Colonoscophy. Anyone?

wasapi

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wasapi
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I have one scheduled soon. For some reason, I'm scared. It seems, based on other tests and symptoms, that, according to my doctor, I may have cancer.

It will be what it will be. In the mean time, I am worried about the test. Does anyone have feedback from experience? Thank you.
 
wasapi said:
I have one scheduled soon. For some reason, I'm scared. It seems, based on other tests and symptoms, that, according to my doctor, I may have cancer.

It will be what it will be. In the mean time, I am worried about the test. Does anyone have feedback from experience? Thank you.
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The prep is way worse than the procedure, as you are knocked out and don't notice a thing. They discuss your results with you and tell you if there is any cause for concern or follow ups that might be needed.
 
First time I had one they didn't knock me out and had me watching the view on the TV! It was quite interesting. Ever since then they knock me out.

Even the prep isn't as bad as it used to be.

Hope yours comes out ok. You are certainly doing the right thing by having it.
 
Disbelief said:
I'm glad I was out then. Just woke up groggy after the fact.
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Mine was pretty interesting. The drug they gave me is a painkiller but it also erases memory. Which means that I was awake for the procedure but there is no record of anything in my brain for about 20 minutes and I 'woke up' in the waiting room afterward. Fascinating.
 
Belz... said:
Mine was pretty interesting. The drug they gave me is a painkiller but it also erases memory. Which means that I was awake for the procedure but there is no record of anything in my brain for about 20 minutes and I 'woke up' in the waiting room afterward. Fascinating.
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Was that Versed? My first one, I don't remember things from most of the day I was so out of it. Second one was much better recovering.
 
Belz... said:
That is NOT universal. In some places they only knock you out if you have pain, and even then...
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Depends on the doc. You can ask at the pre-op consult. I am a veteran of 6 colonoscopies. I have only had one doc that let me experience all the pleasures.

Even the prep seems to be getting easier. Couple of small bottles of citro-mag are much easier to get down than the 2 litres of PEG-lyte.
 
Steve said:
Depends on the doc. You can ask at the pre-op consult. I am a veteran of 6 colonoscopies. I have only had one doc that let me experience all the pleasures.

Even the prep seems to be getting easier. Couple of small bottles of citro-mag are much easier to get down than the 2 litres of PEG-lyte.
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I didn't find the drinking the problem with the prep...
 
If you fear colon cancer, don't be the least afraid of a colonoscopy. With modern methods, if they see a tiny bit of cancer during the procedure, they can just snip it off. That easy. I do recommend the sedation option, if it's offered. The whole procedure just becomes lost time. I agree the preparation procedure is rather engaging. I think the alternative would be worse, and the less said about that the better.

And, of course, if this procedure is recommended in the context of larger health concerns, then we wish you the best.
 
Disbelief said:
I didn't find the drinking the problem with the prep...
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Right. It's the gulping it down while sitting on the toilet with it running out the other end at the same rate.

Steve said:
It's the only problem for me - it tastes awful. The rest comes quite naturally and requires no effort.
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My last couple of times I haven't had the gallon jug; they have me use an OTC laxative (Miralax) mixed in Gatorade, which is far better. Just two one-liter bottles. Don't use red Gatorade, of course. Green is fine.
 
I've had a couple. The prep for the second a couple of years ago was easier than the previous one, so I think it's improved. It's a drag but does not last. In my case they administered some kind of sedative-painkiller than theoretically doesn't put you to sleep but it doesn't leave you very conscious either. A little time in recovery, and that's it. Worth doing as soon as possible if there's anything suspected, as this is the sort of thing that can be (literally sometimes) nipped in the bud.
 
Wasapi,

I would compare the overall discomfort and inconvenience as similar to going to the dentist for a filling - except for periods over 2 days instead of two hours. Not exactly a fun experience but some minor discomfort resulting in feeling better afterward knowing that the end result is some reassurance that your heath is being looked after.

Once you have completed the prep you will feel no discomfort, except perhaps hunger :D. In the procedure room they will start an IV and then you will wake up with the whole thing over. All that is left to do is eat something and expel the gas they pumped into you.

Not a doctor, but I understand that colon cancer, caught early, is one of the most treatable cancers. My dad was diagnosed at 60 and had a section of his colon removed. He lived another 26 years with no ill effects.

Wishing you good results from your procedure.
 
I got a colonoscopy and an endoscopy the same day. All I remember is telling the Doctor, right before it began, to snap a picture of me with both tubes in so I could share it on Facebook. He laughed . . .then I don't remember a damn thing. Turns out they don't put both tubes in at the same time. Damn it, that would have been a cool picture.
 
Steve said:
Depends on the doc. You can ask at the pre-op consult. I am a veteran of 6 colonoscopies. I have only had one doc that let me experience all the pleasures.

Even the prep seems to be getting easier. Couple of small bottles of citro-mag are much easier to get down than the 2 litres of PEG-lyte.
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2 litres? I had 4.
 
wasapi said:
I have one scheduled soon. For some reason, I'm scared. It seems, based on other tests and symptoms, that, according to my doctor, I may have cancer.

It will be what it will be. In the mean time, I am worried about the test. Does anyone have feedback from experience? Thank you.
Click to expand...

Well, when I had mine, the doc asked me did I want to watch on the TV screen.

My reply was "I want to know nothing about it TYVM" so they put me out completely.

You will be fasting. You will be given 4 (or is it 5) sachets of powder which you mix with water and take at specified intervals.

It's vile, but you have get it all down you.

After downing the first two, I was beginning to wonder if anything was going to happen. After number 3 all hell broke loose and continued through 4 and 5 and for a while afterward. Do not even attempt to leave your home. Remain within an urgent sprint of the bathroom at all costs.

Oh and I was all clear in the end (haha). Most people are.

On a brighter note recounting the horror show that is the prep is really funny. In hindsight.
 
wasapi said:
Is there pain afterwards, caused by the procedure?
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I didn't have any and the first one I had they took 5-6 polyps out. The next two there were no more polyps. I'm due for one this summer.

The more times you have the prep though, anticipation gets harder.
 
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wasapi said:
I have one scheduled soon. For some reason, I'm scared. It seems, based on other tests and symptoms, that, according to my doctor, I may have cancer.

It will be what it will be. In the mean time, I am worried about the test. Does anyone have feedback from experience? Thank you.
Click to expand...


The test is not at all bad. They gave me "waking sedation" which I think was Propofol and some other stuff. In my case, whether I was awake or not, I have no memory of the test itself. In other cases, the dose may just make you a babbling idiot for an hour. There are risks, but they are very minor - which is why most colonoscopies occur in doctor's clinics and not hospitals.

Should you have colon cancer, I don't think it's one of the really bad ones. They may be able to resect the bowel and, after recovery, you'll be able to go potty just like usual. But let's wait for the results. As you age, lots of crazy nodules form in your colon and all over your body. The large majority are benign.

Best wishes for your continued good health.
 
By the way, kind of a sideways step here, but the drug they use here tends to wipe out your short term memory. I get over these things quickly, but my wife has always had problems with this sort of thing, and it took her several hours. The interesting thing here is that we had been for some time dealing with my mom's Alzheimer's, and after the colonoscopy when among other things my wife asked repeatedly if it was over yet, and got the same answer repeatedly, she came to understand a little better how fragile short term memory is.

Needless to say, when you go for yours, make sure you have someone else to take you home.
 
wasapi said:
I have one scheduled soon. For some reason, I'm scared. It seems, based on other tests and symptoms, that, according to my doctor, I may have cancer.

It will be what it will be. In the mean time, I am worried about the test. Does anyone have feedback from experience? Thank you.
Click to expand...


I have had two of these and as said by others the prep is the worst part. I was out to it for the whole time. I was told they found some polyps and loped them off as they found them, so further surgery was not needed. Perhaps you may be this lucky also.

The last time I had it done, I was talked into volunteering for a stomach camera examination also. They were conducting a study and I was a control subject. They assured me they would use a different camera than the one used for the anal examination. :D
 
What about that little electronic pill that you can swallow and it can view your insides.

What became of that? Saw it one day on Ripley's Believe it or Not, early 2000s.

It was proposed as an alternative to colonoscopy and general endoscopy.
 
Someone I knew went for one and due to the numbing medication they give, the hospital insisted on the patient being met by someone else as they weren't able to leave on their own.
I met them and took them home, they loved the medication, so that could be a plus.
 
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It seems now, everywhere I look I find RotoRooter ads. Clean your pipes! Things like that. I hope I don't get a sink problem that requires a plunger . . .
 
Trebuchet said:
I think they used propofol on me. You know, the stuff that killed Michael Jackson. Don't worry, used properly it's safe and effective.
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It's a wonderful drug. You're lying on the table, next thing you know the doctor is tapping you on the shoulder telling you it's all over.


ETA: A liter of fluid to drink and a day of fasting, not a big deal.
 
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Marcus said:
It's a wonderful drug. You're lying on the table, next thing you know the doctor is tapping you on the shoulder telling you it's all over.


ETA: A liter of fluid to drink and a day of fasting, not a big deal.
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No I didn't think it such a big deal either.

I felt a sense of wellbeing afterward that my doctor told me was not uncommon.

You have never felt so thoroughly clean as after that preparation.
 
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