I’ve had one before, about 5 years ago, no big deal. This time I hadn’t eaten anything
solid since saturday afternoon. Sunday eve. I drank three glasses of water w/ a
tblsp.of phos-soda in each. I also had several cups of coffee and broth. Early sunday
morning I drank three more of the phos-soda mixture (yuck). I’m also on meds. for
high blood press. which I had taken both sat. and sun. night.
By the time I got my shower and got dressed I was feeling really fatigued and a little
light headed, but I chalked it up to the fasting. By 11 monday morning I was in one of
those gawd awful hosp. gowns and in a hosp. bed. Two nurses came in to start an IV
and check my vitals. I mentioned that I was feeling kind of light headed, it had gotten
worse, and about that time my blood press. showed very low, can’t recall the
numbers, but the nurse said that must be wrong, so she rechecked it, still low. Next
thing I know the doc. is beside me and another guy doing an EKG. They upped the
flow on the IV and chatted w/ me for a few minutes before wheeling me into the
procedure room. On the way the nurse, cute and witty, told me she became
concerned as I had looked very pale and had summoned the doc. Consensus was
that the combination of fasting, the laxatives and my blood press. meds. had made my
press. drop well below acceptable levels. Alls well, that ends well.
I was doped up for the procedure, but I remember several incidents of pain,
probably due to the air pumped in. The doc. cut out a couple of polyps and I’ll get
the biopsy results on friday.
Not a fun experience, but not that terrible either, and definitely worth the peace of
mind.
I had one back in August. The colonoscopy itself isn’t really that bad. It’s the prep the day before that was hell.
Hope everything turns out well for you!
I forgot to mention something. When you were “cleaning yourself out” the day before did they prescribe to you one of those laxative drinks with electrolytes in it?
That’s what they gave me in addition to that raunchy magnesium sulfate stuff.
The purpose of that is to blow out the colon without risking dehydration and a dangerous drop in potassium and the like. It does make a difference as I didn’t feel weak or wiped out the morning of my procedure.
Just something you may want to talk to the doc about should you need to go through this again.
Cheers,
Chao
Wow, A.R. That’s putting a bit of a variable in the equation. Still, a cute, witty and competent nurse, eh? I hope you dropped to a knee and proposed on the spot.
Thank goodness for modern meds, namely anesthesia. I was supposed to have an endoscopy followed by a colonoscopy the same morning a month or so ago. I remember laying there knowing they were about to stick an IMAX down my throat and was hoping it wouldn’t pass by one coming from the other direction. I could just imagine them both keeping going like the crews paid by the mile overlapping tracks for the transcontinental railroad. I was determined to stay conscious as long as possible so they’d really give me a knockout punch of anesthesia. I heard the doc say “You need to move your waist around some so we can reach the last little bit” and realizing he was playing with my rectum. I said “Hey, I thought you were going to do the endoscopy first!” His reply? “We already did it.”
Thanks, Docs, for letting me take a trip and never leave the farm. Do what you gotta and just wake me when you’re done.
Y’all just remember…do the best you can when prepping for and undergoing a colonoscopy. If you “flunk” that, you’ll be coming to see me–with my barium-swollen enema bag.
Sometimes, though, people’s colons are simply too tortuous and the 'scope can’t see all the way to the end, and they still have to come down to my lair.
I’ll be gentle.
Reminds me…I’ve got to order a couple more tubs of axle grease.
I have to get an endoscopy next month. Do they give you the same drugs to relax you as for the colonoscopy or do they knock you out entirely? I was awake for the colonscopy but doped up on Demoral so I wouldn’t have cared if they stuck a deguerrotype up my ass.
I debated posting my experience and decided that maybe someone else facing the
procedure might gain some knowledge from my experience.
I did not have any electrolytes during the laxative prep, that may have helped w/ the
BP problem, but I don’t know that. Seems logical, but I have no medical training. The
laxative was a Fleet product called Phospho-Soda and I had to mix an ounce w/ 8
ozs. of liquid (water or other clear liquid). I drank (forced down) three of those
sunday eve. and three more monday morn.
I’ve had the barium enema twice, but it was many years ago. The thing I remember
about that was the discomfort in trying to hold it in and hold still while they took the
X-rays.
I’ve also had the sigmoidoscope and found it more uncomfortable than the
colonoscopy, but that’s because they don’t drug you for it. The air seems to be the
cause of the pain and it’s apparently used in both procedures.
I’ve also read that the colonoscopy is much more thorough and effective at spotting
problems, as it goes much further into your system.
I wasn’t completely out during the procedure, but my recollections a very vague, so I
was pretty well doped up. I don’t know what drugs they used.
Yes, the “cute” nurse was very competent, as were all who attended me. When they
discovered the low BP the reaction was very quick and efficient. I don’t know how
threatening the situation was, but there was no lack of response.
The “cute” nurse was probably in her 40’s and very upbeat. She was actually singing
to herself as she worked on me. A very relaxing and pleasant person to be with in a
somewhat stressful situation.
Aah, I recall a moment of utter humiliation when I got my asscam. There was a young nurse, very beautiful. Stunningly beautiful, and oh so nice, as all the staff were. After the doc had finished the scope, she rolls up to me and says, I’m just going to clean you up a bit before we wheel you out.
Gah!!! Hot nurse was wiping KY off my ass!!! Not that I had any dignity lying there with my ass everywhere and a camera shoved up my colon but that ass wiping about killed me right there.
I had one of these last year. My nurse called the anesthesia a “waking sedative”, or something like that. Anyone know how it works, or the proper name for it? I got the impression that I wouldn’t be completely out, and that if they needed to wake me up in a hurry, they could do that, after using that kind of sedative.
I agree, the procedure itself is painless, but the prepping was torture.
I uess so. My wife had one of these 2 years ago. I drove her home afterwards from the hospital. (all was fine, BTW)
We get to the road that goes around Eglin AFB. She asks, “Are at the range gate yet?”
I say, “No, another mile or two.”
I turn on to the main road, get maybe a quarter of a mile, and she says, “Are we at the range gate yet? …Why are you laughing?”
I say, “No, not yet.”
When we pass the range gate, I point and say, “OK, there’s the range gate.”
She looks at me and goes, “What about the range gate???”