COLONOSCOPY How hard is it on you?

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1904

I have my second one coming up this fall sometime. Had to come back in five years because they found some polyps, so they wanted to check again sooner rather than the usual ten years. I honestly don’t remember what clean-out solution I used. I do remember being on a liquid diet for 24-36 hours (chicken broth, popsicles, Gatorade – no red or purple as others have mentioned. I hate Gatorade and never drink it, so that was yucky to me. I remember having to get up in the middle of the night to drink something … seems like it was every 15 minutes for an hour, I had to drink some amount…???.. The actual procedure was no big deal; I stayed awake but was sort of in la-la-land.

In the last couple of years, I’ve developed a hemorrhoid that bleeds occasionally, but it sounds like it’s not anything that would prevent a successful second colonoscopy this fall.

1905

@Hanna, yes, though many also have you take Dulcolax tablets as well. The main complaint I’ve heard about this prep is the amount of fluid you have to drink. Some people have trouble with the volume of fluid you have to drink in the time you are given to drink it.

1906

@Hanna - I got to take Miralax with Pedialyte and no ducolax. Liquid diet the day prior.

1907

One of the problems I have with all this is that a dr. will say you HAVE to use “x” and it’s the ONLY thing you can use. H has had 3 colonscopies over 10 years and it was exactly that drill…except each time it was a different prep that you “had” to use, and they were all with the same dr.!. My mom has had the same thing occur.

I was happy when my dr. gave me Movieprep, which was the one highly recommended on cc about 100 pages ago :slight_smile: Followed it to the letter, had horrendous complications, nope…not again!

1908

At University of Chicago they actually asked me what I preferred. They had instructions for like 5 different things.

https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/conditions-services/cancer/colorectal-cancer/screening-diagnosis/colonoscopy

1909

Well my third colonoscopy is tomorrow ( I have to have them every three years because of a family history and a finding of some small polyps the first time )and the upsides are:
1)I have been losing weight for a year and stick pretty strictly to a 1200-1500 calorie a day eating plan. On a few special occasions I have had more and then followed it up with a 500 or less calorie a day fast day. I find that this day helps keep me on track because when I go back to my regular eating plan, it seems like a lot after the fast day Since I realized I’d have a enforced fast day today yesterday I had a special occasion day and indulged a bit. Lol.

  1. My Doctors Officer called me and said that they wanted to confirm that the weight that I put on my forms this time was correct. The nurse who called was like “have you lost 70 pounds since the last time we saw you”. When I said yes, she asked if I lost weight on purpose. When I said “Oh definitely” She was like “That’s so amazing. Congratulations!!” It added a definite bright spot to the whole thing.
1910

@collage1 I’m very surprised a doctor would say you don’t have to go back for 10 years once you’ve had a polyp. I had a colonoscopy 3 years ago–my second. I had one benign polyp. I was told to come in every 3 years. I had another colonoscopy recently. Again, there was a polyp. This time, it was larger, in a less accessible place, and was precancerous. So, I’m glad I did obey the instructions to go to a once every 3 year schedule.

1911

I’m 55 and have approx 10 of them since age 20 (high risk colon cancer situation - fortunately I am fine). Back then, they were pretty brutal. Today they are fairly easy. As others have said, the prep is a pain in the … well you know where.

I’ve been fully out and fully aware of what was happening (but without pain associated). Typically I have polyps that need pathology. I recall once being sedated but awake. Dr. pointed out the polyps on the tv monitor and said you might feel a pinch and while his nurse touched the screen I felt the pinch. It was weird but also pretty cool.

Assuming it’s just a preventative, 50+ screening, it’s really no big deal. Do the prep. Stay close to home day before and of and you’ll be fine.

1912

Losing a lot of body fat also reduces a risk factor for colon cancer (obesity).

Medical care people may ask if weight loss is intentional, since unintentional weight loss can be a warning sign of some kinds of health problems.

1913

Could depend on the nature of the polyp found. https://acgcdn.gi.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Lieberman_et_al_Surveillance_after_Polypectomy_Gastro_Sept2012.pdf (table 1) recommends anywhere from 3 to 10 years for a single polyp, depending on type.

If you are concerned, you can also give FIT samples in all of the intervening years; if one shows positive for blood, do the next colonoscopy then.

1914

Well even though my 8 biopsies were negative to rule out Lynch I get to do this yearly… Fun!

1915

My wife was told she would have had cancer within five years. Get your colonoscopy!

1916

@jonri, thank you for that feedback. I have an appointment with the GI in September. I will raise the issue; I was surprised that I was given the 10 year pass.

1917

Its been 8 years since I started this, at that time I was going to have my 1st Colonoscopy. I came out clean like a whistle, a 10 year ticket.
8 years later, I have a question:
I am almost 70, should I request an earlier examine? or should I wait my terns? What are the pros and cons of getting it early. My family never had a colon problem.

1918

Why would you want to go earlier if they recommended 10 years?

1919

Just another plug to get them done as scheduled. When my “avoid doctors at all costs” H turned 50, he made an appointment because he thought it was something he was supposed to do. Turned out he had a polyp - almost 2" long that was precancerous. He had to go back after 3 months where it had grown back a little as expected. Now he’s on the yearly track as a high risk patient. He had no symptoms and no famy history of colon cancer. The doctor said if he has waited 6 months, our lives would have been very different. It blows my mind because I can’t remember him making a doctor’s appointment on his own for anything ever. So yeah - get it done as scheduled!

1920

If you are concerned about the interval being too long for your risk profile, you may want to give FIT samples every year until the scheduled year. If the FIT is positive, then you can pull in the next colonoscopy to that year.

Remember, colonoscopy has medical risks and high costs, so screening intervals are not frequent like every year for normal or low risk people (and it is questionable whether using it as the primary screening method for normal or low risk people is worth the medical risk and cost compared to using it as secondary after FIT every year).

1921

I just had my first colonoscopy this week. It wasn’t bad at all.

I am not on any medication, and I told my doctor that I couldn’t drink the gallon of prep my H had to drink.

She prescribed Miralax and I mixed that with 64 oz of lemon lime Gatorade and chilled it.

I ate a low fiber diet a few days before, then on the day of prep, only had water, chicken bouillon, lemon Italian ice for breakfast and lunch.

At 3 pm I took the prescribed (4) Dulcolax, at 4:30 the prescribed Reglan for nausea and then started drinking 8 oz of the prep every 15 minutes at 5 pm.

I was surprised that I was able to drink each cup in only a few sips, it takes me longer than that to drink water.

I only tasted the lemon Gatorade, nothing else.

After about 30 minutes I started having to go to the bathroom. There was no pressure or cramping, and soon it was like water so it was difficult to tell when I had to go, so I stayed in the bathroom for a while until things calmed down.

By 8 pm it looked pretty light and clear. I still had to go a few times until 11 pm.

I slept from midnight until about 4 am. Went a few times in the morning but it was mostly just mucus.

I arrived at the hospital by 8 am and they had me change into a gown, asked a few questions and took vitals and put my IV in.

Then they rolled me into the procedure room and the anesthesiologist put blood pressure cuff on and oxygen mask. They put the sedative in my IV and that’s the last I remember.

Next thing I know, I’m back in my room and they give me something to drink. Surgeon comes in and says everything looked clear, I can come back in 10 years.

H took me home, I felt good, just kind of tired.

1922

Miralax is a short PEG, a compound known for its properties to mimic water. It is tasteless. It is the other junk like artificial seeeteners and electrolytes in the stupid gallon prep that make the prep intolerable.

1923

I had my first colonoscopy a few weeks ago and I’m glad they told me 10 more years because as of right now I’m thinking “NEVER AGAIN!”. The procedure itself was a piece of cake. Got the med and the next thing I know I’m waking up in the room with no pain or discomfort.

However. The prep was AWFUL. I don’t know if I just freaking lucked out and landed with the stomach flu at the same time or what but it made me very sick. I did ok with the first 2/3 of a gallon that you do 12 hours ahead of time, but they had my appointment for 6:45am so I had to get up at 2am to finish the rest and by that time my stomach had had it. About an hour after I finished, I started throwing up. When I got to the doctor I was badly dehydrated and it took forever to get the IV in. After the procedure I woke up still sick to my stomach and was throwing up the entire day. I hadn’t had anything to eat for 2 days and now I couldn’t keep any liquids down either. I ended up staying home from work for two days and just drinking tablespoons of 7up at a time so it would stay down.

The reason I think I was just super unlucky to have been hit by a stomach bug at the same time is I had a 101 fever as well the entire day after the colonoscopy. I was reading the brochures and it said to call if you had a fever, the nurse that answered says “hmmm, that’s weird you would have a fever, you shouldn’t have a fever from that, just drink fluids”. Great. Thanks. Your warning sheet said to call.

I survived, but I’m not in any hurry to ever do one again.