COLONOSCOPY How hard is it on you?

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1584

I had my colonoscopy a couple of weeks ago. This was my second as my first found polyps, so the less invasive tests are not an option for me.

My body got used to the low residue diet after a few days.

I had the colyte prep which I mixed with lemon lime Gatorade. It tasted like someone had spilled salt in my Gatorade. Not pleasant, but not absolutely disgusting either. I was able to get the whole thing down. I did find after a while that it helped to let it warm up a bit before I drank it. It tasted a bit better plus I had been getting the chills from drinking it so cold.

I was supposed to drink 8 ounces every fifteen minutes. I wasnā€™t able to chug it down, so I had less than ten minutes to rest after finishing a glass before I was due for the next one. After a little over an hour, most of that time between glasses was spent in the bathroom.

I do think the colyte cleaned me out better than the miralax prep three years ago.

Unfortunately, they found polyps again, so I get to do this again in three years.

1585

Colonoscopy tomorrowā€¦ yay! It will be my 4th, but each time is a little bit different. Have not been on this thread for a long time:

This morning I was prepping my Miralax (actually the generic since it is half the price). Let me rewind about 2 weeks. Doctor prescribed the gallon jug type of prep. During my previous Colonoscopy, #3, I had that one. It was hard for me to get down and I am a (long) past collegiate beer chugging champion. I asked the doctor performing this GI if he would prescribe an alternate and thatā€™s how I ended up with Miralax OTC.

I mixed the Miralax in Gatorade. Note: When doing so drink 1-2 gulps BEFORE adding the powder otherwise there will not be enough room for 4 oz of the powder in the 32 oz. Gatorade bottle and you will be making an unnecessary trip to the toilet after drinking enough of the solution to add the remaining powder. This is the best tasting bowel prep I have ever had. Wife said she does not like the taste of Gatorade and I agree but it really masks the taste of Miralax.

I have some questions re. conscious sedation, which is how I was sedated all 3 previous times:

Q1:
I became NAUSEOUS during my last Colonoscopy, both pre (mask to get me started which was a new wrinkle foe me) and post procedure (woke up with the dry heavesā€” sorry to be so descriptive.) They switched my med type after I complained but have no idea what was given to me.

Are any meds better than others for nausea? I noted the nausea on my pre-procedure questionnaire and also plan to ask for an anti-nausea med in my IV when they sedate me.

Q2:
Have any of you requested a ā€œlighter doseā€ of sedation? I donā€™t necessarily want to go without anything but I would not mind being awake. During Colonoscopy #1, done in a hospital with an anesthesiologist, I woke up midway. It was awesome. Wife and I went shopping at Costco on the way home. During Colonoscopy #2 and #3, I donā€™t remember a thing and my head felt like it was stuffed with cotton hours after the procedure. (These last 2 times were done in non-hospital medical facilities without an anesthesiologist.)

Thanks for the help.

1586

@jshain, before your procedure, you can ask your anesthesia provider what they think about the following drugs given for nausea:

emend (used to prevent nausea, not treat nausea that has already occurred)-they may or may not stock this; my facility did not;

zofran (most commonly given anti-emetic at my facility)

phenergan (can cause additional grogginess/sedation)

Obviously, your medical history and the anesthesia providerā€™s personal preference will play a part.

As to your past experiences with conscious sedation:

If you were ever given versed (highly likely), that would explain the memory loss. Versed is used to relax/sedate you, but it is known to erase memories associated with the procedure even though you may well have been ā€œawakeā€ during the whole thing.

You can certainly request that the sedation be very ā€œlight.ā€ Again, in the procedures you donā€™t remember, you might have been awake (or at least just minimally sedated) the entire time, but you just donā€™t remember it because of the Versed.

Without knowing what drugs you were actually given, I canā€™t really address what made you feel like your head was ā€œfilled with cotton.ā€ If we have any anesthesiologists around, maybe they can address that. Iā€™ve never heard anyone mention that kind of symptom.

At my facility, they usually used propofol, which some people refer to as conscious sedation, but itā€™s also referred to as general anesthesia by some providers. Depending on the dose, youā€™d probably be ā€œoutā€ (but unlike most general anesthesia, breathing on your own), but can awaken quite suddenly once the drug is stopped.

1587

@AdvMom: I had the exact same thing ā€“ one polyp at the first one and one polyp at the second. Iā€™ve now had four, and no polyps were found during the second two, but Iā€™m still on the five-year plan. >:P

1588

I just had Colonoscopy #4, this time without any sedation and no IV. Mathyone, I cannot thank you enough! Thanks for PMing me. The nurse who was about to start the IV also suggested a ā€œnaturalā€ procedure when I mentioned getting the IV was the part of the procedure I dreaded most.

My doctor said he had performed a Colonoscopy on a patient without sedation about 6 months ago yet he and both nurses were very supportive of not using a sedative. I did have 2 very small polyps and felt no additional discomfort when they removed them.

I would encourage others to go sedation free and would not hesitate doing it this way again.

1589

@jshain, I was going to mention that some of our patients do not use any sedation at all, but you said you wanted a little, so I didnā€™t mention it.

At our facility, the patient must still get an IV even if they do not want sedation. Reasons:

1)Weā€™ve lost count of the number of people who say they donā€™t want sedation, but then most definitely change their minds during the procedure. People tolerate discomfort very differently, and one patient may say it was completely fine, while the next will say it was excruciating. Having an IV in place makes it very easy to get sedation going if the patient desires it.

2)In spite of being relatively straight forward, this procedure does carry some risks. Our physicians require an IV to be in place in the event of an emergency so that medications can be given immediately.

Every facility has their own policy on this issue-that just happens to be the one our facility has adopted.

Glad your procedure went well.

1590

Nrdsb4, I got the impression from the doctor that they normally would IV all patients whether they opt for a sedative or not. The nurse I had usually worked at a different facility (Kaiser Permanente) and they might have different procedures as you mentioned.

1591

Our facility also has a ā€œmandatory IV line just in caseā€ kind of policy.

1592

@jshain - Congrats!!! I had mine (about 6 months ago at Mayo) and prepped with OTC miralax mixed with smart water went with no drugs. I did fine (I admit there were a couple of less than enjoyable moments.) Doc was very impressed and said he was going to start recommending the no sedation, no pain killers to many of his patients.

1593

@jshain, So glad to hear that my note was helpful to you. For those following this thread I happened to see jshainā€™s post about difficulties with sedation and I PMā€™d about how sedation is really not necessary for colonoscopy. My Dr did insist on placing an IV, and stressed that they could start sedation during the procedure if it proved to be too much for me. I had no concern about IVs and I thought that having that back up plan was the best approach. Not going to lie, it was very unpleasant and at times painful but I plan to go sedation-free every time now. Iā€™m far more worried about the sedation than I am about the procedure or the discomfort.

Just wanted to add that wisdom tooth extraction also does not always require sedation. I was able to find an oral surgeon for my kid willing to do it with just novocaine, as I had had my own done years ago. (That was easier going than the colonoscopy, no pain just some pressure.)

Iā€™m not an MD. Iā€™m not obsessed with natural/alternative health. I believe in modern medicine. But there are risks (and costs) to every drug. I prefer not to subject my brain, or my kidsā€™ brains, to these chemicals unless truly necessary. True, the more obvious and serious risks are very rare. Until your family member is the one who experiences the ā€œrareā€ bad outcome. As happened to us.

Yes, you need to be confident a non-sedated patient isnā€™t going to freak out. And it may not be possible to find Drs who are comfortable enough working on non-sedated patients. You do want the Drs to do their best job.

1594

Note that colonoscopy itself has risks, so there is an argument to using colonoscopy as the secondary screening behind yearly FIT as the primary screening, rather than as the primary screening, in terms of lowering the medical risks of colonoscopy itself.

Prophylactic wisdom tooth extraction versus only doing wisdom tooth extraction if necessary later is also debatable on this basis.

1595

My doctor did say before and during the procedure that it was no problem to sedate me if I changed my mind. I completely understand the logic of having ALL patients IVā€™d ahead of time.

1596

There are 13 different physicians at my facility. I think every one of them is comfortable with working with non-sedated patients as long as those patients are able to stay still. Someone freaking out and jumping around due to pain or anxiety would present a clear risk of perforation. At that point, if the patient refused sedation, the doctor would have no choice but to discontinue the procedure. But I think most docs are okay in theory with patients doing without sedation. It really is offered primarily as a benefit to the patient. I personally have no desire to endure a colonoscopy without sedation. Thatā€™s a memory I just donā€™t want, and Iā€™m comfortable with the risk. I would not be comfortable with the risk if I had a history of problems with propofol, but fortunately I have always tolerated anesthesia very well.

1597

Having trouble falling asleep. Just read the entire thread. I am 60 and have my first colonoscopy on Monday.
The primary reason I have delayed is my H. He has had three and says ā€œthe prep is not bad.ā€ He also thinks having his teeth cleaned is enjoyable whereas I have laughing gas even for a cleaning. The idea that he will minimize my discomfort is so irritating.
I also wish I could be alone for the whole prep. I donā€™t want to spend that much time on the toilet with him in the house.
I feel like what comes out of my bowels is no oneā€™s business but my own.
But come Monday it will be over and with any luck I wonā€™t be heading for divorce court.

1598

@missypie: Ignore your husband. When you are prepping, just stay in a separate part of the house, in a bathroom he has no reason to be near. (If thatā€™s possible.) DH was quite considerate about leaving me alone ā€“ I was upstairs in our master bedroom and bathroom while he was downstairs watching some sports program. (In other words, just another day in the VeryHappy household!)

The prep isnā€™t what any of us would call a good time, but it really is just something annoying to be gotten through. If youā€™ve handled childbirth, you can easily handle this.

1599

Gosh, the prep beats colon cancer!! I have a 45-year-old friend who recently finished chemo for stage III colon cancer. She would have given anything in the world to be tested for it a few years ago. :frowning:

1600

Thanks, happy. I admit that Iā€™m a caffeine addict so Iā€™m sure I will have a headache.

Interesting to read 7 years of posts. I hadnā€™t talked to some of you for so long. (I tend to only post on the HS Class of ā€˜09 thread.)

1601

@missypie, maybe too graphic, but after awhile, the ā€œsoundsā€ coming from the bathroom will simply sound like you are urinating.

The first time, I holed up in a downstairs guest room while hubby spent the evening upstairs in his man cave watching TV. The second time, he was in Europe and D2 was living in an apartment about 15 minutes away. I stayed in my master suite in a recliner only steps from my bathroom. She picked me up bright and early, so I had plenty of privacy this time. D2 found it amusing that I boarded the dog, but I didnā€™t want to have to navigate the stairs to let the dog out several times that evening. You canā€™t really go that far from your bathroom once the prep kicks in. :slight_smile:

The whole thing is a nuisance, but nothing more, really.

1602

My husband views things from his own experience to a greater degree than just about anyone else I know. If something doesnā€™t bother him, he believes that it shouldnā€™t bother anyone. That is why these issues didnā€™t arise during pregnancy, childbirth, etc. He couldnā€™t say ā€œpiece of cakeā€ because he hadnā€™t gone through it.

Yesterday he got his flu shot. He pestered me about when I would be getting mine. I reminded him (as I do every year) that my doctor said not to get one because I react very badly. Last time we got a flu shot on the same day, later in the evening, you couldnā€™t tell where his what, whereas I had something resembling a green ping pong ball on my arm (together with severe body aches, etc.) He acts like Iā€™m being a baby about getting a shot, which is totally not the case.

I am actually a pretty darned stoic person. I just donā€™t want H commenting on my experience.

1603

I can identify with that. My mother was very sickly. DH told me early in our marriage that he was afraid I was going to be sickly like her. That kept me quiet about minor aches and pains for a good long time. I finally realized that DH has had about half a dozen hospitalizations compared to my two, both for childbirth.