Today, my wife went in, not just for a colonoscopy, but for a similar exam at the other end: a gastroscopy. The doctor inserts an endoscope into the mouth, down the esophasgus into the stomach and through that into the duodenum.
Sounds ghastly, but the consolation is they dope you up.
So my wife has the colonoscopy first. With the anesthesia, it was a breeze.
The the next thing she knows, the nurse is disconnecting her IV and getting her ready to go back to the recovery room.
Wife (groggily): Wait. I still have to have that other test.
I had both procedures done a couple of years ago. I must say that they were right about the twilight anesthetic. I don’t remember a thing. The worst part was drinking the nasty stuff to clean out my system.
Now that I’ve hit the big 50, I expect they’ll be done more frequently. swell…
Had a colonoscopy last year. The laxative the night before is the hard part; you have to stay pretty near the bathroom most of the evening. Once you get to the hospital, though, it’s simple and painless.
I remember being wheeled in and being asked to roll onto my side. Then they put in the anesthetic; I felt slightly cold where the IV needle was.
Then, bang. I was in the recovery room.
They found a polyp. Didn’t surprise me: I’m prone to skin tags and I figured if I got them externally so easily, I’d probably get the same sort of thing internally. The only downside is that I have to back every 5 years instead of ten.
My only tip is to get Gatorade you like (and you’re limited in your choices).
I’m supposed to be getting one; when I had a physical a year and a half ago my doctor recommended it and gave me someone’s card. When I called about making an appointment I found out he’s only at the local clinic every other Wednesday morning, and I decided to wait a few months so I could schedule it on a day I was going to be off work anyway. Well, things came up and I forgot, and during the past year I’ve had other things on my mind and forgot about it. I suppose I should dig out the doctor’s card and see what I can set up.
My doctor said that it takes about 10 years for a polyp to even begin to become anything dangerous. So unless there are other reasons, he said, once a decade is sufficient.
I have to add a comment on the “virtual colonoscopy” that is advertised on the radio a lot. First of all, it won’t save you from the really nasty prep part. And even if, as some say, it is as good as the real one, if anything’s found they will have to do another procedure to remove the polyp or whatever. And the twilight sleep or conscious sedation makes the exam itself an absolute nothing.
My sister was sharing a hospital room with a woman who had just had a colonoscopy or some such procedure, and the poor woman had been so filled with air in the process, she was laying over there farting like a deflating dirigible. The nurse just kept saying, “don’t worry honey, just let it all out”
No, NO, Let us all out, of the room!!!
I had one last year also. Don’t remember a thing. But they found 3 polyps, 2 pre-cancerous. Between that and an uncle with colon cancer, my doctor says every 3 years. Such a joy!
I’ll echo what many here have already said. The only bad part was the laxative pills–what a misearble night! By the morning (I was scheduled for 8:00) I was dehydrated, miserable, and had a pounding headache. They laid me on the table, set up the IV and told me that they were about to administer the anesthetic. “Will it take care of my headache?” I joked (barely). Sure it will, they said, this will burn a little as it enters your vein–let us know when it makes it to your head. “It’s up to my elbow,” I replied about three seconds later. The very next thing I knew, I was waking up listening to my wife talk to the doctor. My headache was gone.
They gave me a t-shirt that reads “Ask me about my Colonoscopy!” That I wear in public, much to my wife’s horror.
I recently had something similar to a colonoscopy but they don’t go in quite so far, can’t remember the name. They gave me the IV and about 15 seconds later I was out cold, don’t even remember passing out. Plus I was determined to stay away as long as possible to sort of test myself…ha!
OK, I don’t know what the hell kind of quack sadist I am starting to think I went to but I didn’t take any laxative pills. I got the double whollop fleet and fast treatment (don’t eat anything for 14 hours and take two enemas - mmmm, fun) and no drugs - just the soundtrack to JAWS as I watched the camera inch closer and closer to my butt and a “think warm thoughts” from my dr. He pulled back when the camera activated my gag reflex. The nurse then wondered aloud what I had done to piss off my regular doctor to send me in for this.
Hmm. You lucky bastards and your “twilight anesthetic” - I’m making sarcastic finger bunnies in case you can’t seem me. I’m guessing you can’t. Hoping, anyways.
Rez, I have to agree with the nurse. My laxative was a liquid, but otherwise I agree with the others here. They started the iv, then I was back in my room. No problems.
