colonoscopy prep - what a fun night

[JackDidley]

Originally Posted by stevej37

100% agree. Our hospital will not allow a taxi to pick-up.
When I had my balloon kyphoplasty done..I told the gal that I was walking to a friends place nearby. She just said "no way'. I had a friend drive over for the release and then I drove my car home.

This is a pain. I had surgery on my finger and they insisted someone pick me up. I had someone pick me up and drive me across the parking lot to my car and drove home. I had a colonoscopy last winter and they insisted someone be there and wait for the entire time. I have no family but at least I have good friends willing to help me out.

[deanp]

There are a couple of posts about the taste of the drink in this thread. I recently had my first colonoscopy at age 51. My doc had me do a different regimen than the terrible-tasting stuff - 4 Dulcolax tablets, followed up by a 238g bottle of unflavored Miralax dissolved into 64oz of Gatorade - any flavor is acceptable as long as it's not red, purple, or orange. That was split into two servings of 32oz each. Each serving had to be consumed within an hour at the specified time. I am glad that my results were normal, and I'm now cleared for the next 10 years unless something changes. The prep, while 'interesting', was not as bad as expected since the drink wasn't an awful-tasting concoction.

[911 in SC]

deanp, thankfully, my last prep was the same last month. That was my third colonoscopy. My Mom died of colon cancer at the age of 58 in 1995. She only lived a year after her diagnosis. I will be 54 next month. As bad as the prep is, it is well worth it. In fact, my daughter felt so strongly about it, she is now an inside sales rep for Cologuard. Neither of us are candidates for Cologguard since we are both considered high-risk, but we both feel like any testing is 100% better than no testing.

Go get tested. Yeah, it sucks, but much better than the alternative. I watched my Mom shrivel away in no time.

1994 through the first half of 1995 was really tough on my Dad. My sister got married in November '94, my Mom died in January and I got married in May. He went from a household of 4 to a household of 1 in 6 months. My sister was 23 when she got married and I was 25. He had spent 23 years with all three of us, and he and my Mom were married 15 years before they had me.

[deanp]

So sorry to hear that Mike. Must have been awfully tough on your family. We don't have any family history, but my Doc said - yeah you can do Cologuard, but any anomaly and you have to do the colonoscopy anyway, and Cologuard is every five years, or if your colonoscopy is clean you can wait 10 years for another. Figured it was best to just get it done.

[stevej37]

As far as the taste of the prep drink goes....just do it a shot at a time, just like tequila. Throw it back.
My latest fun drink was for a couple cat-scans. It was fruit flavored and thick, which tasted ok, but I had to drink 2 pint bottles of it down at once. After the second one, I thought my belly was going to explode.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by bugstrider

In 2011, I thought I had the flu that was raging through the office. I was 43 then so I blew off the intestinal pangs I was experiencing. Then I was hit with the most intense pain in my life. I could not think, breath or blink. Then it was gone……WTH?!?!?

12 hours later I was in emergency surgery and septic. Had a tear in the Sigmoid Colon. CT showed free air and fluid in my abdomen. Another few hours and I would not have been able to pull out of it. Had an appliance for four months and then a second takedown surgery. It was hell for a very long time.

I now get to have these procedures a bit more frequently.

What’s my point, you may ask. These are a pain and it sucks going through the prep. It just may save your life. I was lucky, and I don’t care to go through that again. At 54, who knows if I would have survived.

Just sayin, stay strong and prep on.


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This sounds terrible. Do they know what caused the tear? I go in for my first colonoscopy next week. I’m a little tense about it due to contracting diverticulitis at the beginning of the summer and a reoccurrence in September. I fear that surgery may be in my future.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

…On the driving, ya, as a single guy, it can be a PITA, fortunately my Mother is local and still drives. I had to laugh, because where we went in the area all my doctors appointments were as a kid, back then, we would stop for ice cream, today, we stopped for a drink.

Byron - that’s awesome. Best of luck with the biopsies.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

Byron - that’s awesome. Best of luck with the biopsies.

Thanks, that is the fewest that they have ever removed.

[Racerbvd]

One more thing, I was really surprised at the size of the scope and line, I hadn't seen one before today and assumed that it would only be as big around as a pencil, when I saw the scope today and noticed that the diameter was the same size as a air hose. It really caught me off guard.

[bugstrider]

Originally Posted by upsscott

This sounds terrible. Do they know what caused the tear? I go in for my first colonoscopy next week. I’m a little tense about it due to contracting diverticulitis at the beginning of the summer and a reoccurrence in September. I fear that surgery may be in my future.

Yeah is was a nightmare and I am lucky everything worked out.

As far as the cause, only speculation since is was damage control when I was cut open. 7” of the S.C. was removed and the body hasn’t been the same. The suspect of the cause is a ruptured diverticulum. That is why I am very jumpy at what my G.I. Try’s to tell me. I strongly believe that if it was caught before the point of no return, it would have been a totally different outcome. The medical technology today has got to be at a point where the surgical repair pre-rupture is a smooth process. If it reaches where I was, all bets are off. The surgeon on call can also make a huge difference. I was very fortunate that the on-call surgeon who worked on me was working. After all was said and done, I found out what “might” have happened if the other “guy” was on-call.

All I am recommend is that you develop the best relationship with the best G.I. Doc you can. Don’t mess around with this stuff and take is seriously.

This is one of those events I can say “Been there, done that” it ain’t fun.

Good luck and I am sure things will work out since it’s on your radar.


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[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

One more thing, I was really surprised at the size of the scope and line, I hadn't seen one before today and assumed that it would only be as big around as a pencil, when I saw the scope today and noticed that the diameter was the same size as a air hose. It really caught me off guard.

That's interesting Byron.

Nurse said to me they are going to put one scope down my throat and another one up my arse. She said there is is only a very little bit of the whole digestive tract that they can't see this way. I'd had (have) diverticulitis so they are interested in having a good look around, and anything minor snipping it off while they are there.

[upsscott]

Originally Posted by bugstrider

Yeah is was a nightmare and I am lucky everything worked out.

As far as the cause, only speculation since is was damage control when I was cut open. 7” of the S.C. was removed and the body hasn’t been the same. The suspect of the cause is a ruptured diverticulum. That is why I am very jumpy at what my G.I. Try’s to tell me. I strongly believe that if it was caught before the point of no return, it would have been a totally different outcome. The medical technology today has got to be at a point where the surgical repair pre-rupture is a smooth process. If it reaches where I was, all bets are off. The surgeon on call can also make a huge difference. I was very fortunate that the on-call surgeon who worked on me was working. After all was said and done, I found out what “might” have happened if the other “guy” was on-call.

All I am recommend is that you develop the best relationship with the best G.I. Doc you can. Don’t mess around with this stuff and take is seriously.

This is one of those events I can say “Been there, done that” it ain’t fun.

Good luck and I am sure things will work out since it’s on your radar.


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Thank you for the response. I’m definitely taking all of this very seriously. Fiber is my new best friend.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

That's interesting Byron.

Nurse said to me they are going to put one scope down my throat and another one up my arse. She said there is is only a very little bit of the whole digestive tract that they can't see this way. I'd had (have) diverticulitis so they are interested in having a good look around, and anything minor snipping it off while they are there.

Been there, done that. Actually , it was diverticulitis that got me started on this journey when I was in my 40s. As l9ng as they don't use the same scope for both ends, I'm good with it.

[Bill Douglas]

Wish me luck.

I get the camera treatment in about two hours

[Steve Carlton]

Say “cheese!”

[Bill Douglas]

"Cheese"

thanks, that made me laugh.

[recycled sixtie]

Good luck Bill with your colonoscopy. I had mine done two weeks ago and hope it is a good outcome like mine. Cheers, Guy.

[billybek]

I had one at the beginning of the month. Except for the purge part, I think it was an easier process this time around.
Hope you get an all clear! I was recommended to go back to FIT testing every 5 instead of the colonoscopies. Not disappointed with that.

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words.

[tops911]

I had one a couple months ago. Had to drive about 40+ miles over Homestake pass to the hospital in Butte. Stupid truck drivers (4-6 trucks) tried to ignore the tire chain requirement for towing units and got stuck in the middle of the interstate on the pass. That was a long 45 minuted waiting for the road to open back up. Thankfully I made it without incident, LOL