# Not just nervous, downright terrified!



## SLBEL3 (Jun 1, 2000)

I will be having my first colonoscopy on the 31st this month. I guess I am fortunate enough that I will be completely out for the procedure. The doc said it is necessary to put me under for it because I'm on Percocet daily and because of that they won't be able to sedate me enough or make me comfortable enough safely. So out I go.The worst part though is that I have to do the prep. I have done that prep 2 other times. The first time was for a barium enema-passed out on the toilet, test could not be done because my colon was still in severe contractions the next day for the test and the minute they put the tube in my colon spasmed again to the point that they kept giving me shot upon shot of muscle relaxers trying to get it to relax enough so they could safely take the tube out. I screamed and cried for 25 minutes during all this.The next time was for a sigmoidoscopy, they gave me morphine pills to take along with the prep to help with the pain from it I had the last time. Didn't help at all. Then during the test they saw that the prep caused small tears in the lining of my colon, stretched out parts of it, and some type of erosion from the force of cleaning out. I was instructed to never do it again because there is a risk of my colon getting damaged beyond repair. So unless the doc suspects cancer or something severe like that and doing the test would maybe save my life in the long run, I should not ever have it done. Well, guess what, Like I said above, having it done the 31st. I'm more nervous about the prep than the test.


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## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

Hi Sandi,Hope that your arm is feeling better!I really don't have much to say to you concerning your prep other than I heard from a friend of a friend of a friend that there is a new prep out there that you only drink a glass full of and that it it suppose to work the same way as golytly. I do not know more about it than that. This friend of friend used it a few months ago and we all agreed that if we need it again, that is the way to go. I will try to rack my brain to remember who told me about it so I can get more info. If I were you, I would ask your endo guy about it and if it is available, maybe insist on it????I had mine done a little over a year ago, I too was put out because of my daily perc use. I do not remember a thing about the procedure....other than throwing up a few hours afterwards from the anesthesia. The procedure was a piece of cake! The prep was awful, I threw up about half way through it, then never had a BM until 12 hours later, the abd pain was pretty awful... and the resident doc was a real jerk about it too. Luckily the nurse and staff doc were nice. The first time I had the prep was for my third surgery (because it wasn't an emergency, they wanted to "go by the book"). That one wasn't so bad. Worked like they said it would. The only difference between the two was that the night before the GoLytly I took two dulcolax and pretty much flushed stuff out before I even began the GoLytly. Don't know if this is a standard pre-prep prep or one that was made up by my surgeon.I am concerned that you say that you were advised not to have this done unless it were a matter of life or death. Is it that serious now????? I am assuming it is, otherwise you wouldn't be doing it. I hope that everything turns out well. You never know, things can be different each time you do it.


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## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

Prep Update:I found out who told me about the prep. I am going to e-mail her to get the name of it. But basically it was about 4 oz of liquid that she mixed with a glass or so of juice. Drank it down and....well you know the rest.Also, another friend mentioned that she was able to use the magnesium citrate that you buy in the drug store instead of the golytly. Maybe you could ask your doc if these are viable options????I will let you know the exact name of the prescribed prep if I get a response from her.Lj


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## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

Can you tell that I am bored at work today!!!!????I found this web site which lists bowel prep alternatives: http://www.endonurse.com/articles/281feat1.html Maybe this will help you figure out a better way.


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

Hi there. Please don't worry-that's the worst part about the test-the anticipation-especially the first time you're having it done! Believe me, I know-had my first one in August and was crying every time I thought about it-I'm such a baby! BUT, it's truly not bad! I had to do the same prep as you-but please, do NOT drink this without mixing it!!!! I, as many told me they preferred, mixed it with ginger ale. I'm really bad with things that taste bad-can't just chug it down-this made it at least bareable. You don't get cramps like you would if you had the diarrhea. You just get the urge to go. It will hit you about an hour after taking the first drink and you will continue to go until you're cleaned out. I wasn't up all night like some may tell you. I went to bed around 11 and tried to sleep(hard due to the anticipation). Then you'll get up and you'll be put out with the sedative (I didn't even feel drowsy beforehand-I was just out-it was amazing how fast those drugs worked!) And, you'll wake up feeling fine-I was given an anti-nausea drug along with the sedative so I didn't wake up feeling sick. Ask for that-most dr's give that to you anyway. You'll go home and wonder why you made yourself worry so much and you'll feel so relieved! I was so wound after the procedure-didn't even need to nap. Good luck and let me know how you do-feel free to email me with any last minute questions. By the way, what are you having the test for? I had mine to dx colitis. As it turned out, I only had a small amount of inflammation in my rectum so it was diagnosed with uclerative proctits rather than ulcerative colitis.


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## SLBEL3 (Jun 1, 2000)

I'm having mine for rule out cancer.Yes Laurie it has gotten that bad. I have been stuck in my house for weeks now in worse pain than ever before and things have definitely changed over the past few months.I got my paperwork in the mail for the colonoscopy and it says I have to use the phospho soda prep. I understand that you said that I will continue to go until I am empty and that shortly after I get up I will be put under. The difference there is I get worse pain after/during a bm then I do before one, I never feel empty, and I have a very bumpy 45 min drive to the hospital for the test. Every bump in the road is agony for me between my stomach pains, causing more D, and also from 2 disks ruptured in my back. I don't go anywhere anymore unless I absolutely have to. And even then by the time I get there I need to take more painkillers to be able to move and do what I went there for, then I cry all the way home from the pain. I feel like I can't win anymore. It almost seems like whenever something good happens in my life there is something bad right around the corner to crush it. Hubby never believed me before when I said that but now he has seen it first hand for years and knows it is true. Here's a couple examples...1) Wanted to be an EMT, went to school (ibs wasn't as bad since I was working full time and doing a night course) graduated, got the job I wanted since highschool at the place I wanted. That was Mid January2000. I was very happy. February 28 was admitted to hospital for appendix. after surgery got infections and ended up out of work for a month and a half, went back to work caused another infection, lost my dream job. the good= dream job was mine, then the bad=got sicker and lost job.







2)May 30 2002 we signed the closing papers on our first house. Moved in on June 1. Very very happy time, bought the house at a lake, so we bought a boat. 2 weeks later ibs got worse and worse, and worse. New doc didn't believe me, spent the summer sick, tired, in serious pain, vomiting all the time, unable to function, left my house a total of 5 times from June to end of October when doc finally took me serious and gave me pain meds, but won't let me go to a pain clinic like I was before I moved. So I haven't been able to enjoy our new house, the lake, the boat, the beach, etc. The good=bought house, the bad=got more sick.Those are just a couple examples because those are the worst ones, and I don't really want to depress myself more.So I would say, yes, things have gotten way more serious. I kinda hope they do find something bad, atleast it would be something treatable instead of just ibs.


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## Lizbec (Dec 20, 2001)

Sandi, i hear what you are saying, especially as you've said the same thing in a response to my post on another forum. i could give advice about how to make the prep easier but i understand what you are saying: that it is different/more difficult with you. I, too, can only assume that you are having the test done because they suspect there might be something serious there. So, i am sending you all the strength you need to get through this - please let us know how it goes.hugsliz


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## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

Sandi, I am really, really sorry that I misunderstood your concern. I thought that you had a GoLytely phobia because of your previous two experiences......so I was trying to figure out a way to avoid that. For me, the awful part was drinking the gallon or so of ikky tasting "juice". I assumed (wrongly) that this was what you were upset about. So I feel really bad about missing the point. Guess I was kinda selfish projecting my phobia onto you.I wish I could wave the magic wand for you...because we seem to have done similar things / have similar dreams...I too was an EMT- for 10 years but quit when I got disillusioned over the male chauvinism in the field. It seemed to get worse over the ten years instead of better. I also couldn't stand to see people die anymore. I too, have a dream of living in a house on a lake (with a mountain or two) but have settled for a house on a small farm in a woods (no lake, no mountain). There is nothing that I can say that will let you know how deeply I feel about your situation, how much I wish that things could be better. I pray that your procedure will go well, both the prep, the ride to and from the hospital, and that the results are not catastrophic. As far as the bad always negating the good? I have no answer to that either other than to say that a wise man once said that God never gives us more than we can bear. Maybe that is why you are able to reach out through your computer this lessens the burden somewhat(?). Small comfort I know.I am sincere in my best wishes for your situation.Laurie


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## gp30 (Jan 23, 2003)

Don't feel bad about it. With all my test they have never given me anything to put me under or reduce anything. I am also on 4 times daily percocet. My Gastro gave me the prescrip for the new prep. He said he had been giving it for a while and he even took the new stuff and had the test done.I remember when I had the barium air contrast done. It was miserable at best. 3 days worth of it and to this day I can't drink apple juice (because I took it with the prep) UUKKKKKK to even think about it.Ask your doctor about the new PREP. Hope all goes well for you this time.


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