worst part was the prep yesterday, no food the whole day and then they give you these pills to take with lost of water that basically flush your entire guts.

The actual procedure this morning like it never happened. I didn't feel anything. And I got good news.

Glad to hear you did it.

I remind everyone I know to get it done at 45. It saved my life last year!

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.....no guts.....no glory.....


.....they never finished mine....so got a....semi-colonoscopy.......

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2022 09:46AM by NewtonMP2100.

The "purge" is way worse than the actual test.

Don't take any ibuprofen for a few days! Trust me on this one.

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Will Collier
Don't take any ibuprofen for a few days! Trust me on this one.

Good to know. They told me to not take it before the procedure, didn't say anything after. What happens?

I had three of them done, with the first done last December 22nd, and the third late August of this year.

Drinking that vile fluid (two doses per procedure) is the worst part of the experience.

Love the drugs. The doc says, "OK, let's start!" and one second later, I'm waking up! Had a pretty good buzz for the rest of the day. But, boy, I was hungry and had the Corned Beef skillet at our local diner and ate all of it...

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Something different...

Disclaimer: This post is checked for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Any attempts at humor are solely the responsibility of the author and bear no claim that any and all readers will approve or appreciate said attempt at humor.
My name is DP, and I approve this message.

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DP
But, boy, I was hungry and had the Corned Beef skillet at our local diner and ate all of it...

Well, ya gotta refill that internal supply chain, as it were.

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freeradical
I had three of them done, with the first done last December 22nd, and the third late August of this year.

Drinking that vile fluid (two doses per procedure) is the worst part of the experience.

No vile fluid. They give you 12 pills and you need to drink 3 cups of 16 oz of water at 5 PM and again 12 pills and 3x16 oz of water 8 hours before the procedure.

Around here, the standard is Miralax (polyethylene glycol) in gatorade.

And a well-functioning toilet.

Glad to hear everything went well. Colon cancer took two of my grandparents and it was entirely preventable with routine screening.

---

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pdq
Around here, the standard is Miralax (polyethylene glycol) in gatorade.

And a well-functioning toilet.

Same here, though they provide the generic with a flavor packet to add to water for the mix.

They suggested Crystal Lemonade for me and it was not bad. They had the kitchen make me a nice Roast Beef sandwich before sending me home.

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Northern California Coast

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gadje

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Will Collier
Don't take any ibuprofen for a few days! Trust me on this one.

Good to know. They told me to not take it before the procedure, didn't say anything after. What happens?

Bloody stools. If they clipped any polyps, an NSAID can prevent them from healing properly. I had a lovely trip to the ER to get re-patched the day after my procedure after taking a couple of Advil that night.

Oh sorry to hear this... yeah the didn't mention any of this. And I do not feel like I need any medicine at all. I did take some probiotics since there was nothing left in my guts, LOL

So who stayed awake versus twilight sedation versus fully unconscious sedation?

Still haven't decided which of the above to choose.

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Bill in NC
So who stayed awake versus twilight sedation versus fully unconscious sedation?

I tried. I really tried, just for fun. Then the room started spinning, and the next thing I heard was someone saying to my wife “he should be waking up soon” and I was in a different room.

That “conscious sedation” I had was BS in my case.

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gadje
Oh sorry to hear this... yeah the didn't mention any of this. And I do not feel like I need any medicine at all. I did take some probiotics since there was nothing left in my guts, LOL

Yeah, they forgot to tell me too, and I was too dumb to ask my health-care-professional wife whether it was a good idea to pop those two Advil or not.

And I'm fine, they patched me right up. An experience I'd rather not have had, but other than the expense (protip: do not go to the ER in your FIRST WEEK in a HDHP if you can possibly help it), none the worse for wear.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2022 04:35PM by Will Collier.

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Bill in NC
So who stayed awake versus twilight sedation versus fully unconscious sedation?

Still haven't decided which of the above to choose.

I've done half awake thing. You don't recall anything, however. I've not been brave enough to try to have no sedation. Would they allow that? Seems like if you move, things could go very badly.

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Hurts like a bastid...

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Bill in NC
So who stayed awake versus twilight sedation versus fully unconscious sedation?

Still haven't decided which of the above to choose.

The main reason for sedation is the air that's introduced to inflate your gut to move the instrument through the large intestine. It's some serious crampy and gaseous sensations, and it's no fun - though some people prefer to deal with that because there's no after effect from sedation. It's not a popular option, however.

Ask your doctor about the different kinds of sedation he or she prefers to use. Let them know what you do and don't want to feel. Most will want to help you figure it out. But it is important to talk with them about this before you go in for the procedure … There are different levels of sedation they can provide, and without knowing what you want, they'll shoot for somewhere in the middle. And while that will work fine for "most" people, it might not work for you. And at any time during the procedure - if you decide to stay awake and realize that wasn't your best decision ever, just let them know. It's your procedure, and you should be comfortable with it from start to finish.

If your doctor is amenable to it, if you have a good relationship with them, and if you want to learn a few things about the procedure you won't learn any other way, ask them to wake you up at the cecum and walk & talk you back out. That is typically an interesting experience.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2022 08:57PM by bfd.

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mrbigstuff

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Bill in NC
So who stayed awake versus twilight sedation versus fully unconscious sedation?

Still haven't decided which of the above to choose.

I've done half awake thing. You don't recall anything, however. I've not been brave enough to try to have no sedation. Would they allow that? Seems like if you move, things could go very badly.

Some people can do okay, others their digestive tract may react during the procedure causing an involuntary movement. From personal experience I fall in the middle depending on how I am doing that day. I was getting the shorter flexible sigmoidoscopy exams every 6 months for a few years after treatment for cancer was over and not going for sedation. A couple times my gastroenterologist was doing okay on time and my colon was cooperating, so he did advance further into my colon than called for. It is a bit strange feeling, and occasionally there would be a reaction to the puffs of CO2 used.

Glad everything came out OK. (nyuk nyuk)

My wife tells the story after mine when I kept telling her how everybody else on the recovery ward was repeating themselves. She says I told her the same thing over and over. I don't remember any of it.

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My first one was semi-sedated and I got to watch the whole thing on a monitor they were looking at. It was really fun. HATED coming out of those drugs, though.
The second was completely under, which I did not expect, but being 10 years later, I guess they changed protocols.
I was never given a choice in either instance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/24/2022 09:42AM by mspace.