View Full Version : Colonoscopy Monday...
stroker
06-07-14, 06:00 PM
Suggestions, without getting too graphic?
TKGAngel
06-07-14, 06:55 PM
I've had three of them. Hooray for Crohn's disease.
- Ease up on what you eat today so that tomorrow will be easy peasy.
- If your prep plan allows you flexibility on when you can start drinking the lax mix, start earlier in the day. Make sure it's cold, too.
- Lemon ice, iced coffee and chicken broth were my go-to liquid foodstuffs.
- The first meal you eat afterward will be the best darned meal you ever have.
Good luck and hope it all goes well.
Make sure you have a full roll of toilet paper in your bathroom.
Just sayin
You should be fine as long as you follow the prep instructions. Nothing red to eat or drink the day before if I remember correctly. You won't be in any pain back there from the procedure. It will be a breeze. Good luck!
Kiwifan
06-07-14, 09:54 PM
What trish and TKG said. I've had two and the WORST thing about the whole deal is the not eating for two days before hand. No fruit or fibre. :shakehead:
As yes, the first meal afterward will be the best. :D
cameraman
06-07-14, 11:12 PM
The worst part of it for me was the taste of the "not red" Gatorade I chose. That was a large amount of vile to drink. Other than that it really isn't all that terrible. The stories are really overblown.
TravelGal
06-08-14, 01:44 AM
Seems to me that I chose Sprite. I agree that the hardest part is drinking so much. I like TKGA's advice of starting a little earlier in the day. I did that with my second one and found it much easier to "finish." Overall, don't sweat it. The prep is the pain the patoot. The procedure itself is a breeze.
stroker
06-08-14, 10:34 AM
The question is, how am I going to go to the bar and watch the Canadian GP?
:D
The only advice I could give is to follow the prep instructions to the letter. The better the prep, the better the test.
As others have said, the prep is the hard part, the procedure is a breeze.
Different gastroenterologists prescribe different preps. The least objectionable prep I’ve used is two 10oz bottles of citrate of magnesia. The lemon/lime flavor tastes like sour soda. Gulping down a couple of chilled 10oz bottles isn’t too bad.
Good luck.
Chill your solution very cold and drink it through a straw placed at the back of the tongue. My prep was in two rounds. I had no problem with the first. Finishing off the second round was a bit of a challenge. I think it depends a lot on your tolerance for salty liquids. Have some ointment for your butt available. Review the colon blow thread.
I'm very phobic about doctors and medical stuff and the procedure was easy once the prep was done. Be prepared for the fascination they have with making you pass gas in the recovery room.
Be prepared for the fascination they have with making you pass gas in the recovery room.
It’s actually just air. They slightly distend (inflate) your large intestine.
stroker
06-08-14, 04:13 PM
They're having me drink Miralax mixed with clear Gatorade. It could be a lot worse, actually.
The worst part for me is the last two or three bathroom runs and the type of anesthesia they use. I just had an upper endoscopy and they used propofol which was fantastic. I was lucid and had no nausea like I usually get afterwards.
It’s actually just air. They slightly distend (inflate) your large intestine.
Yes, air. Which (thankfully) is a gas. :) I understand that the point of it is to make sure that everything is working and the air is going to come out naturally. It's just amusing - at least while you're still somewhat sedated - to have someone checking telling you that you can't leave until you've passed gas.
TravelGal
06-08-14, 08:11 PM
Yes, air. Which (thankfully) is a gas. :) I understand that the point of it is to make sure that everything is working and the air is going to come out naturally. It's just amusing - at least while you're still somewhat sedated - to have someone checking telling you that you can't leave until you've passed gas.
I'm pleased beyond pleased to say that this doesn't happen with the clinic we use. Or maybe you hold onto your gas? Badda bing. :D
Yes, air. Which (thankfully) is a gas. :)
My point is that it doesn’t smell; it doesn’t contain methane or other intestinal gases.
stroker
06-09-14, 06:51 AM
Well, the appointment is for 8:15 and the procedure scheduled for 9. Got up at 5, drank the last of my goop and and now waiting for the final "cleanse". Didn't we have a thread about colon flushing a few years ago?
The only thing that concerns me is that my blood sugar is low at 62. I hope the Gatorade fixes that...
Well, the appointment is for 8:15 and the procedure scheduled for 9. Got up at 5, drank the last of my goop and and now waiting for the final "cleanse". Didn't we have a thread about colon flushing a few years ago?
The only thing that concerns me is that my blood sugar is low at 62. I hope the Gatorade fixes that...
They will give you a snack after the procedure. If you are worried about it, mention it when they are prepping you to go in for the procedure.
Bring a bag to toss your cookies in on the ride back home, just in case you get car sick. Make sure your chauffeur takes it easy.
Sorry I'm late to this party. Others have it pretty much covered. The quality of the prep is key - although the "best" prep is GoLightly, which is a gallon of the worst crap you'll ever have to drink. If they offer that up, ask for something else. It's thorough, if you can stomach it.
Afterwards, be sure to fart when you feel the urge. As others said, they fill your colon with air to get a good look around. Let it out!
cameraman
06-09-14, 12:06 PM
I had the Miralax/sugar-free pale green G2 gatorade mix. The Miralax really isn't that bad, as for the G2 Gatorade...
Also I have no recollection of any mention of gas or any gas issues. There was some rather annoying bleeding because of all the bits & pieces that they removed. No pain just kinda gross. Depends on your tolerance for seeing quite a bit of blood.
stroker
06-09-14, 12:44 PM
Procedure was about as painless/drama-free as I could possibly have imagined. Post-procedure gas elimination slightly complicated by leftover "fluid" in the system, but I'm home after a nice big breakfast. Thanks for all the input.
TravelGal
06-10-14, 12:59 AM
Glad to hear it. Didn't have time write until now but I checked back this afternoon just to see how you were. :thumbup:
RaceGrrl
06-10-14, 10:18 AM
Glad everything went all right. Hopefully you got the all clear for the next 10 years. :thumbup:
Procedure was about as painless/drama-free as I could possibly have imagined.
A few years ago a couple of morning DJs on a local rock station were talking about the procedure. I’m sure you can imagine how the conversation evolved. I tried to call in to tell them they were doing their listeners a disservice by making a simple procedure sound like some sort of medieval torture. I didn’t get through.
I’m happy to hear yours went well.
TravelGal
06-10-14, 01:10 PM
A few years ago a couple of morning DJs on a local rock station were talking about the procedure. I’m sure you can imagine how the conversation evolved. I tried to call in to tell them they were doing their listeners a disservice by making a simple procedure sound like some sort of medieval torture. I didn’t get through.
I’m happy to hear yours went well.
Good for you gjc2. I do the same thing every time I get one of those "hysterically funny" emails about mammograms. They are NOT funny and they are NOT true, as with a colonoscopy, if you have it done correctly.
I live tweeted the prep for mine, and posted a picture of the inside of my colon afterwards. Because you should talk about it. Screening can save your life.
I have to go every 5 years because of family history. Not something I look forward to, but I want people to know I've been through it, so they can ask questions and I can remind them that it is well worth the day of prep - and to ask about the prep options. Some of the older methods really are horrible.
cameraman
06-10-14, 04:17 PM
I get to go back in two which by now is less than one. I still get to reserve the right to go bleah at the prospect.
Since we're being informative and serious here, do they knock you out for this? Why?
I've had a (I assume) similar test, but I was awake, in an exam room.
What did I have that was different than what y'all had? I'm guessing that I just needed a look-see at the front stretch, and the real test goes to the back stretch. Is it a linear feet thing?
Does the full colonoscopy go around the corner? I'll find out soon enough, but thought I'd ask.
datachicane
06-10-14, 05:58 PM
Family history here, too, so I'm on the 5-yr plan. Dietary restrictions during the prep are the worst part, the procedure itself is nothing (thanks to most excellent drugs). No general anesthesia, just happy juice. No gas stuff or other physical aftereffects or discomfort of any kind. I'm a complete space cadet for the rest of the day or else I'd go back to work afterwards.
cameraman
06-10-14, 06:31 PM
Different strokes... I was out like a light. Was I intubated? No, but I have absolutely no recollection of the event at all. If I was "awake" well I must have been looong gone.
TKGAngel
06-10-14, 07:13 PM
Since we're being informative and serious here, do they knock you out for this? Why?
I've had a (I assume) similar test, but I was awake, in an exam room.
What did I have that was different than what y'all had? I'm guessing that I just needed a look-see at the front stretch, and the real test goes to the back stretch. Is it a linear feet thing?
Does the full colonoscopy go around the corner? I'll find out soon enough, but thought I'd ask.
Yes. A colonoscopy reviews the entire colon, while a sigmoidoscopy only does the part closest to the exit.
The amount of "out" you are for the test depends on you doc. My first test was done by a pediatric GI doc and he didn't give me a very strong dose of the meds, and it was not a pleasant experience. My last two tests, I was out cold.
nissan gtp
06-10-14, 09:15 PM
I requested as much "out" as they would give me :rofl:
They like to keep you as awake as possible. The last time, I felt some discomfort as they were getting started - kind of like having bad gas. I remember groaning, and then the doctor telling them to push a little bit more of some drug. Next thing I knew, they were done and I was heading to recovery.
RaceGrrl
06-11-14, 12:27 PM
After years of working in primary care offices, the thing we heard most frequently from patients was that it wasn't the actual procedure itself that was anxiety-inducing, but the thought of what the procedure WAS that caused the anxiety. I felt the same way before mine. Going forward, I'm only dreading the prep. The last few hours of drinking that stuff had me vomiting every time it hit my stomach. Next time I'll know when it's ok to stop drinking it. They said I could stop when I was passing clear liquid. Doh... I wasn't thinking that the liquid would be bile-yellow because, hello... bile is yellow. :gomer:
stroker
06-11-14, 01:08 PM
After years of working in primary care offices, the thing we heard most frequently from patients was that it wasn't the actual procedure itself that was anxiety-inducing, but the thought of what the procedure WAS that caused the anxiety. I felt the same way before mine. Going forward, I'm only dreading the prep. The last few hours of drinking that stuff had me vomiting every time it hit my stomach. Next time I'll know when it's ok to stop drinking it. They said I could stop when I was passing clear liquid. Doh... I wasn't thinking that the liquid would be bile-yellow because, hello... bile is yellow. :gomer:
The stuff shouldn't have you puking. Ask them if you can try a different "flush". Seriously, the Miralax/Gatorade Frost mix wasn't too bad.
They like to keep you as awake as possible. The last time, I felt some discomfort as they were getting started - kind of like having bad gas. I remember groaning, and then the doctor telling them to push a little bit more of some drug. Next thing I knew, they were done and I was heading to recovery.
If anything bad happens during a medical procedure it's likely to have something to do with the anesthesia.
I really miss CART
Remember when OC was a motor racing forum?
WickerBill
06-11-14, 03:48 PM
Remember when OC was a motor racing forum?
Not in this forum, it wasn't.
Some of the first topics here in 2003: Microsizers, Green Bay Packers, official beer of Off Camber, finding a phone number, and Ohio is for hicks. We haven't changed much.
Not in this forum, it wasn't.
Some of the first topics here in 2003: Microsizers, Green Bay Packers, official beer of Off Camber, finding a phone number, and Ohio is for hicks. We haven't changed much.
What's the official beer?
stroker
06-11-14, 04:24 PM
I don't remember a Green Bay Packer thread...
I don't remember a Green Bay Packer thread...
Actually it would fit in with this one quite well. :p
RaceGrrl
06-11-14, 06:19 PM
Actually it would fit in with this one quite well. :p
:laugh::thumbup:
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