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I Had My Colonoscopy Thursday.

cahill

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cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted

Last Thursday I had a colonoscopy.

I am 54, have celiacs and have been having some symptoms that lead my doc to believe a colonscopy was in order.

Actually my doc has been after me to have one for the last couple of years ,, something about being over 50 <_< . I always have come up with excuses to put it off.

Well my GI doc was not so easy to put off :P

So I agreed to have one :huh:

From the time I agreed to have it until it was done I did nothing but whine and worry about having it.

I even posted in these fourms whining about the prep and my worrys.

Everyone was patient and informative. I was still nervous and embarrassed.

So ,I do the prep ( not nearly as bad as I expected)

I go in Thursday and staff was wonderful,they were patient ,professional and listened to me whine and worry :rolleyes: and said " it will be OK"

And it was, they gave me some meds, I dont remember anything of the procedure, got up ( after the procedure :P ) and walk to the car and went home. Had lunch and took a nap B)

After spending the last couple of years putting it off ,then when I finally agree to have one,I wasted 2 weeks whining and worrying over something that turned out to be simpler then many other procedures I have had.

A simple procedure that potentially could have saved my life.

I had my colonoscopy last Thursday. Have you had yours??

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Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

After spending the last couple of years putting it off ,then when I finally agree to have one,I wasted 2 weeks whining and worrying over something that turned out to be simpler then many other procedures I have had.

:lol: :lol: :lol: So true for many things in life. It's generous of you to be so honest about your actions so the rest of us can't put up any excuses.

Diane-in-FL Explorer
Diane-in-FL
Posted

Yes, I have had mine, but, for some of us, the prep is absolutely awful. :( I guess it depends on your doctor and what method he or she uses. The procedure itself was a piece of cake and they didn't find anything, so I'm glad for that. But I will be VERY reluctant to ever have another one.

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted
  • Author

:lol: :lol: :lol: So true for many things in life. It's generous of you to be so honest about your actions so the rest of us can't put up any excuses.

sooooo ya had one :P ??

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted
  • Author

Yes, I have had mine, but, for some of us, the prep is absolutely awful. :( I guess it depends on your doctor and what method he or she uses. The procedure itself was a piece of cake and they didn't find anything, so I'm glad for that. But I will be VERY reluctant to ever have another one.

I sorry the prep was awful for you Diane,,, can I ask what kind of prep your doc had you do??

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

sooooo ya had one :P ??

:lol: :lol: I have a few more years to fuss and whine before I'm expected to go under the "scope". :P

Diane-in-FL Explorer
Diane-in-FL
Posted

I sorry the prep was awful for you Diane,,, can I ask what kind of prep your doc had you do??

I had to take enormous pills. 4 at a time every 15 minutes until I had taken 12. First round was at 11am, then again at 5pm. They started to work before I even finished the first dose and I literally had to sit in a chair by the bathroom door all day and well into the evening. It was brutal. I drank lots and lots of liquid but still got dehydrated. :(

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cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted
  • Author

I had to take enormous pills. 4 at a time every 15 minutes until I had taken 12. First round was at 11am, then again at 5pm. They started to work before I even finished the first dose and I literally had to sit in a chair by the bathroom door all day and well into the evening. It was brutal. I drank lots and lots of liquid but still got dehydrated. :(

WOW, I would be reluctant to do that too :(

Mine was 1 pill then I mixed a powder into 2 liters of water and had to drink 8 oz every 15 to 30 min until it was gone. I started the prep at 3;30 and was done by 9;30 went to bed and got up once during the night and one more time in the morning and I was done.

WOW I guess what the prep is makes a BIG difference

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I had my colonoscopy last Thursday. Have you had yours??

Yes, and I whined and worried, too. The prep was nasty but thankfully I wasn't nauseated and I managed to drink every last drop. The procedure itself was easy except I was dehydrated and they had a hard time with the IV.

But overall, I was more concerned when I had my endoscopy as I'm not used to invasive procedures.

luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

I had mine at age 48, when I went to a GI doc for what turned out to be celiac disease. He ordered a bunch of bloodwork and said that 48 was close enough to 50, so a screening colonoscopy was in order. He then warned me that he wasn't a doc to use tons of anesthesia. I'd seen colonoscopies and endoscopies in nursing school many years before (where they gave you a valium and shoved a huge scope tube down your throat and kept saying, "Swallow!! Swallow!!" Yikes!!) so I wasn't worried.

I had a Go-Lightly prep... a gallon of soapy water to drink till "things" ran clear. I only had to drink about 2/3 of it. The procedure itself was fascinating. I got to watch the whole thing and ask lots of questions.

It was after the procedure that my doc said to me... "I have good news and bad news." I opted for the good news first. He said, "I know how to stop your unrelenting diarrhea." I asked for the bad news and he told me I could never eat wheat, rye, barley, or sometimes oats again."

The procedure itself was such a NOTHING that my PCP asked me to please tell all my friends so they wouldn't be so worried when it was their turn!

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted

WOW, I would be reluctant to do that too :(

Mine was 1 pill then I mixed a powder into 2 liters of water and had to drink 8 oz every 15 to 30 min until it was gone. I started the prep at 3;30 and was done by 9;30 went to bed and got up once during the night and one more time in the morning and I was done.

WOW I guess what the prep is makes a BIG difference

I had this prep (the liquid) and my reaction was as brutal as the above poster's. It was awful. Took me two days to recover; however, I don't react well to anesthesia, so that doesn't help. Saying that, I'll do it again when I turn 50. It really is an important screening tool.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I had to take enormous pills. 4 at a time every 15 minutes until I had taken 12. First round was at 11am, then again at 5pm. They started to work before I even finished the first dose and I literally had to sit in a chair by the bathroom door all day and well into the evening. It was brutal. I drank lots and lots of liquid but still got dehydrated. :(

You never know how awful it may be until you go through it so it isn't something I intend to do anytime soon. I know many who complained they became horribly dehydrated. So sorry it was a bad experience for you. Colonoscopies are a valuable tool for screening but I think they pressure people too much and not everyone needs to have one just because they have a 50th birthday. I admire the bravery of those who do!

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

Yep I had a colonoscopy two months after my celiac diagnosis in 2008. I was 35 so I really whined and worried. Doc removed a polyp and after he told me that the pathology came back as benign, I don't have to have another one for 10 years. Still, that puts another one at 45. I'll whine again because that will still be two colonoscopies before age 50!! :o:P:lol:

cap6 Enthusiast
cap6
Posted

I've had 2 and both were nasty. The preps were no big deal but both times I woke up during the procedure and compare the pain to childbirth. Dr says I have a badly twisted colon so that was part of the intense pain. Hopefully it will be a looong time till the next. I hope.....

Cattknap Rookie
Cattknap
Posted

I had my first colonoscopy (actually I had both upper and lower GI) and was amazed how easy it was. The prep is not fun but certainly it is only short term...the procedure itself was a piece of cake...sorry I put it off for so long.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I've had 2 and both were nasty. The preps were no big deal but both times I woke up during the procedure and compare the pain to childbirth. Dr says I have a badly twisted colon so that was part of the intense pain. Hopefully it will be a looong time till the next. I hope.....

I have had 3 and during the second one I had the same experience. My bowel wasn't twisted with the first and that was an easy experience. The second one was after the horrible reaction to the second gluten challenge and I had the same experience you did. That doctor, the same who ordered the second challenge, said they would do it again but with a general anesthesia in the hospital with an anesthesiologist rather than in the outpatient facility. I then decided to change GI doctors and my new doctor was told of the experience I had. He did a double scope with an anesthesiologist present and the procedure went smoothly. If you have the procedure done again tell them what happened and ask for a general anesthesia and you should have no problems.

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I guess I was fortunate. I had an anesthesiologist for both my endoscopy and colonoscopy even though I was not under general anesthesia. I can't imagine having either one any other way.

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I guess I was fortunate. I had an anesthesiologist for both my endoscopy and colonoscopy even though I was not under general anesthesia. I can't imagine having either one any other way.

I had a CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) for all of my procedures and they gave me diprivan(Propofol) IV. At work we jokingly refer to it as milk of amnesia. I don't remember a blasted thing. During my first EGD the doc said I kept waking and was swinging at people. I don't have any recollection of it at all. When it came to the colonoscopy and my second EGD they must have given me more because I was groggy a lot longer afterwards and no reports that I was swinging at anyone. I still didn't remember anything which is good!

sa1937 Community Regular
sa1937
Posted

I had a CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist) for all of my procedures and they gave me diprivan(Propofol) IV. At work we jokingly refer to it as milk of amnesia. I don't remember a blasted thing. During my first EGD the doc said I kept waking and was swinging at people. I don't have any recollection of it at all. When it came to the colonoscopy and my second EGD they must have given me more because I was groggy a lot longer afterwards and no reports that I was swinging at anyone. I still didn't remember anything which is good!

I also had diprivan and thankfully it worked beautifully. I don't *think* I came out swinging but I was really loopy after the endoscopy but not so much after the colonoscopy. On each follow-up, my GI asked me if I felt anything and I didn't. And I don't remember a thing either...now that's all good!

cahill Collaborator
cahill
Posted
  • Author

I also had diprivan and thankfully it worked beautifully. I don't *think* I came out swinging but I was really loopy after the endoscopy but not so much after the colonoscopy. On each follow-up, my GI asked me if I felt anything and I didn't. And I don't remember a thing either...now that's all good!

I dont remember any thing of the procedure either.

I remember being in the procedure room,telling the nurse I "felt funny" she said it was the meds they were giving me.

The next thing I remember I was in recovery with the Doc talking to me telling me how things went. I vaguely remembered what he said and had to ask the nurse to read me the report the next day when she call check in on me.

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