# First Colonoscopy Due---Really Scared



## MartyG (May 2, 2000)

Could use a little bit of friendly help around now. I am a long time IBSer. Diagnosed with UC in '59, but never had another bout of it. Diagnosed with IBS-D from the 60's on through. Had some small bright blood in stool and on TP recently, rushed to family doctor and then made appointment with new GI doc.Saw GI doctor on Wednesday, he did a manual exam, hemacult test, no blood, but said I should consider colonscopy, due to my age and previous history.Now, I really have stomach problems. Noisy, diarrhea, gassy, etc (talked out tied up in knots). I have had BE's before (3 times) but never a colonscopy. Really fearful that something will go wrong....(they'll poke a hole in me) or I won't wake up, or worse.....Can anyone please give me good sound advice on how I can work to bring my anxiety levels down and go forward with this.I am not a young kid. I know what I must do and have faced many challenges before and do not like being "scared to death"







by this procedure. This is not something I can control at this point. I know "just do it", but would really appreciate words of wisdom.Thanks.


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## betagirl (Oct 12, 2002)

Hi Marty.I'm a little younger than you, but not much (27).







I've had 2 colonoscopies in the past year. The first one I was like "oh great". I thought it would hurt, but it turns out they give you some fantastic meds. Versed and/or demerol. It puts you in this twilight mode where you're awake but not. You don't feel much of anything, but can respond to commands. You may talk too, saying all sorts of amusing things, but you won't remember much of the procedure. You might "wake up" in the middle (I remember looking up at the tv screen with my colon on it) but you really don't come out of it til after they're all done. You get about an hour or so to recover and sleep the meds off before you can go. Sometimes they make you drink something or break wind. You can just tell them you did, don't have to have an audience







I didn't have any discomfort after it. It really isn't that hard.Now for the not nice part, the prep. There are several preps out there. I've had many different tests, so have had most preps I think. First colonoscopy I drank the gallon-o-shyte (aka golytely). I'm not going to lie, it tastes like ####. I liken it to lemon-lime gatorade mixed with mineral oil. It has a weird consistency to me, and I had a hard time getting the last few glasses down. Whatever you do, make sure it's COLD and drink it FAST. Sipping it will just make it take forever. I drank it by the pint, and it took me close to 3 hours. You will go and go and go to the bathroom too. Start early, before 5, so you're not up all night. Oh and about 3/4 of the gallon should do it, you'll know when you're cleared out. But if you can't finish it, LIE and tell them you did when you check in. I saw a guy get sent home to repeat the prep because he didn't finish it. I felt so bad for him.The second one I did the visicol tablets. MUCH better. Grant it they're the size of a Yugo, but I found it much less gross. And I have a hard time swallowing pills. You can break them if you want. You have to take 20 (4 pills every 15 minutes) the night before and 8 the morning of the test. I highly recommend this prep.Other preps are phosphosoda. Again, drink it FAST and make it cold. Get a chaser







Then there's the fleet enema. I did that for my flex sigmoidoscopy. Those were a pain, but I did them in the docs office. I'm not sure they get high enough for the full scope though. But I could be wrong.Just be prepared for an evening in the bathroom. Eat light that day so there's less to clear out. I was done going by about midnight or so when I'd start at 5. Usually 1 wakeup call in between then and when I normally get up.The prep is 100 times worse than the actual procedure, and it's not THAT horrible. If you can get through the prep, you've got smooth sailing ahead of you.


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## maddi (Jun 25, 2003)

Hi Marty!I am brand new to this bulletin board, but I have had Crohn's Disease for a while, and was dignosed (after a 2 year history of symptoms) with Crohn's Disease a year ago. I have had a total of 3 colonoscopies, and they were a breeze! As Betagirl says, the procedure was a snap, but the prep was the pits!.. I used the phosphosoda. It is much easier than the golytely. I told my doc that there was no way I could swallow a gallon of anything. The phoshosoda tastes awful ... it is extremely salty, but it is just a 3 ounce bottle! You drink it in two doses (1 1/2 ounce at a time.) It tells you to put the prep in a glass of water, put I thought it was worse to have to drink a whole glass full of yuck







, so I just drank the med, and then chased it with a glass of water. It worked fine. I am 52 years old, and I went through it like it was nothing! I am sure it will be the same for you! (When is your procedure? Have you already had it? If so, how did it go?)Good luck to you and God Bless you,Maddi


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## hiimsuzzie (Jul 3, 2003)

As the other two replies said, the procedure itself is a breeze, and the prep is the awful part. I did the phosphosoda prep. My advice would be not do drink the prep quickly. Whenever I drink anything quickly, it triggers gas, painful cramps, and D. If your symptoms get triggered similarly, sip!


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## Stillnaked (Jan 19, 2003)

By the third dose of phosphus soda, I gagged going INTO the kitchen! It is awful, and i wouln't wish it on anyone except Colleen, LOL. For the test I told them I was scared poopooless. They put me completely out, I didn't feel a thing, and it was fine. Just tell them you don't want the twilight sleep as they call it. Go under.Laurie


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## maxson (Jun 22, 2003)

I have had IBS for years (I'm 39 years old) andlately my symptoms have been much much worse. Iwas so terrified to have a colonoscopy I wascrying and not sleeping a week prior to it. I toldthe dr. and nurses how nervous I was the day ofthe procedure. They gave me some extra meds so Ido not remember a single thing, I was completelyout the entire procedure. I highly recommend youdo the same, that way there is nothing to benervous about. Just be sure to have someone thereto drive you home, you will be really out of itfor several hours afterwards. Good luck, don't be nervous, if I can get through it anyone can,believe me. They didn't find anything wrong withmy colon etc. however I had anal fissures, polypson my rectum and internal hemmroids. This TuesdayI am having surgery on all of the above and ama nervous wreck about this now (even tho I knowI will be asleep during the procedure, I'm afraidof the blood and pain afterwards). I have to dothe prep all over again on Monday, yuck! I onlydrank 75% of it and told them I drank it all soI advise doing the same. I only drank fluids theday of the prep so it wouldn't be as difficult,I recommend that too. I will let you know how mysurgery goes, wish me luck. Let us know how thecolonoscopy goes, you will be fine, I promise.


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