Well that sucked. :-(

[Coventina]

Just had my first colonoscopy.

Just screening, no problems.

That prep was attempted murder, imho.

I followed all the instructions, as best I could. But that stuff made me flu-level sick.
I could not take the second dose. My throat closed up, I could not swallow the stuff.

Didn't sleep a wink until about 2:30am or so. Was up at 5:45 to get to the hospital.

All went fairly well there, except the usual problems getting an IV into me. I don't have good veins, particularly when dehydrated.
I was dehydrated because of the extreme nausea. I couldn't drink ANYTHING let alone the prep stuff.

Then, after the procedure was over, the recovery nurse made a bloody, painful hash of getting the IV out again. She couldn't get the bleeding stopped for several minutes (which seems like a lifetime when you're in pain and watching your blood soak gauze after gauze).

On the plus side, nothing out of the ordinary found. Won't need another one for 10 years.

I hope I'm dead before then, or there's a better way by then.

Now, I'm in bed for the day. Drinking my fluids, sleeping.
Anybody else have an experience like this?
This doesn't seem normal to me.

[unblock]

1. welcome to the club, lol

now that you've had the pleasure, go see "ghost town", the ricky gervais movie. in the first few minutes he's doing the prep for a colonoscopy, and it's priceless.


yes, the prep is notoriously vile. there are a few different formulations available, so make a note of this one and ask to try a different type next time round. personally, i find it best to chug as much as i can in one go, then immediately chase it with lemon-lime gatorade to try to wash out the taste, then take a breather to steel myself up for the next go.

i also found it more tolerable than the thought of the alternative approach, which is to give yourself an enema. no thank you!


i have risk factors so i've had it basically every 3 years, i'm due for my 6th or 7th, i think, later this year. it does get somewhat easier, but it's still very unpleasant, no way around that.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. I've had a few-- everyone reacts differently to that gallon of horror. Me, I hate it, too, but...

know what to expect now. Mild irritation, compared to some other things. Of course you sleep all day, on top of the camera up your... you were up all night sitting on the throne.

Bummer that there was trouble getting the IV out, but at least odds are you'll never see that nurse again.

How's it compare to, say, childbirth? I hear that a lot of fun, too.

[Fla Dem]

3. Gosh, I am sorry you had such an experience. Mine while never pleasant, are unremarkable.

Last edited Tue May 19, 2020, 02:48 PM - Edit history (1)

I've probably had 4-5 of them over the years. The prep is never pleasant, never vomiting, but of course a crazy flushing of the colon. To me that's the worse. But usually stops an hour or two after the last drink of the prep. The experience at the office where I have it done is pretty routine. You get prepped, Doc comes in to say hi, they give you the anesthesia and next thing you know you're in the recovery room, all tubes and needles removed and they are waking you up. Once you're fully conscious you're ready to get dressed and go home.

While I don't like having them done, I don't dread them.

I wish your experience had been less stressful for you.

On edit: I see "unblocked" mentioned Gatorade. The prep drink I use you actually mix it with Gatorade and then drink the mixture. Unfortunately I don't like Gatorade but gulp it without breathing so that way I don't taste it as much.

[unblock]

8. yes, mine suggests mixing in the gatorade or crystal light

but i find it makes it just a lot of an unpleasant drink.

for me, it's better to have a big gulp of more unpleasant drink and quickly chase it with something "normal" to wash out the icky taste.

ymmv

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. Not that I want to do one every year, but

mine was no big deal at all. It was one of the least problematic medical procedures I've had done. I am sorry you had so much trouble.

[Thomas Hurt]

5. Welcome to the Prep Club!

I have had a couple of colonoscopies. After the second one, if I thought about the prep crap I felt like I wanted to puke.

I haven't had any issues with the sedatives or IVs or the recovery.

Honestly the prep process, in my experience is the toughest part, and even then it is just I was hungry, nauseated and annoyed.

[NRaleighLiberal]

6. believe it or not, it doesn't seem so bad after a few 5 year cycles!

never gets pleasant, but gets slightly less horrific.

[Squinch]

7. I have to get one every 2 or 3 years. For the past 30 years. I mix the stuff

with Gatorade so I don't get sick, do it all as fast as I can and it's no big deal. Takes a few hours and then it's over.

And that cup of coffee you get when it is all over is ambrosia.

[dameatball]

9. I've had four. None were fun.The third discovered stage one colon cancer. So,as bad as they can be,

the alternative can be much worse. So glad yours came back negative even if there were some complications afterward. There are options as to what kind of prep you do. By the time the next one comes around you may not have as many issues to work through.

[Coventina]

13. Yikes! Glad you were found early!

I did learn some important lessons, and, when I told the nurses how bad my prep was they had some helpful hints for the future.

I'll post them here in case anyone finds them helpful:

3-4 days before the procedure, start eating a low-fiber diet. Sounds counter-intuitive, but they said it helps.

Also, reduce your food intake, period. What goes in, must come out.

The day before your prep, take a mild laxative.

Make sure to have your doc prescribe some anti-nausea medication.

If you had a bad reaction to one type of prep (in my case, Suprep) try a different one next time.

[OriginalGeek]

10. my wife has had 2 and I've had 1

but I didn't mind it really. She's had 2 different kinds of prep drink - the first one was the big gallon of stuff you put the powder in to give it a lemonish taste. The second time, her doc said he was doing her a great big favor and gave her something (i forget what it is called) but it's like maybe half the volume of drink and she was all excited about it because she hates the other BUT she said it tasted WAY worse and wished she had just done the other kind.

On her advice I went with the gallon jug, got it very cold and made sure the powder was mixed well. Drank smallish glasses several times during the day until it was gone. as for the bathroom part, I'm kinda used to being in there anyway because my diet is abysmal. I eat all the junk I'm not supposed to and even when I'm trying to be good I'm not. SO i got a lot of reading and phone games done.

And a good thing too - doc found 6 polyps, none cancerous but 2 of them were the kind that can turn into it and he advised me if I had any siblings to tell them to go and get tested now - don't wait to be 50 (or whatever the age is (I was 54 and my brothers are all younger than me). One of my brothers had colon cancer but they found it early and they think they got it all. I have to go every 3 years now since I am high risk and my second one is due in about 6 months.

And, I gotta say, for about a year afterwards my bathroom chores were better than they had been in 30 years. But my diet eventually got caught back up lol.

But I am not dreading the next one. Get a couple days off work, and no heavy lifting and I get to eat whatever I want afterwards on the way home.

[Coventina]

14. Wow, so glad your brother took your advice and was caught early!

I had some concern (although I've been having no issues, this was the standard screening) because my grandmother on my father's side has had numerous pre-cancerous polyps removed. But, they found nothing.

I do feel a bit better, knowing that.

[OriginalGeek]

15. It's a good feeling to come up clean!

No matter how bad the procedure and prep were, I'm glad everything came out ok. (I know for most people the whole ordeal is pretty awful. I'm lucky in that I'm one of those weirdos that it didn't seem to bother me much).

[virgogal]

11. I have refused to have one for years...no symptoms or problems so why bother.

If I have a problem I'll get one.

[Dagstead Bumwood]

19. Have you considered taking a Colon Guard test?

Much less invasive and it can also alert you to an issue before you have any symptoms. Not preaching here, but, I feel it's worth a mention.

[oregonjen]

20. Well that's an unfortunate attitude

If you’re female, do you skip your mammograms and Pap smears? A colonoscopy is another test just like those. Hopefully, you’ll change your mind and schedule one. Your loved ones will appreciate it!

[virgogal]

25. Yes,also stopped mammograms about 15 years ago...I will be 86 in August.

[oregonjen]

26. Oh, in that case a colonoscopy wouldn't be safe

I see why you have refused one. Found out after my colonoscopy in talking with family members, that as your skin thins on the outside of our body, so it goes on the inside as well. Hugs to you!

[Disaffected]

21. But by then

it may be too late (you can have advanced colon cancer without knowing it). I know because I had an acquaintance (only 29 yo) who suddenly started bleeding from her butt. They went to ER and a colonoscopy found a stage 4 tumor. It was treated as successfully as one could expect for that sort of condition but she went through a lot of hell in the process and will likely never be free of it.

Early detection is absolutely key and, if caught early enough, colon cancer can be cured; otherwise you will have it until you die.

Why play Russian roulette when it's readily avoidable?

BTW, my friend wrote up her experience at the following URL if you are interested in a lengthy, very detailed account of her ordeal:

https://ca.gofundme.com/f/wam45nph

[Nac Mac Feegle]

12. Been there, too

When the pharmacy tech recommends chilling The Drink From Hell by saying that it "doesn't taste as bad", it kind of makes you wonder.

Then there's the Dave Barry column recounting his prep. Always good for a laugh.

You know things are going to get weird when someone recommends getting the Name Brand rather than the Generic prep, because it comes with a seat belt like strap for the toilet that keeps you from getting airborne if you're small.

If I were to make any recommendations for someone, I'd tell them to drink plenty of fluids in the days before, to 'pre-hydrate'. They have trouble finding a vein on me, too. Keep that s**t chilled, it does help a little bit. For suitably broad definitions of "help." Make sure there's a clear path to the bathroom. With plenty of SOFT toilet paper. Make sure your Pad or phone is fully charged and headphones/earbuds handy. Maybe put a charger in there "Just in Case". Three words: elastic waist pants.

Keeping a sense of humor is important. You've done It once, the next time (probably) will be easier.

Think of it as A Rite Of Passage (capital letters intentional).

[Skittles]

17. to anyone here who will need a colonoscopy

this is an extremely unfortunate but very much OUTSIDE THE NORM, please get your ass to the doc.....I have had three colonoscopies and NO problems, with the prep OR the procedure

[Dagstead Bumwood]

18. Sorry for your ordeal.

My experience was a breeze compared to that. As so many others have said, and I can fully concur, the prep is the worst part. At the end of the prep, sitting on the john hugging my knees, I contemplated what deity I must have offended in an earlier life.

The procedure itself was a snap, and that Propofol is the shit. They said they didn't see anything and I was good for ten years. Then, a few days afterward, the doctor's office calls me to say that the doctor did see a certain type of cell or some damn thing and that certain type of whatever-the-hell can become something in a short time, so they advised me to come back in three years.

So, on the bright side, you have 9+ years not to think about it.

[Disaffected]

22. Also on the bright side,

if you are over 70 (IIRC) you don't have to have them any more (at least where I live) if you are symptom free and have no family history. All I have to get now are the yearly FIT test (tests for blood in a sample) which is "dead" easy.

So, just look forward to getting that old!

[Dagstead Bumwood]

29. I've got a little ways to go

to reach that milestone. But, to be honest, when I think about reaching that age, my first thought is always "What will the world be like by then?" The potential world of 2037?. I don't even want to think about where the climate crisis will be at that point. But, if there's no colonoscopy to be had, I guess I'll chock that up as a win.

[csziggy]

23. With my second one, a couple of months ago, I made sort of a smoothie with the prep

Only added half the water they recommended, mixed a lime flavored drink mix and froze into ice cubes. When the prep drink was scheduled, I put half the amount of the prep mix and several flavored ice cubes in the blender and let it rip. It was maybe more like a slushy than a smoothie but it was tolerable.

It made my mouth so cold I couldn't taste much and the nasty lime flavored drink mix overpowered any after taste of the prep drink.

They split the prep between half in the evening before and half early the morning of so the cleansing was not as strenuous as I had previously. And it worked better - first colonoscopy they couldn't see as clearly as they wanted. They wanted a second test a year later but I managed to put it off for seven years.

Now they want me back in five years, but I might wait ten.

[lastlib]

24. You need a good laugh. Read this:

https://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article1928847.html

"...tube 17,000 feet up your butt...."

[sinkingfeeling]

27. That stuff made me vomit for days. Awful.

[ailsagirl]

28. The prep is the very worst part