# Time to see Dr. Poopersnooper **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 12, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709 "2016-07-12T04:54:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Redfishhunter930](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Redfishhunter930](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfishhunter930)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/1 "2016-07-12T04:54:51Z")
Hey I want them to get a want a clear picture. But, Really a light breakfast and then @ 2p.m. 3 dulcolax and 3 ltrs. of peglyte? Wow I drink a lot of water everyday and I can go with no heavy meal but what’s the straight colon? Sorry,Is there? What should and shouldn’t consume. Before the big picture. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/2 "2016-07-12T05:14:48Z")
Medical advice is best suited to IMHO. You might get a better response if you were clearer about what you were asking. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Redfishhunter930](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Redfishhunter930](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redfishhunter930)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/3 "2016-07-12T05:28:29Z")
Yeh um, colonoscopy. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/4 "2016-07-12T07:32:38Z")
Didn’t your doctor give you a hand-out with the list of allowed and not allowed foods and beverages? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/5 "2016-07-12T10:50:51Z")
Clear stuff, nothing with red or purple dye… ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/6 "2016-07-12T11:47:59Z")
I’m not a doctor, so my first response to your situation is probably medically unsound. However, what **could** go wrong with downing several litres of lube? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/7 "2016-07-12T11:53:20Z")
A friend who had to go through that once advised: “Don’t wear pants you can’t take down quickly, don’t get more than 5 steps from your commode, and unless you like surprises, don’t bend over to pick anything up.” Maybe he was just joking though… ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/8 "2016-07-12T12:03:55Z")
Fecal continence does vary from one person to another. I didn’t have an issue with reaching the toilet, although at times I was moving very fast. My spouse, on the other hand, pretty much just camped out in the bathroom. General rule: nothing but clear fluids past a certain time point (which your doctor should have told you. If he didn’t, call his office and find out.) That means things like broth (no solid bits in it), clear gelatin, soft drinks, water, apple juice but NOTHING RED!!! At all. But really, call the doc’s office if you’re not sure. You want a good prep for a good test so you don’t have to do this all over. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/9 "2016-07-12T14:51:57Z")
When I went through this I got sick of soft drinks, and craved something salty. Clear consommé was the answer. The procedure itself was easier than the prep. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/10 "2016-07-12T15:15:35Z")
> [@](#): > > The procedure itself was easier than the prep. So I’ve heard. But having reached that age where doctors are fascinated with my lower GI tract, I found they now prefer to do “high colonoscopy” as far up into the small intestine as they can… which is much more painful and invasive and done under anesthesia. One more reason to keep forgetting to set a date. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/11 "2016-07-12T15:19:31Z")
I wonder if the governor of Colorado ever got a Hickenlooper Poopersnooper? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/12 "2016-07-12T15:52:16Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So I’ve heard. But having reached that age where doctors are fascinated with my lower GI tract, I found they now prefer to do “high colonoscopy” as far up into the small intestine as they can… which is much more painful and invasive and done under anesthesia. One more reason to keep forgetting to set a date. My recent “regular colonoscopy” was done under anesthesia. It was my understanding that they all are. ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/13 "2016-07-12T16:33:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So I’ve heard. But having reached that age where doctors are fascinated with my lower GI tract, I found they now prefer to do “high colonoscopy” as far up into the small intestine as they can… which is much more painful and invasive and done under anesthesia. One more reason to keep forgetting to set a date. Yup, anesthesia is standard for all colonoscopies nowadays. Please set that date. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/14 "2016-07-12T17:32:54Z")
Anesthesia has levels. Typically doctors around here “twilight” you for a colonoscopy. For my age 50 colonoscopy I was pretty much out. I do remember feeling a pinch at one point; I must have reacted because the doctor said, “Yes, going around that bend can cause a little discomfort.” Other than that, I was out. I had outpatient surgery for kidney stones about a year before I was due for my age 60 colonoscopy. That time I was put entirely out, but I think the anesthesiologist used a bit too much medication, because I had problems the next week – waking up in the early AM to puke and uncontrollable shaking at night. Unfortunately I mentioned this to the anesthesiologist before my colonoscopy. He under-medicated me. I was too out of it to say anything, but I was pretty awake for the whole procedure. It was not fun. But it wasn’t excruciating either, and it was over soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/15 "2016-07-12T17:33:37Z")
You have to be completely empty, hence the super duper cleanse. The doctor needs to go up to where the large intestine meets the small and he can’t see the walls of your intestine if there’s gunk in the way. My husband is terribly constipated from the pain meds he takes. Four hours after taking his first dose of the prep nothing had moved and his belly hurt terribly. The doctor told him to take the next dose. That finally worked, but he still didn’t get completely cleaned out. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/16 "2016-07-12T17:49:56Z")
There are quite a few threads about people having colonoscopies, like [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=416276&highlight=colonoscopy) and [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575251&highlight=colonoscopy). ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/17 "2016-07-12T17:52:34Z")
I’m going to do the new [Cologuard](http://www.cologuardtest.com/) test instead the next time I’m due. It’s a kind of stool test that tests for a DNA marker which indicates the presence of polyps. If if finds nothing, then you’re done, without the prep and without the procedure. If it does see something suspicious, then you have to go in. It’s not the FIT; that’s something different. Insurance should cover it, but if not, it’s worth it to me. That prep was godawful, even if the test was not so bad. And I had to take two days off: one for prep, and one for the procedure. My husband had to take a day off, too, to drive me there and back. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/18 "2016-07-12T17:55:11Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Fecal continence does vary from one person to another. I didn’t have an issue with reaching the toilet, although at times I was moving very fast. My spouse, on the other hand, pretty much just camped out in the bathroom. > > General rule: nothing but clear fluids past a certain time point (which your doctor should have told you. If he didn’t, call his office and find out.) That means things like broth (no solid bits in it), clear gelatin, soft drinks, water, apple juice but NOTHING RED!!! At all. > > But really, call the doc’s office if you’re not sure. You want a good prep for a good test so you don’t have to do this all over. Oddly enough, when I had mine done a couple years back, one of the acceptable drinks was Ensure (even though it’s not clear) and the strawberry flavor was ok (even though it’s red). But yeah otherwise broth, jello, clear fruit juice… ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/19 "2016-07-12T21:32:25Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > There are quite a few threads about people having colonoscopies, like [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=416276&highlight=colonoscopy) and [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575251&highlight=colonoscopy). And if you’re looking for a reason to do it, here’s [my thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=768866) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709/20 "2016-07-12T21:39:36Z")
there’s no clear evidence as to which test is superior for screening for colorectal cancer. Nothing to support a colonoscopy vs one of the newer stool screening tests. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-see-dr-poopersnooper/759709.md?page=2)