I used to work in a colonoscopy clinic. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them.

I've heard from a number of people that the prep is worse then the actual procedure. I'm a snacker and already I'm feeling light headed and I don't get to eat again till sometime Thursday afternoon. I'm looking at this as a time to clean out my system and start eating right. Portion control and vegetables and fruits for snacks between meals.

I think that, unlike with the procedure for which you are give a means to lessen the severity, (conscious sedation), with the prep, there's nothing to ameliorate the discomfort and inconvenience.

. . .you're doing the prep right.

Yes, indeed, the prep IS worse than the actual examination.

Just be sure you have someone (preferably a loved one) transport you to and from the hospital, especially after the procedure. You will be on no condition to operate a vehicle of any kind for at least 12 hours.

Take it from one who has been there, done that.

And it gets much much better once you've done it.

My procedure was at 9AM, I drove myself back three hours later.

One of the polyps that they removed must have been near a blood vessel and it broke open. My BP bottomed out at 86 over 53. They were surprised that I could walk without being light headed. I spent the night in the ICU after getting a transfusion. It healed itself and I went home after another day in a normal room for monitoring. The colonoscopy was my first and it was Jan 13th, the day of the big Powerball drawing. I hit the wrong lottery, what I experienced was far from normal.

That said, the prep was worse than the procedure, and worse than what I went through. Sad thing is that they want me back for another one next January because they removed 5 polyps. Whatever you do, don't get the grape flavored mag citrate, and make it all ice cold before you have to drink it.

Sorry.

eom

I was careful for several days not to eat a lot of food that lingers in one's intestines before I got serious.

Plus, the anesthesia/sleep part is enjoyable. Good luck.

Cleaning out the colon doesn't necessarily clean toxins from your body. If you have a healthy liver and kidneys, they're already doing that for you quite admirably.

had cancer, and probably a serious case of the affliction advertised by drug companies nowadays -- opioid induced constipation.

I feel good with a clean colon, light and fast. In fact, I was quite proud when the gastroenterologist said "I had the cleanest colon he's seen" after my colonoscopy. Despite what some think, I am not anal retentive.

There's no way anyone could retain 45 pounds of anything in their colon without suffering colon-wall perforation and probably a nasty death. And if it was possible, it's not the kind of thing that could have an occult presentation, discoverable only on autopsy. He would have had to have had a massively-distended abdomen, and he would have been in very visible, distressing chronic pain.

Although I despise John Wayne and everything he claimed to stand for, I think this story is the invention of someone opposed to meat-eating who wished to assert that Wayne got what he deserved (whatever that might be.)

and how much compacted crap was in his intestines - as a way of promoting colonics? They present such a procedure as virtually "life changing". I did consider having it done - until I remembered that colonoscopy does about the same thing - and afterwards I don't feel like my life has been changed - I only feel very hungry.

Only that he was chronically constipated from the opioid medications he was addicted to. It's possible the frequent straining effort to pass impacted stool may have led to the heart attack that killed him. The same thing may have played a role in the death of King George II of England.

JK.

I have one scheduled in late May. Only problem I'm having is finding someone to take me there. I was going to take an Uber home, but they said they won't let me. I do have my 86 year old mother living with me, so she can be responsible. But if I can't find a ride, the test ain't happening.

Picked me up before the procedure and took me home afterwards.

All part of the procedure.

Maybe yours can arrange the same?

people didn;t want any anesthetic, they had the colonoscopy without being knocked out or drugged.....He's not the joking type so i presume he wasn't kidding.....

I'm due to have my first colonoscopy, but i have such white coat anxiety, I'm sure I'll be a wreck...I;m totally fine in PCP's office, but in a hospital setting, I get extraordinarily nervous....

Howard Stern has said on the air numerous times that the test is no big deal, he said he'd rather have a colonoscopy than fly across the country, lol...

he told me all about it, LOL. He watched the camera. Apparently he was just super curious and hates being under anesthesia. He said it wasn't too bad.

My mom, however, opted for light sedation on her first colonoscopy and regretted it. She said it was awful. So now she just chooses to be completely knocked out.

It probably depends on the practitioner and the patient's pain tolerance or sensitivity.

Get the name-brand, instead of the generic.

The Name brand comes with this strap you put around the toilet and buckle like a seat belt, to keep you from becoming airborne.

Also, get the Ultra-Soft toilet paper, you'll thank yourself later.

The Drink doesn't taste as bad if it's cold. As to the texture; you're screwed. There's nothing to do about that.


On the up side: The drugs are EXCELLENT!!! Enjoy the trip.

Make sure you have someone to take you home and aim you at a bed, instinct will do the rest.

Report back when it's over with your notes and observations.

What worries me most is the diet I was told to eat 5 days ahead of time.
We've been mostly vegan for 2 years and eat a lot of fruit and veggies. They so no to that - total bland food. I'll be ready to scream by picture time.

What do you mean by "shots in the gut?" I have nothing like that in my prep material.

So far I am not too concerned, but it may depend on what you report.

and instead give myself shots twice a day.

hoping you get a clean screen.

Those shots are heinous. Colonoscopy prep and blood thinner shots. What an awful experience! I hope you have something very entertaining planned for later on to reward yourself for making it through!

I actually didn't think the prep was that bad, it was not as bad as I had anticipated. However, by the end, the flavor of the stuff was about ready to make me gag. Next time I'll ask about an unflavored one if they even make it.

My post procedure food plan was this fantastic French bakery in town for a gigantic almond croissant, starbucks, then like a 4 hour nap. Felt absolutely fantastic when I got up!

Peace

Going to try and get on track with my New Year resolutions. A few months late!

You can thank me later.

PS. Do NOT get Tucks wipes. Repeat.. do not get Tucks.

The worst thing is the prep. The test is easy and you'll have a nice little nap.

Watching the progress in the monitor next to me was boring as hell. The only (very minor) discomfort in the procedure was when they pumped air to inflate the colon.

After, they wouldn't allow driving for 4 hours but you could leave if you had a cab or other ride.

If you survive the prep, it's all downhill from there. Unless you're the camera. Then it's all uphill.

For me, the anesthesia they used was IV Demerol, which I've also had for more complex oral surgery operations in-clinic. There's nothing like waking up near the end of your surgery to see what they're doing reflected in the blood-spattered lens of your surgeon's glasses. But even that was a breeze with a gorgeous nurse holding my hand throughout the procedure. I wish you could have that for your colonoscopy.

You will get kind of raw after awhile.
I found the prep to be the worst part but no where near as bad as I prepared for after reading too many horror stories on the Web.

Good luck.

I'm going to soon find out what all the fun is about.

I thought the stuff you have to drink is not as bad as the stuff I had to drink before my CT scan. But make sure you have a ride home, and take the rest of the day off!

You'll want to go to a cheap diner or burger joint, someplace that is not hostile to drunks or drugged idiots. Then you can enjoy your meal in your mental fog.

Coffee and an omelet is great!

Drinking 8 fl. oz. of GoLYTELY every 10 minutes for over 2 hours was the worst part because of the taste. I weighed 272 before this and now I weigh 259. Taking care of a 14 month old toddler during this was the biggest challenge and that kept my mind off the bad stuff that I was going thru. Altough I haven't eaten anything since Monday evening, I don't feel hungry. Still somewhat light headed but not as bad as yesterday. At midnight tonight I'm to stop drinking water, coffee and tea and I get nothing again until the procedure is done some 12-13 hours later.

I was prescribed Suprep which is much easier. The only drawback was the cost- I was given a $10.00 coupon - so the price was $50.00.

But Suprep was much easier to deal with than the previous routine of big bottle of Miralax mixed in a 64 oz. bottle of Gatorade, consumed in 15 min. intervals over two hours - followed by two Ducolax pills and a bottle of Citrate of Magnesia in the morning.

Might scare the daylights out of him.

Seriously, good luck.
Had mine last year; piece of cake except for drinlkng the Golytely. Ugh.

I've had several colonoscopies and no "shots in the gut" (NEVERMIND JUST READ UPTHREAD)

Have to give myself shots instead

Not looking forward to it. Hope everything goes well for you.

was the Fentanyl.

Best part: the doc said my preparation was excellent, my results were perfect (no polyps etc)
Worst part: the freaking stuff you have to drink OMG, even the defecation was better.

Doc said everything looked good. No polyps but did take a small sample for a biopsy just to make sure. He'll call me in about a week with the results but he said he doesn't think I'll need to return for another 10 years.

The post procedure in the recovery room. You get to blow the biggest farts ever.

Just lay there and let it rip.

You have that to look forward to.