COLONOSCOPY How hard is it on you?

Sounds like this?

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eVnKbEZwLJo

When I first told a friend I was going to be starting a new job at an endoscopy center, she hooted with laughter, saying “all you are going to be doing all damn day is telling people to go ahead and fart!” I had no experience with this patient population, so I said, “Really?! Yuck!”

Couldn’t be farther from the truth. Thanks to the use of CO2 instead of free air, there is very little of that at all. Thank goodness.

I guess they gave me free air in 2012!

“Doctors have preferences that are certainly based on their personal experience, but am I cynical to think that their recommendation might be strongly influenced by their relationship with a particular vendor? 8 or 10 procedures per day, 5 days per week
 how many years?”

The days where drug reps can really influence doctors’ choices are long, long gone. There are no kickbacks, and there’s really very little incentive for any doctor to use anything other than what he / she thinks is most medically appropriate in a given situation. It would be quite stupid for a GI doc to use something he / she doesn’t think will give the very best and cleanest prep for that patient, because it’s only going to tick off the patient if the prep doesn’t work and he has to come back and re-do it in a week or so.

Having someone be there and drive you home is completely standard for a procedure with anesthesia – nothing in particular about your doctor.

I didn’t have any gas issues afterwards, at all. I remember being wheeled in, making small talk with the doctor and then opening my eyes, it was an hour later and I was completely done. I probably could have even driven myself home, though I had someone drive me. It was nowhere near as bad as I had envisioned or all the horror stories. I had Suprep. I think it cost $60. But I really think eating a low roughage / mostly liquid diet for a few days prior really helped.

The procedure is a breeze, it is the prep day that can be “uncomfortable”.

I am getting it done in two weeks. I just started reading this thread. My sister told me to have a 12 or 1pm appt because I would need to take a pill (drink) 6 hours prior.

Had it done today, using the prepopik. Modified diet 4 days prior, and instructed to take two doses of Miralax both Friday and Saturday. Started,the prepopik at 4 on Sunday, 2nd dose at 8 Sunday. I’ll never like it, can’t even stand to take laxatives (never needed to) but the prepopik is much lower volume and the taste isn’t as bad. I did have a headache and was drinking more than the required amount, s don’t think I was dehydrated. Insurance did not cover the Rx and it came to $38 with a coupon provided by the doctor. Initially he wasn’t going to prescribe this for me and I said I couldn’t tolerate high volume stuff. Whatever i was prescribed the last time, including the OTC citrate stuff, I had chills and felt more drained. I feel like this was an ordeal in a different way because I started the dietary changes sooner, but for me it was preferable.
Where I went, if you were scheduled before 11 you do both doses the day before, if after 11 a.m. You do one at night, one very early the next a.m.

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“I feel like this was an ordeal in a different way because I started the dietary changes sooner, but for me it was preferable.”

I didn’t find the dietary changes any big deal - I just ate things like yogurt smoothies and soup for a few days and avoided salad, vegetables, etc. until the day before where I switched to the totally clear liquids. Super easy.

When you guys talk about a low-residue diet, what does that include and what does that exclude?

@VeryHappy, it’s essentially low fiber, foods that don’t hang out in the digestive tract for a long time.

http://www.webmd.com/ibd-crohns-disease/low-residue-diet-foods

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Baby wipes recommendations - flushable?

I didn’t find a need for any of that. Honestly, without getting too gross here, it was just going to the bathroom more frequently for a while – that’s all. Baby wipes would have been a waste, IMO. You just need to plan your day such that once you start the prep, you are within close reach of a bathroom and don’t do anything that you can’t quickly interrupt. Plan to read or watch movies or some such.

Disagree about that. The diarrhea, like any frequent diarrhea, can cause a certain amount of rawness. Soothing wipes (no alcohol) help prevent that. I would say flushable is a good idea if you have the right t kind of sewage system.

I also wonder if the prep solution or diet has an impact on discomfort. I had zero need for soothing wipes. For me, ti wasn’t “diarrhea.” It was merely frequent elimination.

Agree with NRdsb4. I personally found no pain or discomfort, just frequency. The worst part was getting the SuPrep down and even that - well, it’s hardly a big deal to gulp down something bad tasting, it’s over in a minute. I found a lot of the horror stories about the prep way exaggerated.

I used disposable baby wipes. A little “pampering” during an unpleasant time. . Dont recall which-- just that they were disposable/flushable


There have been lots of good suggestions and I agree about the modified diet for a couple of days until the totally clear liquid diet. I’ll just share something that helped me with the taste of the gallon prep
banana popsicles! I used a straw and then followed each glass with some banana popsicle.

And I didn’t use the flushable wipes, Vaseline was what was recommended and it worked fine.

I will add banana popsicles to my short list of
Jello and broth.

I also had suprep. For me, It wasn’t just “frequency” like some other posters have said. It was old faithful geyser for almost 12 hours. Started prep part 1 at 530 PM night before. Part 2 at midnight for 630 AM procedure time. Was still going at 5 AM and was worried about making it to the endoscopy center 15 minutes away without having an “incident.” I could barely leave the bathroom for 12 hours. I used baby wipes and still had a lot of irritation. I don’t think I had as much when I used moviprep. You just don’t know how you’ll react. Get the baby wipes and anything else you might need. You won’t be able to leave your house once you start the prep.

In any case, the actual procedure is a breeze like others have said. I got propofol and went to sleep. Woke up in the recovery area and left the endoscopy center by 8.

Remember no red jello. The most popular flavors are probably red.