Colonoscopy ?

[+ Charlie]

You guys are remarkable with such valuable sharing of information. My doctors were after me for years to go for a colonoscopy. Finally cologuard was suggested and I did it. No big deal, done in private. When I delivered the return box to UPS, the lady knew what it was. I think she put an extra pair of gloves on. You've made me feel more confident about doing it. The result was negative. Do you think a bottom is more comfortable about taking a colonoscopy than a top? This is a question that has played on my mind but reluctant to ask anyone.

I think, as Lucky said earlier, that for most people the most unpleasant thing about colonoscopy is the prep rather than the procedure, and that doesn't make any difference whether you're top or bottom.

[tyro]

I had my first just a few months ago. I'm young-ish (47 now, 46 then), so I did it only at my GI doc's request. The guys are right: the worst part really is the prep. Be prepared to visit the porcelain throne about two dozen times. My doc also prescribed a prep (can't remember its name), but insurance didn't cover it. If there is a dulcolax/miralax option with Gatorade or Crystal Light or something, that would be much cheaper.

T

[Guest]

I had my first just a few months ago. I'm young-ish (47 now, 46 then), so I did it only at my GI doc's request....

Your GI doc may have been ahead of the curve. The USPSTF is now moving to give a B recommendation (good, but not excellent evidence) to lower the starting age at 45 instead of 50. Getting one at 50 gets an A recommendation:

https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/draft-recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening3

[Mjonis]

I had my first just a few months ago. I'm young-ish (47 now, 46 then), so I did it only at my GI doc's request. The guys are right: the worst part really is the prep. Be prepared to visit the porcelain throne about two dozen times. My doc also prescribed a prep (can't remember its name), but insurance didn't cover it. If there is a dulcolax/miralax option with Gatorade or Crystal Light or something, that would be much cheaper.

T

 

There's "suprep" (I think that's the trade name) that's horrendously expensive (like $180 or something) that's a one and done. There USED to be something that worked a lot better, but apparently if you were elderly (like 70+?) you *could* get kidney problems (?) - and last I read it wasn't recalled, but basically nobody stopped using it. Apparently it worked real well and didn't need all the doses/etc. like Miralax/Suprep.

[samhexum]

[cany10011]

On 8/9/2018 at 9:47 AM, Rudynate said:

 

The first colonoscopy I had revealed three polyps, the precancerous kind. The gastroenterologist recommended another procedure in seven years. I later read that the standard was three years, so I insisted on repeating in three years. The second procedure showed no new polyps, so they said I was good for 10 years.

Hi Rudy, i know this is a few years late.. but did you make any modifications to your diet (veggies, high fiber), vitamins, or exercise? I just got 1 precancerous polyp removed and have to revisit in 3 years. A little worried. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, cany10011 said:

Hi Rudy, i know this is a few years late.. but did you make any modifications to your diet (veggies, high fiber), vitamins, or exercise? I just got 1 precancerous polyp removed and have to revisit in 3 years. A little worried. 

Nothing to worry about. You were wise to get the colonoscopy, and have almost no chance of developing colon cancer at this point. 

[marylander1940]

The main thing is not eating the day before, and not drinking anything with color, the procedure as told before in this thread is fast and painless. Make sure whoever picks you up after brings a sandwich because you'll be hungry. 

[cany10011]

28 minutes ago, Unicorn said:

Nothing to worry about. You were wise to get the colonoscopy, and have almost no chance of developing colon cancer at this point. 

Thank you for your comment   I’m always nervous about these things. Appreciate your expert insight.

[Rudynate]

3 hours ago, cany10011 said:

Hi Rudy, i know this is a few years late.. but did you make any modifications to your diet (veggies, high fiber), vitamins, or exercise? I just got 1 precancerous polyp removed and have to revisit in 3 years. A little worried. 

No.  I already have reasonably healthy habits.

[BeamerBikes]

I've had a few colonscopies before 40yo as part of the diverticulitis journey. Echoing the prep is more of a hassle than the procedure itself. 

I found that the twilight sedation the versed option left me groggy, and that's a good thing. They will use air to assist the scope. You'll be tooty and bloated immediately afterwards being groggy might be preferred. 

I had acouple using propofol sedation. It clears your system faster and you may notice the bloated feeling. 

Side note I had a coworker who didn't opt for any sedation because he wanted to go back to work afterwards.  He was an odd odd duck. Bless his heart. Some things I don't want to remember. Getting scoped is one of those.

[TJnDB]

With last colonoscopy I was sedated with Propofol. For me, it was much better than Versed  The reason for the Propofol - I was told they could barely get me knocked out with the Versed with my prior colonoscopy. The Propofol was administered by an Anesthesiologist.  The procedure was just finished and I fully woke up.  With Versed you will be groggy for a while.

[Guest]

15 hours ago, BeamerBikes said:

... He was an odd odd duck. Bless his heart....

I feel a theme song coming on...

 

[+ robear]

I think I've always had Propofol over five or six go-rounds. I've found it very "clean" in that I wake up ready to fart and go eat, no groggy aftermath. They call it "twilight sleep" for a reason, I've been awake or woke up during the procedure a few times. No problem for me although YMMV I guess, the show on the telly can be interesting. As with some other things, ahem, it's the entry that's a little rough, once you get going it's no biggie. The air they use to inflate the colon causes gas pain, but that's hardly unfamiliar to most of us.

As others have said, it's the prep that's annoying, the procedure itself is nothing, and well worth it for peace of mind.  Colon cancer is among the most curable of cancers, and yet continues to be a leading cause of death for want of early detection.

[+ FreshFluff]

On 4/10/2022 at 5:26 AM, robear said:

I think I've always had Propofol over five or six go-rounds. I've found it very "clean" in that I wake up ready to fart and go eat, no groggy aftermath. They call it "twilight sleep" for a reason, I've been awake or woke up during the procedure a few times. No problem for me although YMMV I guess, the show on the telly can be interesting. As with some other things, ahem, it's the entry that's a little rough, once you get going it's no biggie. The air they use to inflate the colon causes gas pain, but that's hardly unfamiliar to most of us.

 

You felt it? 😳 I’ve had Propofol/MAC a few times for different procedures and can't remember anything after the anes tells me “you’ll feel a burning sensation on your arm.”

[jeezifonly]

A man who has been pleasurably fucked will not find sedation absolutely essential. Sedation mostly for the people who feel icky about their ass. “Pain” is no more than strong gas cramps from the air used to expand folds away from the lens.
I’ve had propofol for tooth extraction and cardioversion, essential in both of those procedures, and agreed to sedation for two prior colonoscopies.
My 84 yr old mother had gone without it, and with my appointment-making and sign-in they repeatedly tried to talk me into having it, and I said no thanks. They insert a line “just in case” If temporary cramping sounds scary, knock yourself out! 
 

If awake, You’re able to see screen and ask questions. I was also able to help guide the scope by pressing on my tummy at one point scope met resistance - the tech was really close and I knew how to make a final adjustment. 

Tip: Boost ease of prep adding one additional full day of the no-solid / light colored liquids diet prior. You won’t starve. Solids mostly or fully gone when you drink the evil juice. 80% easier when you buckle in to ride the porcelain pony. 

[+ robear]

Quote

You felt it? 😳 I’ve had Propofol/MAC a few times for different procedures and can't remember anything after the anes tells me “you’ll feel a burning sensation on your arm.”

That of course depends on the dosage, which I believe widely varies depending on the procedure and the patient. The first scope I had many years ago I asked to be kept awake to watch. I was very lightly sedated (and embarrassingly chatty as I recall), enough to relax but not lose awareness.  The doc commented that he likes when patients are awake enough to respond to requests to shift or reposition a bit.  At the other extreme, the dose I had for hip surgery had me totally out for 2 hrs.

[+ Lucky]

Fiber One 70-calorie bars should clean you out good for a colonoscopy! They can cause severe and explosive leaking of the contents of your intestines. Just one bar should do ya!

[jeezifonly]

3 hours ago, Lucky said:

Fiber One 70-calorie bars should clean you out good for a colonoscopy! They can cause severe and explosive leaking of the contents of your intestines. Just one bar should do ya!

Fiber One is good enough for sexual activity. Not good enough for procedure. 

You need to follow Dr’s instructions with regard to cleaning out. The depth of the scope and the nature of the camera yields poor results with any solids present. It’s less likely they’ll see and grab polyps that need biopsies. 

Add one additional day of liquid fast ahead of scheduled fasting period - the last fiber sweeps most solids 6-8 hrs ahead of the MiraLax. So much easier! You will not starve with that one added day of liquids. 

[+ FreshFluff]

Mine is on Monday.
 

Should you expect to be totally useless the night before the colonoscopy,? Is it unwise to participate to schedule a zoom event for time, if I could go mute/off camera after the first few minutes?

 

Edited April 22, 2022 by FreshFluff

[Kevin Slater]

24 minutes ago, FreshFluff said:

Mine is on Monday.
 

Should you expect to be totally useless the night before the colonoscopy,? Is it unwise to participate to schedule a zoom event for time, if I could go mute/off camera after the first few minutes?

 

(I haven't read this thread, so it may be that I'm contributing nothing new.)

I think you'll be fine the night before.  The prep is a little gross and uncomfortable, but you can sort of time it by when you take the swigs of the stuff they give you.  There seems to be two ways of doing it: they either send you home with a couple pouches you add to a gallon jug o' water, or they give you these smallish cans of oily goo to drink.  Do you know which you are?

I find the pouches added to water to be a more, um, explosive event.  My advice in that case is to skip the toilet altogether and just go straight to the shower.  It's easier to clean as you go.  In my experience, the toilet works fine for the drink in a can method.

This may not pertain to you, but for others reading this topic, it's not a horrible idea to plan to bottom afterwards.  You'll be squeaky clean!

Kevin Slater

[+ FreshFluff]

23 minutes ago, Kevin Slater said:

(I haven't read this thread, so it may be that I'm contributing nothing new.)

I think you'll be fine the night before.  The prep is a little gross and uncomfortable, but you can sort of time it by when you take the swigs of the stuff they give you.  There seems to be two ways of doing it: they either send you home with a couple pouches you add to a gallon jug o' water, or they give you these smallish cans of oily goo to drink.  Do you know which you are?

I find the pouches added to water to be a more, um, explosive event.  My advice in that case is to skip the toilet altogether and just go straight to the shower.  It's easier to clean as you go.  In my experience, the toilet works fine for the drink in a can method.

This may not pertain to you, but for others reading this topic, it's not a horrible idea to plan to bottom afterwards.  You'll be squeaky clean!

Kevin Slater

Thanks, Kevin. This is very helpful advice. The doctor ordered a  Miralax prep with non-red Gatorade. 64 Oz the day before, and wake up early and so 64 Oz the day of. (She also recommend Miso soup and similar to mix it up.) Then you down the magnesium citrate right before  

The event is at 5 the day before so relatively early. 

It’s a diagnostic rather than a screening so I want to make sure I don’t screw it up. 

[cany10011]

28 minutes ago, FreshFluff said:

Thanks, Kevin. This is very helpful advice. The doctor ordered a  Miralax prep with non-red Gatorade. 64 Oz the day before, and wake up early and so 64 Oz the day of. (She also recommend Miso soup and similar to mix it up.) Then you down the magnesium citrate right before  

The event is at 5 the day before so relatively early. 

It’s a diagnostic rather than a screening so I want to make sure I don’t screw it up. 

Good luck with everything. I just stayed home the night before and drank half the bottle at 6 pm. Binge watched Bridgerton. Went to bed in a diaper (just in case) and drank the remaining half 5 hours prior to car pick up (drs office sent an uber). 

My neighbor who did it at the same hospital recommended bringing a diaper and changing into it on the way home. Thank goodness he had a box of extra ones. I didn’t really need it, but was good to bring for peace of mind. 

 

 

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, FreshFluff said:

Mine is on Monday.
 

Should you expect to be totally useless the night before the colonoscopy,? Is it unwise to participate to schedule a zoom event for time, if I could go mute/off camera after the first few minutes?

 

It shouldn't be a problem. There's a chance you might have to run to the bathroom, but it's not as if you'll feel dizzy or lightheaded or sedated. A prior poster's recommendation for wearing a diaper, just in case, is a good one, though usually not even necessary. Worst case scenario--an uncontrollable fart...

 

[+ Axiom2001]

04.22/22.   A year or so ago, I received a letter from my physician advising me that I had not had a colonoscopy in five years.  I let a few months pass before I made my appointment to see him.  After the consultation, I set the date for the procedure.  Because of the pandemic, I thought seriously about following through and didn't; a few weeks later I canceled.

Early in 2022,  I visited him again and made the appointment for the colonoscopy; it happened two days ago, and I received a positive evaluation after the procedure.  Because of my age, he relayed that I DID NOT have to have any more colonoscopies.  I smiled and said: "thank God."

This time the prep was a charm.  I purchased what I needed and took as prescribed.  I did NOT mind having NOT to consume any solid foods.  I drank glasses of water and a few glasses of apple juice.  The prep formula itself: I mixed with water and drank every five minutes or so as prescribed, and did not give a lot of thought about what I endured.

I think folks dwell far too much on the prepping; I think you'd handle and manage it by eliminating the thought behind not being able to "EAT" solid foods but having to drink a lot of fluid, etc.

In looking back three days after, I applaud myself in taking this experience in stride and not dwelling and hating to consume lots of water (fluids) and Miralax.