I had my first colonoscopy when we were living in London at a hospital on Harley Street. It was mid afternoon. We couldn’t find a cab when we left, so we walked the 8 or so blocks home. Not a problem.
@my2sunz: My husband has had both procedures done, though the endoscopic ultrasound was done before the colonoscopy because of poor office scheduling procedures. He has GERD, and is taking some sort of pills for it, I think just OTC-strength, though received through prescription in an amount that triples what can be found on the shelves.
I am playing a game of chicken with the doctor’s office right now and will not pay the bill for the ultrasound until they give me an itemized list of services rendered, but no one has related to him that he has a polyp of any sort.
I have a consult on Tues with a different gastro who does the endoscopic ultrasound. I am trying not to be overly concerned about the growth in my stomach; I really wasn’t expecting something like that and am hopeful that it’s just “one of those things” that are meaningless. This getting older thing is not for sissies.
I have GERD and had an endoscope a couple of months back. I have erosive esophagitis from the GERD. Was put on meds for 6 weeks and re scoped. Doc was thinking he might have to stretch the esophagus as I’d started having problems swallowing but the meds really helped the esophagitis and once that calmed down the stretch wasn’t needed. Have to stay on meds long term. I really should have gone sooner considering I know how dangerous reflux can be considering my husband had esophageal cancer - I think I was scared to. I sure was scared when the swallowing problem started.
@my2sunz - did they biopsy the growth? My doc was pretty sure what I had was esophagitis but took biopsies to be sure. I would have expected a growth to be biopsied.
@swimcatsmom - Haven’t had the ultrasound yet; it’s scheduled for January. Dr. said it depends what he sees on the ultrasound. If it is not in the deepest (outermost) layer of my stomach, it will be removed and biopsied (whether or not it looks suspicious.) If the ultrasound shows that it is benign but is deep, they will just monitor it with regular screenings. If it is the first scenario, then it will leave an ulcer which will require me to be on meds for two months and restrictions such as no alcohol until it heals.
Bah. I mentioned upthread that I finally scheduled my baseline colonoscopy, and it has to be done prior to the end of the year for insurance compiance. It’s scheduled for Thursday. So yesterday I wake up with the beginnings of a head cold and it’s no better today. Not the most horrible cold I’ve ever had but still kinda yucky. I’ll call the dr today to make sure they’ll still do it, I certainly don’t want to do my prep tomorrow and get in there on Thurs only for them to tell me to go home…
And the chances of being able to reschedule prior to the end of the year are slim to none…
Ughhh
If it’s just a head cold, vs. pneumonia or a febrile illness, you’re probably ok. But prudent to run it by them…
I had the follow up appointment after my colonoscopy which was two weeks ago when she found inflammation & ulcer in my colon and small intestine. She said the biopsy came positive for crohn’s disease, though I don’t have any of its symptoms. I will be on steroid for ulcer which she will gradually reduce the dose and on anti-inflammation meds forever. Bummed but I guess it is better to have a disease that has meds/cure. She said I have to repeat colonoscopy in 3 years - unless I develop symptoms then sooner 
Since it was regular screening, she said it was caught early, which is good.
I’m curious to now what the anti-inflamation meds she prescribed are.
I had mine this morning. Based on the this thread, I was happy the pharmacy gave me Movieprep. Uhhh, noooo. I have never had more vile stuff in my life. That was AWFUL.
Furthermore, I took Milk of Magnesia Saturday, ate light for 2 days, then followed the liquid diet day and split dose instructions to the letter and took every drop, and was running completely clear. However, the dr. said right 1/4 wasn’t clean. ?? Not sure what else I could have done.
And…they found a flat 3mmx4mm polyp, but couldn’t remove it because it was flat. Not sure I see the point of my procedure, as the only thing I know is they didn’t find polyps to remove, in the 3/4 they could see. I’d have had more peace of mind not doing it. Not sure I will ever do this again unless they find a better prep.
@sryrstress I am not sure why you wish you hadn’t gotten it done? I have a friend who was Dx with colon cancer at her routine 50 year old colonoscopy. If she hadn’t gone, she’d probably be dead by now.
I had the Prepopik which I thought was not bad. It did not require milk of magnesia and I chose to do a low residue diet for 2 days prior which I think helped. DO you have a tortuous colon? I do and I know that can be harder to clean out but my Dr said he could see everything okay. Perhaps a different Dr would have experience in removing the flat polyp? Or at least get a second opinion about that.
@VeryHappy , I was prescribed Pentasa for anti-inflammation. Do you have any experience taking this?
No, I don’t take it and haven’t heard of it.
I did not eat any solids for 2 days prior to the prep day just to err on the safe side. 
I have never drank so much chicken broth in my life! Was so hungry after the procedure we went to a steak house. The doc told me I neded to eat more red meat - a funny rec from a gastroenterologist given that red meat had been linked to all sorts of bad GI stuff.
I’m going to give this thread a bump to bring it to the attention of newer readers and add my experience.
I am one who delayed getting a colonoscopy for many years-- partly because I find it appalling that the colonoscope cannot be sterilized (only cleaned, and there is a small risk of cross contamination from previous users), and partly from concern about the risk of perforation and other complications. The risk of cancer exceeds the risk of complications, though, so after getting a positive test on my FIT (blood in stool) I scheduled my colonoscopy and hoped for the best. I had developed a hemorrhoid while pregnant with my daughter so I figured the blood was likely from that, but after all, cancer and hemorrhoids are not mutually exclusive. It is possible to have both!
I switched to a low fiber diet (less than 1 gram of fiber per serving) for a few days, then just clear liquids on the day before the procedure. I honestly wasn’t hungry! Next time, though, I’ll transition to low fiber less suddenly. My gut really didn’t like the abrupt switch and I had painful intestinal cramps on and off for a few days. That was the worst part of the prep for me.
The first dose of Prepopik (5 oz. of cold water mixed with the packet, not at all hard to drink) was at 5 p.m., followed by at least 40 oz of clear liquids at my own pace during the evening. It began working after about 1.5 hours, then through the evening periodically. I had to stay near the toilet but not actually camp out in there. I kept sipping clear fluids and it kept working, until around 11 p.m. when I got to rest a bit. Couldn’t manage to sleep, though.
The second dose was at 2 a.m. (The doctor’s instruction sheet said 3 a.m. but that would have left me only one hour to drink the required 40 oz. of clear liquids before the 4 a.m. cutoff for having anything by mouth. I really needed the full 2 hours to get that fluid in. I mentioned this to the doctor later.)
When the 2nd dose produced only one small trip to the toilet I wondered if I would have to reschedule, but no, it turned out the first dose had done the job quite well. I tried to sleep but again, could not. So it was a long night. I watched DVDs and read.
I was given Propofil, zonked out fast, and the colonoscopy was over before I knew it; my H drove me home soon afterward. I had no after effects from the anesthesia. The doctor found no polyps or other lesions. Next colonoscopy in 10 years, although the gastroenterologist said his office would call me in 5 years to discuss it, as by then recommendations may have changed.
All things considered, I should have done this years ago. It went much easier than I expected.
If you are on the fence, just do it.
CTmom,
I am glad you got off scotts free. Happy to see you are reviving this 5 year old thread. It reminds me I am close to take the plunge soon!
Its bark is worse than its bite. For me, anyway.
Now I’m eating some yogurt to help repopulate the colon with friendly bacteria. Tomorrow, kimchi.
Just scheduled my 1st colonoscopy for the end of Aug. Considering I’m 62, I’m long overdue. I plan to do a low residue diet for a few days before the procedure. I’ll be using Miralax for the prep.
I had my 5th one since 1999 (family history) a few weeks back. Although the prep has gotten better in terms of volume, it’s still a challenge for me to drink it. In discussing this with the nurse when I checked in, she said there are all kinds of prep options in development including a kind of candy bar that you can eat which will induce the cleansing. I got a 5 year pass, so hopefully something new will come along during that time. In terms of the procedure, the last two have been so much easier in terms of shaking things off since they switched to propofol. This time three people made a point of telling me that they now use carbon dioxide instead of air to “pump you up” and you don’t have the after the procedure “wind” that was previously experienced as the CO2 is absorbed into your body.
I have an online running friend who had a few concerning symptoms a few years ago, but her doctor passed them off as being due to stress after her young nephew passed away. Even though her father had died of colon cancer! She is 45. She finally insisted on a colonoscopy and they found a cancerous tumor. She’s early stage III. She just finished chemo and will start radiation before long. She may or may not need surgery after that. So if you have a family history of colon cancer, insist on a colonoscopy even if you’re not 50 yet. It could save your life.