Don't want a colonoscopy? Use this test instead.

[puzzlegal]

@Senegoid

Can you give us a bit of TMI on that? Not that I want to know or pry, but maybe I would want to try it this way myself, next time? In particular, do you have the option to cry Uncle and start the sedation at any time during the procedure?

sure.

I had previously had an upper gi endoscopy with sedation, and I felt groggy and useless for rest that day. Then I couldn’t sleep that night, and felt jet lagged and tired the next day. So I was very motivated to avoid sedation.

I had both an upper and lower procedure when I had the colonoscopy. The upper was very unpleasant, because I gag and wretch. If I had been inclined to bail, that’s when I would have. The colonoscopy was tame in comparison.

I don’t actually remember if the bailout option-in was sedation or “go home”. I’d guess it was sedation, but I can’t swear to that.

The scope felt crampy when they inserted it. At one point, the nurse suggested I might want to grip the railing of the bed, to better cope, and i did that. But it was less painful than the part of labor (for childbirth) that happens before they offer you anesthesia. Unpleasant, but a level of pain that’s well within what most people can endure.

They shove the tube all the way in, to the end the large colon, and actually do the exam as they extract it. That part was painless. You fart some, because they pump you full of air so they can see better. The actual exam was fun, because I got to watch, and they explained what they were seeing. I suppose if they found anything it might have been scary, but my colonoscopy clean.

The scope itself is fairly narrow, and they use lots of lube, so the insertion and extraction of the scope is easy. I think the part that is uncomfortable is the air.

I am not especially inclined to painful gas cramps. When I get gas, it mostly just goes through me. (Although a had a bad experience with too much apple juice once, so I have had gas cramps.) I think i may have had easier time than someone who routinely finds gas painful. And maybe if you have an especially fragile colon it would hurt more.

When it was over, I was shocked at how easy it had been, especially as compared to early labor. And I was left puzzled as to why the standard is to sedate people.

[Mama_Zappa]

@puzzlegal

There are different preps. The part I disliked most was not eating fiber (or anything red) for a week. The actual “flush” wasn’t as bad as I expected. I pretty much spent 3-4 hours on the toilet with my laptop and a novel. No pain, just had to use that particular seat in the house.

Huh - strange. I mean, I know about avoiding red dye but was not told to avoid it for anything like that long. Ditto the low fiber (which has always confused me, you’d think that extra fiber would help the cleanse get done that much faster / easier).

As a side note: “no fiber” (for a day or two or however long) does NOT mean you can’t have some, um, “help”. I use a regular dose of Miralax those days. It helps prevent the dreaded poo-crete syndrome!

[puzzlegal]

Yeah, I seem to have been told to avoid fiber for longer than most people. And I realized that every meal has some fiber. Want lettuce and a pickle with that sandwich? Some beans at supper? Maybe an apple with breakfast? Nope, wait until next week.

I think the goal is to have as little residue to flush out as possible. Fiber keeps things moving, but it is “stuff” and the more stuff there is, the hard it is to cleanly flush away ALL the stuff.

[Knowed_Out]

The worst part is the two-day prep and drinking solution that tastes like really stale margaritas without the alcohol. The morning of the procedure though, my waste was all liquid, clear and yellow.

My buddy drove me to the place, and the nurses kept asking me if I knew what I was there for. After I changed into the gown, they hooked up an IV to me and told me to roll to my side. They then rolled me into the operating room, changed the IV with the sedative, and clamped my finger. I remember the beeping of the monitor, and the nurses talking, then I think I fell asleep. The next thing I remember is my buddy saying “You awake yet?” I didn’t even realize the procedure had already been done or that they had moved me back to the pre-op area. My ass felt fine.