Chris Dewald: Colonoscopy, diabetes, blood thinners

AFP

Jumping horse feathers, my friends. It took longer to figure out a title than the entire procedure. First, what is a colonoscopy? According to this source, a physician uses a colonoscope (longer than a sigmoidoscope) to view the entire colon and the rectum. The entire colon must be cleaned out in order to perform a colonoscopy. Polyps can be removed with the colonoscope.

Elder Rage: How to survive caring for aging parents

AFP

For eleven years I pleaded with my ‘challenging’ elderly father to allow a caregiver to help him with my ailing mother, but he always insisted on taking care of her himself. Every caregiver I hired soon sighed in exasperation, ‘Jacqueline, I just can’t work with your father. His temper is impossible to handle and he’s not going to accept help until he’s on his knees himself.’