# Positive Colonoscopy Experience



## NYC Bhoy (Jan 26, 2005)

Hey GuysHave been looking at this board for a while now but this is my first post. I know a lot of people are debating about having a colonoscopy done and are worried about it so thought I would add my experience from today.First up, I am 30 yrs old with no family history of cancer (although a few family members have Crohns). I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder a year or so ago and seem to worry about my health although I have no real reason to do so. When I noticed a change in bowel habits about 12 months ago I did the worst thing possible, looked up my symptoms on the internet and automatically assumed the worst. Anyway, after months of trying to convince myself I was ok I finally went to the Doc and had a few tests done. Blood work normal, occult blood test normal etc. I had never had any blood, just more frequent loose movements, cramps, bloating gas etc. Anyway, again spent months trying to convine myself that it was nothing serious but my new yrs resolution was to get everything sorted out once and for all so I could stop worrying about it. Made an appointment with a GI Doc who scheduled a colonoscopy. Told me to drink clear liquids only after 10am the day before, start the gallon of Golytley at 5pm and not to drink anything after midnight. Test was at 11am this morning.Again I did the worst thing possible and looked up the internet to hear how bad this stuff was going to taste and began to worry that I wouldn't be able to drink it all / any of it or that I'd be sick. However, had no problems at all. Mixed up the stuff 6 or 7 hours before I was due to start it, stuck it in the fridge and drank 1 glass every 10 minutes from 5pm till around 9pm. It isn't the best tasting thing in the world but drinking it cold helps a lot and gulping it down rather than sipping also helps. I also had a bottle of water handy to rinse my mouth after each glass to get rid of any aftertaste. Started running to the bathroom at around 6.15pm and was still going at 11pm but the stuff worked and certainly cleaned me out.So now that was out the way I started worrying about the test. What if I wasn't sedated enough, what would they find blah blah blah. But it was really a breeze. They stuck an IV in my arm and pumped me full of sedatives. They assured me they wouldn't start till I was asleep and the next thing I remember was waking up afterwards and feeling drunk (room was spinning etc). They removed a small polyp but the GI Doc seemed happy and said everything looked fine. Need to go back next Fri for the results and a chat with him but he said it looks like IBS.So there you have it. To anyone having problems and putting the test off, go get it done. Don't bother reading lots of internet horror stories and scaring yourself more. The prep isn't pleasant but it was better than I expected and the test was also nothing to worry about. I have spent the last 12 months worrying about things and should have had this done a lot sooner for my own peace of mind.Sorry that this is so long but hopefully it will re-assure those of you who are worried or undecided about it.


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## leoandoreosmom (Oct 13, 2004)

Hi,I am glad that your experience was better than you expected. I have been through so many colonoscopys myself that I have lost count. I have only gotten sick on the prep once. I learned to get the unflavered stuff...but that is my "thing to do to get this stuff in me no matter what". I hope that your doctor will work with you on your diagnosis and treatment options. If this is IBS, then there is a whole wealth of information on this site as well as others. If questions do come up, write them down so that you have them for your follow up visit. Let us know how your visit goes.Take Care,Karen


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

Glad to hear it went so smoothly...I'm in the same boat as you-tend to worry over things more than the normal person.....however, my prep went well-had the Fleet so luckily only had to drink 2 drinks of that stuff.....only problem for me was that the test wasn't scheduled until 2pm the next day since I was only 28 at the time...they tend to take the older patients and more sickly first...so needless to say, by 2pm the next day I was sick from dehydration....gave me some sugar water in the iv (which went in so easily and painlessly) and then called me back to THE ROOM and got the sedative and anti-nausea meds and I was out before I knew it...woke up afterwards with quite a nice buzz....went home and ate a HUGE blueberry muffin (who knows why...never crave them) but all was well.....for people that have never had the colonscopy and who are scheduled for one and living in fear (as I was being the baby that I am)..I hope we set you at ease...it's nothing! I have my follow-up one scheduled for the fall and I'm really not nervous.


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## m_m_forth (Oct 21, 2003)

Thanks guys. I have my first (and hopefully only) one on Monday. Any words of advice?


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## NYC Bhoy (Jan 26, 2005)

Just what has already been said I think. Really depends on what prep they have given you. If it the gallon of Golytely or whatever that I had to take then definately mix it up well before and chill it in the fridge until really cold. Ask for plenty of sedation for the test and you'll wake up having felt / remembered nothing about it. Not worth stressing about though. Just makes it ten times worse. I certainly wouldn't get myself worked up again like I did for today if I had to do it again.


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## m_m_forth (Oct 21, 2003)

I am told to take phosphosoda. Anyone heard of this? I would actually like to watch the colonoscopy myself, being biologically oriented and all. I wonder if I'll be able to see the screen. I am told I will be awake but sedated.


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

well, i am having my first colonoscopy in two hours and am sitting here parched, dehydrated and feeling none too great after the Fleet phospho-soda prep yesterday but am at least happy that i finally bit the bullet and am having this done. I would prefer to never have to do it again (the prep), frankly, but i've been having all sorts of probs lately and the doc and i are both thinking diverticulitis. - at this point, i'm hoping for internal 'roids which would be a gift after reading the posts on the diverticulitis forum! g-


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

Good luck Ghitta.....keep us posted on how you make out......


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

hi all. well, had it done and as stated above by NYCBuoy, it was a piece of cake (well the procedure itself, not the prep, as we all agree...) - doc found 1 large polyp which he removed and said was the cause of my bleeding plus he diagnosed diverticulosis but not an inflamed case of diverticulitis, which i was afraid of. Now i guess i have to start thinking about fiber and more fiber. ugh ugh ugh. Frankly, i'd like to know how those nomadic Laplanders and Mongol tribes, eating nothing but reindeer meat and/or mare's milk get away with lovely guts. What is it about our western cultures diets that f...us up so badly? Clearly the lack of fiber and all the processed junk we consume. But even those of us who try and eat healthily and organically still get this stuff!!!!! well, back to Raisin Bran or some such thing for this girl......thanks for your support! g-


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## IBSsuffer (Jan 12, 1999)

Had the test done....drank the Fleet stuff....had to go to the restroom alot before the exam (the worst thing of the whole procedure)...but the exam itself is very easy...Unless you hate needles...that was the only painful thing, starting the IV on my hand. Mild sedative given and I was able to watch the screen and seen the inside of the colon. No pain at all during the colon exam, except cramp/pain after the procedure.---IBSsuffer


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## 19373 (Apr 13, 2005)

Hi everybody, Friday will be my second colonoscopy that I have ever had and guess what I am only 19. So if teenager can do it then anyone can. I had my first colonoscopy when I was 13 and just like I am sure this one coming up will be, it will be easy. I do agree that the prep part isn't the best but it isn't the worst either. I really want to see what my colon looks like though so I am hoping tha some how I can get a tape of it since I won't be able to watch due to sedation. My biggest hope is that they find something that will explain my illness for the last 6 years but if not then I guess thats ok to. But anyways for all those who have to have a colonscopy it realy isn't that bad I would actually recommend them becuase they have saved a lot of people lives and they are a lot eaiser then getting teeth pulled. Well good luck to all future patients of the Gastroenterologist and may they cure what ever plagues you.







Heather


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## jeanne2 (Jul 19, 2004)

I agree-don't put off a colonoscopy because you are afraid of the test.However...it is not a breeze for everyone. I've had 2 teeth pulled, and to ME that was a breeze compared to hours of agonizing poop, having to wait two hours in a gown because the doctor was late-then having him not even be able to complete the test and tell me I need a barium enema....so I can look forward to THAT prep and test. (I've had both a colonoscopy and barium enema before)I know some of us that have had bad experiences with procedures just want to vent and it's good to hear of those who had an easy time of it.The colonoscopy is still the gold standard for looking at your colon, and is a needed test for probably 99.9% of us that have IBS. (opinion) We can all educate our fellow sufferers on this BB...perhaps give them ideas to ask or request certain things of their physicians based on bad or good experiences they read about here.Jeanne


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2005)

I have a colorectal comming up soon! and I am terrified!!! I havent really been told that I have to do any prep for it so I am a bit confused after reading your posts!! I find the whole idea very very embrassing and Im worried because if they find nothing the whole experience would have been for nothing! and if they do find something it could be bad







! I will go because I know my family and friends won't let me get out of this one!!! but I dont know what will happen to me ! and I dont want to read up on it incase it scares me more!!! ? and now Im worried that I havent been told I have to do any prep for it!


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## jeanne2 (Jul 19, 2004)

sarah-Please don't be afraid to call your doctor's office and ask exactly what this test is.A colorectal could be dang near anything....a colonoscopy, a sigmoidosopy, a barium enema...You deserve to know more about it, you can read on the internet, or ask them. Most times when they want to look at your colon...you will need a prep that basically makes you poop a whole lot to get cleaned out.Try not to be stressed...it isn't bad for everyone, but at least knowing more about it, should help you be prepared.Jeanne


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2005)

Thank you ! I did call them and my appointment is just for the consultation not the op! So Im guessing they will tell me then! just being silly and worrying to much!


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## 17170 (May 13, 2005)

I too just had my first colonoscopy yesterday. It was absolutely fine.Remember this: horror stories make for better stories than positive ones. Even people who didn't have a problem wanted to say "sorry--it's awful" just to be in the "club." Everyone told me the "prep was the worst part"--which relaxed me, though it did make me nervous about the prep. Besides the weird sensation of the working laxative, I had no trouble. I used the ginger-lemon Fleet phospho, and got a tip from the receptionist at the g.i. dr's office: drink the Fleet quickly by itself (don't mix it with water), then follow that with water. Frankly, it tasted to me like really strong Alka Seltzer, so once I got that in my head it didn't bother me. I do think a lot of people get it in their head that the stuff tastes horrific, but I really didn't think so; the old preps used to be MUCH worse, they tell me.I would recommend drinking SmartWater if you can. It's water with electrolytes. Drink that in the afternoon the day before, so your body is well hydrated AND your electrolytes are balanced. I think it helps a bit. By the time you have your prep (I was told to take 1 T Fleet at 5, then another T 10 minutes later, then another T 10 minutes later; then repeat the sequence at 9 pm), anything you eat or drink is going through you pretty quickly, so try to pack in some well-rounded nutrition the day before, and hydrate well in the afternoon before the prep. I tolerated the prep well. But since I have IBS too, frankly, diarrhea (even the exaggerated kind from the laxative) isn't that horrifying. Finally, the exam itself: I was surprised that I didn't feel a thing. I watched the screen with fascination for what I thought was a while, but I think it turned into some sort of surrealistic journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth dream and in retrospect it wasn't very long, because I had a polypectomy without noticing and woke up blissed out in recovery. I wasn't even as gassy as I expected: I let off a long toot in the colonoscopy room, was roundly praised by the staff, and that was about it.More info than maybe you wanted, but I think it helps to demystify these things.


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