The outpatient surgery center has drivers for hire. $18 plus tips. Ask if there is a similar service where you are.
The nurses at my facility have begged for this policy, to no avail. I canât tell you how many times we have been finished with all our cases at 3 pm, only to have the patient tell us, âOh, my friend is coming to get me after she gets off work at 5 or 5:30.â SO.SO.SO frustrating (nurses have to be there at 6 am, 7am at the latest, depending).
The âawfulâ Golytly prep is not that bad, folks. The worst part for me was the added artificial sweetener! I can take the salt and the bitterness, but add sweetness into the mix, and it is a major bleh. Fortunately, I now have the ârecipeâ from that jar - It is just inorganic salts and PEG - easy-peasy. 
I found that drinking this stuff when it was a bit warmer than lukewarm was easier than chugging down the stuff when it was chilled.
Apparently, there is a company that has PEG âsnack barsâ in clinical trials, and those can be washed down with water or clear liquids. Let me find a linkâŠ
@pittsburghscribe - I think it varies depending on the facility. Where I had it done, they specified that you were not allowed to have Uber or taxi ride home, probably for safety reasons. I felt pretty alert on the way home and I recall conversation, etc., But recently DH had minor surgery using I believe the same anesthesia and he seemed totally fine and alert on the drive home. It wasnât until the next day when we were talking that he realized that he did not remember anything that we had spoken about - or even that he had eaten a sandwich in the car!
As for the Golytly - I canât speak for the taste, but I would not be able to even drink that much of something that I like!
@my2sunz: I had a adenomatous polyp at my first colonoscopy so they wanted me back in three years. That one was clean, as was the next, but Iâm still on an every five-year schedule. Hopefully one of these days I can go to 10 years.
There is some maximum age when they say you can stop having them completely. Getting old has its perks.
The upper limit on age for some screening recommendations is based on such factors as:
- Person's remaining life expectancy (no point in screening for something if you are likely to die before that something will kill you).
- Person's likely ability to survive treatment if something is found during the screening.
- Person's risk of medical complications of the screening itself.
Those who are healthier than usual may wish to continue screening longer. Those in poor health from other known conditions may wish to stop screening earlier.
Current screening recommendations for colon cancer at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/UpdateSummaryFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2 recommend it for age 50-75, and to consider individual circumstances for age 76-85.
Colonoscopy is not the only option for first-line colon cancer screening (although it is used when other first-line options detect something). Other options are described at https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2#tab . Colonoscopy is marginally more effective as a first-line screening option, but also carries higher medical risks for the screening itself, and is significantly more expensive than most other first-line screening options.
Next screening for me, I am asking for Cologuard instead. It tests for the DNA of cancer cells. No prep, no procedure. Just poop and send it in.
Cologuard FIT-DNA testing is marginally better than FIT if done yearly, marginally worse if done every three years, according to https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Document/RecommendationStatementFinal/colorectal-cancer-screening2#tab . Note that colonoscopy is done if either test finds something.
The main problem with Cologuard FIT-DNA testing is that it is very expensive compared to FIT. Three Colorguard FIT-DNA tests ($695 each) costs as much as one colonoscopy (varies, probably around $2,000 each). In contrast, ten yearly FIT tests ($25 each) is much less expensive.
@VeryHappy - Had my follow up yesterday. As with you, polyp was precancerous and I need to repeat in 3 years. He said if that is good, then we can push the next one further out (I didnât ask, but I didnât get the impression that he meant 10 years). 
The other concern is that because of issues Iâd been having with GERD, they decided to do an endoscopy at the same time. I do indeed have reflux, but they also discovered a small growth in my stomach wall. The doctor didnât seem overly concerned, but said now that they have found it, I will need to have an endoscopic ultrasound to determine what it is. Anyone else with this kind of an experience?
Iâm about to be wheeled in for the procedure. DW is in the next cubicle awaiting hers too. It makes me think of the Cialas ads with the twin bathtubs. His and hers colonoscopies! Doesnât that sound romantic?
Sherpa!!! Your post made me spit coffee all over my keyboard. How romantic! 
Great job taking care of each otherâs health and smooth sailings through the procedure.
sigh just scheduled mine (I turned 50 last year).
Our health insurer requires certain wellness visits depending on your age range, or your premium contribution is raised significantly. This is one requirement. So I guess theyâve done their job, since I definitely wouldnât have scheduled it!
2 weeks from todayâŠughâŠ
Mine is in 10 days. It is my first and a screening. Does anyone know what the current law says what happens if they find polyps and remove them during the procedure?
I previously read that there was a new law that said it must still be billed as âscreeningâ if you went into it as a screening. I canât find confirmation of that, nor will the doctors office confirm how it would be billed. The lack of transparency and uniformity in health care billing drives me nuts.
Iâm out of recovery and feeling great. Prep was much tougher than the procedure. Thank heavens for bidet toilet seats!
Hope itâs a smooth recovery, sherpa!
My understanding is the same as yours, sryrstress, but donât know of anyone whoâs actually had that happen recently.
Just coming back from having Colonoscopy today. The prep was not bad except for the nausea and vomiting. I had to take ducolex 4 tablets and 10 oz of Magnesium citrate day before and 5 oz of magnesium citrate in the morning of the procedure. The procedure itself was a breeze. Good news no polyp. Bad news they found inflammation in my small intestine and colon. I have a followup to discuss the biopsy review and for the treatment of the inflammation.
@sryrstress, I got letter from my insurance before the procedure saying screening 100% covered and no co-pay, and $300 co-pay if polyp found and removed during the procedure.
My H had his colonoscopy today and I was the designated driver. There was a husband and wife at the center. They were both having their first colonoscopy. Wife was an anxious wreck. Husband was very calm and supportive of her. Wife was knocked out. Husband had his colonoscopy unsedated so that he could drive them both home. Talk about love!
I had my first colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago. Procedure was fine; but Iâm glad I donât have to repeat the prep for 10 years! I was very nauseous.
When my H had the procedure in the past (a few years ago when we lived elsewhere) he was very woozy, but I felt completely normal afterwards. I did have H accompany me home, and I had taken the full day off work. They warned me my judgment might be impaired, but to be honest I felt fine.