun.

So I guess the point of all this is be mindful of what you eat and getting your colon clean and healthy will pay great dividends in the long run. because I want to tell you getting a six foot camera shoved up your tailpipe is not a much fun as you might think. And that danged doctor didn't call, send flowers or take me out to dinner.

I still chuckle but in reality this could turn to crones or cancer or I could end up with no colon at all and a big stinky bag attached to my side. Please take care of yourself its just that you probably don't really think about it. A little salad now and then won't hurt and you might find they actually taste pretty darned good.

The point is you can have a healthy active life and still get knocked down from the inside. Jogging and lifting weights are good things to do and make you look good on the outside but remember you have muscle groups inside that need care too. Pizza with all the toppings is not a salad.

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