November 7, 2026 | A follow-up from the digestive tract of seriality
Well, Mississippi, I have some good news.
My Cologuard test came back NEGATIVE!
That’s right. After weeks of preparation, an oversized specimen, a rejected shipment, a closed UPS Store, and a statewide political race that somehow managed to involve my colon, we finally have a result.
My colorectal cancer screening came back negative.
And Scott Colom and Cindy Hyde-Smith? They’re still waiting for theirs.
Apparently, my digestive system has a more efficient reporting process than Mississippi’s election system.
One Letter Makes All the Difference
In my previous article, I explained how Scott Colom’s name caught my attention while I was trying to complete my Cologuard screening.
Here’s the symmetry again:
COLOM → COLON
All you have to do is change the final M to an N. And what comes after M in the alphabet? N.
Mississippi starts with M. So do money, medicine, margins, and a few other things I’ve spent years investigating.
Now consider that a colon is also a punctuation mark consisting of two dots stacked vertically. One above the other. Two points waiting for whatever comes next.
Rather appropriate for an election in which the entire state is waiting for the next batch of numbers.
I don’t claim these linguistic coincidences determine reality. But they certainly provide interesting material for my ongoing study of seriality. And excellent material for bathroom humor.
Mississippi Swells, and Cindy Waits
I’ve previously connected this election to the song Mississippi Swells by Nana Grizol, which includes a reference to someone named Cindy.
That Cindy isn’t Senator Hyde-Smith, of course. The association is simply another coincidence that caught my attention.
But as Mississippi’s remaining ballots make their way through the counting process, the musical reference keeps returning. One might say the suspense is swelling.
As of the latest reported figures available on November 7, Democrat Scott Colom had 467,930 votes, Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith had 465,356, and independent Ty Pinkins had 20,028.
That put Colom ahead by 2,574 votes in an election that still had no declared winner.
Thousands of ballots remained subject to reporting or eligibility checks, including affidavit ballots. The outcome could change as the remaining votes are counted and certified.
Follow the latest election coverage at WAPT.
My Opinion: Count Everything That Legally Counts
Here’s where I separate the metaphysical comedy from the practical business of democracy.
Every legally valid vote deserves to be counted under consistent rules, whether it was cast for Hyde-Smith, Colom, or Pinkins.
An affidavit ballot isn’t automatically invalid. Election officials have to review the voter’s eligibility.
Mississippi’s counties have until November 13 to submit their certified results, and qualifying mailed absentee ballots may continue arriving through November 10.
That takes time.
My preference is for an accurate, transparent count rather than a premature announcement.
We should be able to distinguish between something that hasn’t been counted yet and something that shouldn’t be counted.
That distinction matters in elections. It also mattered when a medical laboratory rejected my first stool specimen for exceeding its collection requirements.
Although I strongly suspect the laboratory would prefer not to be included in a political analogy.
Read the Associated Press explanation of the counting process.
One Result Is Finally In
A negative Cologuard result is encouraging news. It means the stool-based screening did not detect the combination of findings that would produce a positive result.
It isn’t the same thing as a colonoscopy, and it doesn’t guarantee that colorectal cancer or precancerous growths are absent. I’ll still need to follow the screening schedule recommended by my healthcare provider.
But after everything I went through to submit that sample, I am genuinely relieved.
My specimen was finally processed. The result came back negative.
And the greatest mystery remaining is how I managed to turn a routine colorectal screening into an ongoing commentary on a United States Senate election.
Cologuard’s explanation of test limitations.
The Final Symmetry
In the T Meta Structure, I’ve spent years examining recurring names, numbers, and patterns.
Sometimes they appear in politics. Sometimes they appear in physics. And occasionally, they appear in a cardboard box full of biological evidence.
Two days ago, Mississippi and I were both waiting for results. Today, I have mine. Mississippi still has some counting to do.
My Cologuard: NEGATIVE.
Mississippi Senate race: PENDING.
As for Scott Colom, I’m going to leave the final M exactly where it belongs until the election officials finish their work.
After all, changing one letter is easy. Changing the outcome of an election requires actual votes.
And if there’s one thing this experience has taught me, it’s that you should never underestimate the importance of proper processing.
— Todd
Transparency: AI-assisted article based on Todd’s personal account, previous writing, and cited reporting. Election figures reflect reporting available November 7, 2026, and are not final certified results. The seriality connections are personal interpretations and wordplay, not claims of demonstrated causation. Final editorial review and fact-checking by Todd.