I’ve been having some bowel problems lately, and my doctor referred me to a GI specialist. They are likely going to give me a colonoscopy to find out what all the hubbub is down there. He explained that they give me this stuff that cleans me out the day before, and I would be on IV anestesia.
This is important, in order to rule out possible ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease, or (unlikely) some kind of cancer. However, in spite of the medical seriousness, I am not looking forward to this. I’m kind of stressed about the whole anxiety of it- and it doesn’t help it is happening amonst me moving and possibly changing jobs.
So any dopers who’ve had it, what am I getting myself into? And how quickly were you able to go back to work?
Okay, I don’t know how typical my experience was, but it really was no big deal. The hardest part of it was the clear liquid diet for three days before. And that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I could have tea, coffee, clear juice, broth, water, and strangely enough, hard candy and gumdrops. I heated chicken broth in the microwave quite a bit, and it kept me from feeling hungry. Also was a good foil for the sweet of everything of the diet. As I remember, I had to take the Fleet stuff the evening before the procedure, and then again first thing in the morning. Having read some things here, I was prepared for nasty results, but it wasn’t bad. Thorough, but not painful, or even desperately urgent.
I went to the clinic, they started an IV, took me into the room and had me lie on my left side. I don’t remember really anything of the procedure itself, but I did see some of the pictures on the screen, a bit here and a bit there. Afterward, they gave me something to drink, 7-Up I think I chose, and had me sit for a while to be sure everything was all right. And they wanted me to pass gas. I did, they helped me get cleaned up, I got dressed, and we went home. I was fine afterward, and probably could have gone to work if I’d been employed at the time. As it was I went home to my regular SAHM routine.
Not something I’d like to do on a regular basis, but not so bad I’d avoid it.
In my case it was only for about one day before it. The nastiest part was the stuff you have to drink to clear you out, ooooh that was awful; my ex-wife described it as tasing like she imagined nuclear waste would. Downing a whole bottle full took a real act of will.
The actual procesdure was nothing, I went under a light GA and it was over before you knew it.
Nothing too special for me the day before (I think I had to stop eating after 8pm or so), then the next morning I had to drink a liter of prep fluid that tasted just awful and had me shitting vigorously for several hours until there was nothing left inside.
Around mid-afternoon I went in for the scan. I don’t think I fell asleep during the procedure, but it’s possible. They gave me IV anesthesia which left me painless and happy, and let me watch the procedure on a little TV screen. Afterwards, they wheeled me into a small side room where I fell asleep for a little while before going home on my own.
One thing they didn’t mention, however, (and I was too high to notice) was that they inflate the colon with air to let the camera maneuver more easily. When I got home I started feeling some discomfort and began wondering if they’d scratched the inside of my intestines with the camera or even punched a hole in something. The pain got bad enough that I had to lie down, and I started thinking to myself “man, I don’t think I can hold out like this, I’m going to have to call an amb-BBBRRRROOOOOOOMMMMMPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPBPFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFT!.. never mind.”
Yeah, I’ve had two and the worst part is the fasting, the laxative and the cleanout the night before. The procedure itself is no big deal. You could go to work the next day, no problem. You will need someone to drive you home, due to the after effects of anesthetic.
My experience also. I didn’t mind the fasting that much, but drinking tons of stuff to clean you out is awful. The procedure itself is a piece of cake.
Regardless of how uneasy you feel about it, you’ve GOT to have it done.
My wife, who turned 50 two years ago, was told by her Dr. - “Well, you’re 50. Time for a colonoscopy.” She had no signs, no troubles - nothing.
They ended up finding a cancerous lesion and she had 18" of her colon removed last August. Colon cancer is the 4th most common form of cancer in the US.
Endure the inconvenience of the pre-screening treatment, but get it done.
Way easier than a pelvic exam. And it’s the nicest little buzz right before you go under. You feel NOTHING. You remember NOTHING. There is no humiliation factor, no pain, no nothing. In my opinion it’s easier than a tooth extraction.
Well, yeah…there’s always that. But I was expecting much worse than it actually was. I mean, I’m not going to do it on Saturday night just for kicks, but it’s not completely horrid.
I just had my second one a few weeks ago. The procedure itself is no problem–you’re sedated for it anyway–but the day or so of preparation beforehand is unpleasant, with the liquid diet and especially the icky-flavored drink that turns your intestines into a waterway and sends you into the bathroom every 2 minutes.
The first time I had one, about 5 years ago, I was nauseous afterwards and the friend who drove me home had to pull over quickly so that I wasn’t sick in her car. This time, I felt fine once the anesthetic wore off and just went home and lay down for a couple of hours, then got something to eat. No discomfort afterwards (but it turns out I have diverticulitis, so I’m on a special low-fiber diet for the whole month).
Hints on drinking the “nasty stuff” (sodium bicarbonate):
The bottle will say it’s Lemon-Lime flavor. What it actually tastes like is Sprite that has gone flat, then had an entire box of salt and about 2 cups of sugar added. Here’s the thing: get it as cold as possible without freezing it. Use a straw to drink it. The straw can be put near the back of your tongue, to minimize what you have to taste of the stuff. Have a cold glass of something you like, close at hand. Down as much of the nasty stuff as you can in one gulp, chase with the beverage of your choice, repeat until the nasty stuff is gone.
The drink I had was “cherry flavored,” and yes it was like flat, stale, cloying pop. The instructions were to drink a glass of it every 15 minutes, and I found that drinking each glass as quickly as possible and having a glass of water ready to sip afterwards to get the taste out of my mouth was really the best way to manage it. I couldn’t stand to look at the bottle of stuff after the first hour, and I was only halfway through!
It’s a lot scarier in concept than it is in practice. There is a tiny risk, but the younger you are the less the risk (younger being relative here). And once you have it done, you have a whole bunch of new material for your office cooler moments.
I’ll have one done every 5 years because benign polyps were found with my first colonoscopy. My doctor has me “prep” for just one day before, and schedules the procedure for sometime before noon. I always take two days of pre-arranged sick leave – one for the emptying-out and one for the procedure and to recover from the anesthesia. Not that it immobilizes you for two days, but it’s just nice to not have to worry about work while running to the can all day before the procedure. And the recovery is necessary because they put you clear under for it (or, at least they did me).
Just make sure the surgeon isn’t playing Lou Rawls “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” as you go under. You’ll be fine.
Speaking as a medical biller instead of as a human being, let me stress that while there is a new non-invasive alternative called CT colonography, which doesn’t involve sticking tubes up your recharge socket, CT colonography is a new procedure and as such is not paid by most insurance companies, especially not by Medicare.
If for some reason they cannot perform the regular colonoscopy, they might recommend the CT colonograophy. Should that happen, call your insurance company first. Chances are you’d be on the hook for paying the total yourself. If it’s Medicare, don’t bother; they won’t pay.
If you’re having intestinal problems then the prep is the part of the procedure that’s a pain in the ass (why yes, I have Crohn’s disease and have had several colonscopies.)
To help minimize possible soreness of your bum during the prep, use petroleum jelly liberally on your nether regions, keep the jar next to the toilet, and use flushable wipes as well. The actual procedure is a piece of cake; I never remember any of it.
I seem to be the only person whose experience was bad. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that everyone else seems TO HAVE BEEN SEDATED. Not me. I was perfectly aware of everything they did, first with the bicycle pump session and later as a barium-filled hypno-napolean. They never even mentioned that sedation was an option. I guess it was easier on the radiologists for me to be in pain than to have to cart me around zonked out. Bastards.
Think about the worst time you’ve ever had to crap. Now imagine that there’s a cork in your ass. I was literally bloated and was cramping up badly. And every time I managed to get a bit of comfort (that is, a lessening of discomfort), they’d roll me over: left side, right side, front, back, standing on your head, each of the above with the table inclined in various dimensions. All the while with a tube up my ass. I thought I was in a tentacle rape anime.
In the edit: Vevilas advice about keeping yourself from getting raw is right on target. My advice on that matter is to get yourself a good book. You won’t be going far from the toilet.
