Maybe this is IMHO, but I’m looking for factual reportage.
I watched Dr. Oz’ Very Special Episode about his colonoscopy, and was reminded of the thing about it that freaks me out the most: the prep! ACK! I have a VERY fragile gag mechanism, and it’s extremely difficult for me to ingest disgusting things… especially disgusting things over and over and over again that are having a disgusting effect on me, like making me nauseated and making me empty my guts painfully.
But judging from Oz’s experience and the video of his innards, it’s damned effective stuff… his guts looked like they couldn’t be cleaner if they’d been soaked in Clorox.
Which leads me to think that the gallons of liquid bowel cleanser you drink are in fact horribly, sickeningly, painfully effective. And that I’d probably be throwing up more than anything else.
Reassure me. Or freak me out some more. Not that it makes much difference at the moment…without medical insurance, what’s the point of scraping together the money to get the test? What if you find something?
I’ve had three. Different doctors, different preps. In the first I had to drink a gallon IIRC of oily fluid with a really bad taste. I couldn’t get it all down, but I got enough to be able to have the test. The next time was some fluid and some pills, and the pharmacy offered me flavors for the liquid. Flavored oily liquid is no better. The third time it was something like 8 dulcolax and a smaller amount of lemon lime flavored liquid. It all tastes bad. I did throw up, but it all worked. Once you start your prep don’t plan on doing anything but being close to a bathroom. The procedure itself is a breeze. They told me it wasn’t a general, but I don’t remember a thing, and I never felt a thing. No polyps yet, thank goodness. My dad had colon cancer so I’m trying to be careful
As for the prep, you might do better with the older method: some powder that you put into Gatorade. While you’re limited to what flavors of Gatorade you use (no red dye), it at least tastes like a lemon lime drink and you can’t taste the powder in it. The big issue with that is the amount you need to drink – you get bloated and it’s hard to keep going (the fact that you’ve starved yourself that day helps).
The last time I used Moviprep. You have to drink far less of this, but the flavor is like salty lemonade. One big help: mix it all up in the morning (both batches) and let it chill in the refrigerator. When it’s cold, it’s much more palatable.
You should also talk to your doctor. Moviprep has different regimens and one might be better for you.
I’ve had two, using a gallon of “antifreeze” (polyethylene glycol, marketed as “colyte”) for prep. It’s a packet of powder to be dissolved in a gallon of water. The gastro guy that did it both times said he specifically thinks this stuff is safer than the phosphates.
It tastes vile, even when masked by the kool-aid packets which come with it. The directions were to drink 8 oz of the stuff every 10 min. By the time it kicked in, I was REALLY bloated. Followed by the mother of all cases of diarrhea. Until crapping a clear straw colored liquid. The second time the damned stuff took a few hours, and I simply had to delay the 10 min cycles because I couldn’t HOLD any more of it. What I find interesting is that you can get totally emptied out like that, and feel basically OK when you walk into the guy’s office for the procedure.
Yeah, the procedure itself is easy. I even find twilight sedation rather pleasurable. The first time I had horrible gas pains for a couple hours afterwards from being pumped up like a party balloon. 5 years later, when the second one came up, I mentioned that to him, and had no problems.
Yes, the prep is far worse than the test, which I’ve always done under conscious sedation, which means I go from ready? to recovery with no interval. (I used the same gastroenterologist for all four. When he had his done he insisted on staying awake so he could watch.)
There is no good or tasty way to completely evacuate your bowels. Every doctor seems to have a different method and changes it all the time. Getting the liquid cold is a definite help for me, too. I’ve never thrown up or even felt the need to. You will spend plenty of time in bathrooms. I’ve never had any aftereffects, and in fact I always go out to lunch right after.
A friend of mine decided not to get his 50 year old colonoscopy. About 5 years later he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He was diagnosed a few years ago and he’s still fighting in (but it’ll probably kill him within the next year or so), they said if he had gone in at 50 his prognosis would have been much better. I’ve heard it said that a colonoscopy is the single most important test you can take because of what they can find and how easily they can take care of it when they find it that early.
Look at it this way, you scrape together the cash and they find nothing and you’re good for 10 years. If they do find something it’ll be a lot easier (cheaper) to come up with the money to take care of it now then if you wait 5 years and it’s more advanced.
I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy last year. It was fine, I was expecting worse. I had to fast for two days, that was really hard on me. But the prep was okay - took some Dulcolax pills, and a full bottle of Miralax dissolved in two bottles of Gatorage. Puked a little after drinking it all, shit about 6 times, the last 3 were just water. Actual procedure I was in twilight sleep and didn’t feel a thing after, didn’t so much as fart.
I think you’re getting yourself worked up without good reason - the prep is no big deal.
Miralax (which I used) is tasteless, at least in the Gatorade-like products I mixed it into. If you follow instructions and limit other intake to broth for a short period before the procedure, there’s no vast or unpleasant amount of pooping. I’m sure all of us have had bouts of diarrhea that were considerably worse. The procedure itself, if you have adequate sedation, is a breeze. Or I guess it was, since I don’t remember anything between the time they were getting ready for it in the endoscopy room and I gradually realized I was in recovery talking to Mrs. J.
As pointed out by others, any uncomfortable aspects are nothing compared to what can happen if you develop a malignant colon tumor.
I would like to thank those who are posting and encouraging others. I was told last year by a dr. to get one (my gyno) and put it off. Thanks to you guys I have decided to actually get one. being 50 and all.
Its very important to get the information out there and push others to do this. I will post back afterwards (haven’t made an appointment yet).
The prep was so uneventful that I don’t even remember it. Just as well, from what I hear from others.
But the actual procedure was the most painful thing I’ve ever experienced and I’ve birthed two children. We’re talking screaming bloody murder painful.
Not to frighten anyone because I haven’t met anyone else who has claimed it hurt as much as I have. I don’t know what the problem was. Some mumbling about perhaps the wrong size of scope.
So I’m due for my second one and unwilling to do anything but the virtual one. My doctor said, “Yes, but if we find anything (ominous words) then we’ll have to do an actual one anyway. And at your age we’re bound to find something.”
I am only 37 and I had one last year. The prep was a breeze. I didn’t even think about it. You just drink some stuff, get diarrhea and hang out close to a toilet for a day. I am sure everyone has had the same thing happen through sickness.
I was dumb enough not to know that you are suppose to have someone there to drive you home after the procedure is done because it involves anethesia. I didn’t bring anyone and I wasn’t about to go through rescheduling so I talked the doctor into doing it without any anethesia which is technically possible but rarely done in the U.S. I won’t say that it didn’t hurt badly during brief points when the turns of the scope were made and air was blown in but I made it without any screams or excessive moving and it took about 45 minutes. I also just got to stand up and walk away the second it was done so I was happy about that.
If I can pull that off, you don’t have anything to worry about. It can’t be that bad if you take the drugs.
Pretty much my experience. They wouldn’t let me out of the recovery room until I had “passed gas”, relieving the pressure from the inflation. The second time I had the procedure done, I ripped off a fart that echoed off the walls and the nurse just smiled and said, “Sounds like somebody’s ready to go home!”.
I also thought the prep was not that big a deal. I drank the glycol stuff 2 years ago.
However I did wake up real briefly during the exam so I did have a bit of pain. When I came to I told the doctor “I think I need more drugs” and I was back out very quickly.
Here’s the bottom line. You drink a lot, you feel waterlogged for awhile, then you poop a lot.
Have you had diarrhea from illness or food poisoning? It’s nowhere near that bad. Have you ever had diarrhea from drinking too much beer the night before? It’s nowhere near that bad. Have you ever had an enema? It’s nowhere near that bad.
Do you want a more detailed description? Your gut gurgles. That’s your warning. It doesn’t cramp uncontrollably, it doesn’t bend you over in a knot.
What if they find something? They don’t usually, and if they do, it’s usually a polyp, a little bump inside your colon. They scrape it off but you don’t feel anything. Then they send it to be biopsied. Usually the answer comes back, “It’s a bump.”
The entire process is considerably less uncomfortable than having a cavity filled.
So what’s the point? My mother had colon cancer. I can put up with a gurgle.
