Tell me about your colonoscopy. :-)
 

I'm thinking of going for a colonoscopy next year, but the idea already has me a bit, ah, apprehensive. I had a sigmoidoscopy done 6 yrs ago, and that was a friggin nightmare. I guess people react differently, and I hated it! But then again, I wouldn't want to be Mike Tyson's girlfriend for an hour either. Anyway, I hear that with a full colonoscopy they sedate you, so my question is, how much do they sedate you...? Assuming I go through with it, I'd rather not remember much of the details...

A gentle cruise up the pink bubble gum highway......

Do go thru it, and just tell the doc that you'd really rather not be around for the process. He/she should take care of you...

this is going to be a penetrating discussion.!

All I remember us being wheeled in, given some IV meds, then waking up some time later.

The most memorable thing was sitting on the can after taking the pills the day before. Even that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Yeah I caught that video on you tube you were out! But what was with the big hairy guy in the little bo peep outfit???

Thanks folks I'll be here all week, try the crabs :D

Good day for stay at home and do taxes or something. You will be interrupted frequently so mark your place in your work. You're sure to mark your place in the bathroom.

The worst part is the cleansing process the day before. The penetration part is a blur, due to the wonders of modern pharmacology.
All I remember is moving onto my left side, and farting in symphony with other colonoscopy patients in the recovery area.

Had one a month ago, no biggie. The day before is an issue. Stay next to the pot.

Colonoscopy maybe saved my life. When I had it done they detected an a fib heart beat they suggested I saw my doctor two weeks later and I was sent to the emergency room the same day I had my check up. I had a heart attack and didn't know it a month prior, they placed a stint, 75% blockage in one artery, I had a catheder ablation 2 weeks ago and I am back to sinus rhythm :D

My last one was a nightmare. Went in & was partially sedated. After the guy was in a ways, I told him it really didn't feel that comfortable. He called it off & told me he couldn't continue because of diverticulosis. So they sent me next door where they blew compressed air up my ass and pumped in a barium liquid followed by and Xray. My primary care Dr. wanted me to have another one not too long ago, but the Butt department guy said I needed to wait a full 5 years even with the diverticulosis and the fact my father died of colon cancer.

Like anything else- pick your doctor carefully. There are doctors that are good at it, and those that are not. There are those that follow recommended guidelines- time to withdraw, etc and those that do not. Just like painting your Porsche- the preparation is the worst part. The better the prep, the better the exam. Sedation is, for the most part, up to your doctor- talk to him/her about it. If you don't like his answers, find someone else. My guys knock me out- I know nothing. The vast majority are a walk in the park- but stuff can happen. You are safer than your car ride to the facility.
By the way- they found a large- tennis ball can size- colon cancer in me 7years ago- at the age of 50. No symptoms, no family history. (I was found to be anemic.) If you poke around enough you will hear horror stories, but those are not the norm. Mine saved my life. I have had 5 colonoscopies in the last 7 years- and need to schedule another soon. No, I am not worried about the test- maybe worried about what they find, but not the procedure itself. The prep sucks- drinking a gallon of dishwater while spewing out the other end does not make my day.
So you need it, but don't worry about it.
Gary

THe last thing I remember before the procedure was a nurse asking if I wanted another pillow under my head. Next thing I knew I was waking up in recovery.
btw, I had it scheduled for 7am, was at work at 9.
Jim

+1 to what's been said here. The preparation the day before is the worse part, and it isn't all that bad. As for the procedure, they stick a needle in your arm and tell you to count backwards from 100. You say "99" and the next thing you know you are in another room waking up from a nap.

My Dad died from Colon cancer, so I've had 3 since I turned 50. As stated above, no big deal.

EXCEPT......

My last one a year ago. I'm laying there ready to go. The IV is stuck in my wrist. The doc comes up with the happy juice and injects it in the IV. Immediately I feel intense burning in my right arm. I start yelling. I start cussing. I'm yelling cuss words I've never even heard of before. Truly the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. The doc and nurses are just standing there looking at me. FINALLY one nurse realizes what's going on. They had the blood pressure cuff pumped up. So what was injected in my IV was going into a CLOSED vein. A vein can only expand a little bit before it EXPLODES. If it had exploded I would have been in big trouble. The nurse grabbed the cuff and ripped it off my arm and the juice surged into my system.
Then.....A week went by and no call on the results. I call and I get, the nurse is with a patient and will call you back. Never happened. I call again and leave a message. Still no call back. I decide no news must be good news. Six months later I'm at my regular doc and I tell him I never got my results from six months ago. He calls and they tell him everything was OK, and I don't have to come back for 10 years. That sounds fine but also stupid. With strong family history of CC, Dad and Grandmother, why would I go 10 years without having one?
Needless to say, I'm finding another doc.

There are so many things wrong with our health care system. It's no wonder medical "care" is a major cause of death. There is no coordination and no cooperation between providers. You have to be your own advocate - you can't rely on anyone else, and the need for advocacy comes when you are sick and least able to provide it for yourself.

Here you go:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/589283-colonoscopy.html

Thought I'd revive this just as a reminder to get those colonoscopies done.

My 58 year old brother in law just found out yesterday that he has colon cancer. My sister said he knew he should have had a colonoscopy at 50, but hates going to the doctor. :rolleyes:

The prep the day before sucks. The procedure is simply no big deal. Recovery is quick and pain free.

well the why and how is covered..

important !
pay attention afterwards..
internal bleeding can occur..
often hours afterwards..
if you start having those symptoms...
ER..ASAP...

Rika