Next colonoscopy booked . . .

I got a letter through the other day, saying I could now phone the colonoscopy unit at the hospital to book my procedure. I phoned up straight away and it is now booked for 4th March. Still three weeks away, but at least there's something to aim at. I've dropped my steroids down to 10mg a day, but not sure I can go further, and may even need to increase again, as bowel movements now have no form, and are fairly frequent!

Anyway, the good news is they've sent me my laxatives through the post, and they are going to phone me to do pre assessment over the phone. I had to go in for this last time, just to be told what I could read on the paperwork for myself. Considering the hospital is more than an hours drive away, this was rather annoying!

The bad news is, it falls on a Tuesday in term time. I was hoping it might fall next week when I am on holiday, but as it is, I will have to take two days off work, due to the cleansing procedure.  This will go as follows :

Three days before the colonoscopy, I begin a low residue diet. The day before, I stop eating and take the laxatives. This empties my gut of all its contents.  The no eating, coupled with very frequent trips to the toilet will make it impossible to work.

It's annoying that I will have to take time off for it, especially when we are understaffed, but on the other hand, at least my week off, the week before won't be ruined! So there is a silver lining in every cloud!

a more interesting low residue dinner

Low Residue Beef Stroganoff with white rice

When I'm following low residue, I like to take advantage of the fact that dairy is low residue.  For some people, high fat content can be just as much of a limiting factor as fibre content. It's important to bear in mind however, that just because it's dairy doesn't mean it has to be fatty and greasy.

One of my favourite meals that feels very indulgent is stroganoff. I make it with creme Fraische rather than cream, which both cuts down the fat, and gives it a bit of zing I tend to use beef, but any meat could be used. Chicken is the lowest residue, and its worth noting that pork is very common as a trigger food for inflammation in the gut. I try and avoid pork if I can, but I can't back th out up with any evidence. As with any of my recipes, approach the ingredients with caution, and leave out or substitute according to your own gut!


Serves Four

Ingredients

1 lb. Frying steak cut into strips (rump is best, but cheaper frying cuts will do fine)
Onion granules
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika (if tolerated)
1red pepper, grilled, skinned, deseeded and cut into strips
250ml half fat creme fraische

1 mug white, long grain rice
Knob butter

METHOD

Begin by preparing the pepper, as this is the mosr fiddley. Cut in half and place skin side up under a hot grill.  Cook until skin is black and charred.  Wash under a cold tap to remove the skin, and then cut into thin strips.

Now, place a knob of butter in a saucepan on a medium heat. Add the uncooked rice to the saucepan and continue heating for one minute, stirring constantly, until all the grains have a thin coating of butter. Add water according to pack instructions and bring to the boil.  Meanwhile, place a frying pan on a high heat, and fry the strips of steak. Add onion granules, cumin, and paprika if using. Cook until steak is sealed on each side.  Add peppers and bring up to temperature.  A splash of white wine in the pan at this point is nice, but a couple of tablespoons of water will do.  Stir in the creme fraische and and slowly heat with stirring to form a smooth, silky sauce. If you heat it too quickly at this point then the creme fraische may split.  Simmer gently until rice is cooked.  Serve the stroganoff with the rice. Will go well with carrots, or broccoli florets.