I had a colonoscopy today, ask me anything.

[spacelady]

not a bodily function thread, although I will answer any questions about the procedure.

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Did they give you drugs?

:hi:
You are braver person than me!!!!!!!!!!

Colonoscopy <~~~~~~~~~> Me :hide:

[SPKrazy]

6. ROFL! They do give you good drugs

put you mostly to sleep, and mostly amnestic for the procedure.

I've had 4 of them I think. I've had polyps that they wanted to follow up on.

The only bad part is the prep.

:hug:

[spacelady]

10. Yes, excellent drugs for the procedure, the preparation is the hard part

& every Dr. is different as far as cleansing the colon beforehand.

[Whoa_Nelly]

26. Cleansing the colon???

:scared: My doc said all I had to do was not eat or drink after 8PM night before...

Did you...nevermind....probably more than I really want to know...


But, good to know the drugs were good! My doc said he would just give some Valium...somehow that doesn't seem like enough.

[SPKrazy]

29. Maybe You Are Doing A Sigmoidoscopy

to do a full colonoscopy you have to "clean out"

usually consisting of no food for 12 hours or more

lots of laxatives and you know!

Bad feeling.

Good drugs.

Sigmoidoscopy is just looking at the lower 3 meters of the colon and you are lucky if they are giving you anything for that.

If it's a full colonoscopy, I'd be concerned if that was all the bowel prep. They won't be able to see- (yuck I know)

:puke: :eyes: :pals:

[spacelady]

30. Just do what your Doc. says. Believe me the valium works just fine. n/t

[bigwillq]

2. Was Katie Couric there

to tape it?

:shrug:

[spacelady]

11. I wish, because I slept thru it. As goofy as she can be, she was the

main argument I had to convince my husband to go to the Dr. I said, "I don't want to be like Katie Couric & lose her husband at such a young age." Plus, I had him go to my female DR. & said, "Now this is the only time a woman can look & handle your junk & it's just fine with me!"

[bigwillq]

20. She did help alot people that way.

I giver her credit in that department.

[Radio_Lady]

22. Katie saved a lot of lives. People sent her their stories about how they

got checked, found cancer, and were cured. She did a segment on that aspect of her procedure a couple of years ago. It was very authentic and I give her full credit for spurring me on to get checked -- and my husband, too.

I actually was awake for the procedure -- wanted to look up my own A**! No, I really wanted to see what the colon looked like. It was pink like gum tissue, very shiny, and no polyps. Pretty amazing, considering that it's been working at digesting my food for 67 years!

[spacelady]

3. I am going to answer myself because I had a Katie Couric moment

earlier this year. My husband who has Never had a health problem, started having pains in his lower gut. After about 3 months was convinced to see a Dr. who referred him to a GI specialist for a colonoscopy. He is 47, 3 years younger than the recommended baseline for a 'scope. Much to everyone's surprise, stage III cancer. He is now taking oral chemo after surgery & we are still looking at a CURE. This was Very unusual, but it happened.

[bluethruandthru]

4. Sending good thoughts to your husband

and good for you for getting a colonoscopy too! I just had one a few weeks ago and I'm under 50. Luckily nothing but a few polyps...but I had a friend die recently of colon cancer which was discovered when she was under 50.
I was afraid of getting a colonoscopy...but it really wasn't bad at all. Much better than a root canal! :)

[hippywife]

7. Same here all the way through

except the friend I lost was male.

Colonoscopy wasn't that bad. Never knew what was going on with the Versed. Also got to take pills the night before instead of drinking the gallon of Go Lightly.

All in all, I wouldn't have any qualms about doing it again when it's time.

[spacelady]

16. My first one I had to take the Go Lightly, dubbed by the Pharmacist as

The Bucket O' Fun. Go Lightly - HHMMMPH - more like Go Like Hell.

[spacelady]

12. During the day I had the clear liquid diet, I found myself looking up

yummy recipes for the Holidays! It was a long day.

[SPKrazy]

5. Are You Okay Spacelady?

routine?

I've had them.

Good drugs man!

Legal!

Hope it was all okay.

:pals:

[spacelady]

13. Thanks for asking - I had a couple of small diverticuli & a

hemorrhoid that I guess acounted for the occasional blood. Sorry for the Too much Information, but for the most part these tests find nothing alarming. For people like my husband, however, they are a lifesaver. Just do it if you need it.

[SPKrazy]

31. Yeah, Similar Symptoms Several Years Back

they found a type of polyp that requires them to follow up- adenoma

Hope your husband keeps getting better!

Good vibes

:hi: :pals:

[spacelady]

33. Ok, I just read your profile, for some reason it makes me like you.

In spite of that, thanxs for your support - do you like Mardi Gras?

[SPKrazy]

35. Do I Mardi Gras?

Not really no

I like you= remember the peace wreath!

:hi:

[BarenakedLady]

8. I hope it went well

and wasn't too awful. :hug:

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

9. What drugs did they give you?

For my last one they gave me some milky stuff that was excellent. Good thoughts going out to your husband - I know what an ordeal this must be for your family.

[spacelady]

15. Yes, I believe it is Valium. Thanks for your thoughts, he was very

fortunate that the location of the cancer gave him early enough warning. It was about as bad as could be without being hopelessly fatal. One lymph node but no other organ involvement. That one node called for chemo.

[smtpgirl]

14. Had 2 colonoscopies

The prep sucks, Fleets phosphate of soda, I don't take unless I am home, because after 30 minutes, EVERYTHING comes out.

I had a general, but it was only for about 45 min.

I will never eat green jello again, as for a colonscopy only clear foods, no orange or red jello.

Both times the only time it bothered me was when I was going home. Never felt so gaseous.

Sorry about the TMI

FYI, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2000, 6 years cancer free, that is why I get them.

[spacelady]

17. Yeah, but now you are in the exclusive club who can talk about it -

once you have done it, you realize that everyone has a poop chute & hospitals do thousands of these procedures every day.

[smtpgirl]

19. My results both times, clear

my sister had polyps that had to be removed the first time

[spacelady]

24. The upside of my husband's experience is that his older brother was

scared into getting one & they found precancerous polyps which they removed with no further complications. Realize, tho, these are considered stage 0 cancer & would have turned into colon cancer within a few years. So, if you are having any symptoms, do the test. It can make a big difference.

[Radio_Lady]

21. Good for you. You do have increased risk and it's a deadly, but curable disease,

if it's caught early.

The prep made me very spacey -- I felt like a monk on a hunger strike. Did you have popsicles? The banana, grape and root beer ones were excellent. Chewing those icy things made me feel full. I watched a couple of movies that I had never seen and slept off and on for the two days.

But everything came out all right in the end.

(Just can't resist this!)

[spacelady]

27. You are to be commended. I recommend Peach Jello. Just for the

texture of actually eating something.

[Crabby Appleton]

37. I had my second one last Tuesday

no problems found, went the full distance, got to see just inside my small intestine. Prep was the hard part, I had "stomach flu" two days before the prep so I was really cleaned out.

[Radio_Lady]

18. I was awake for the whole procedure, because I wanted to see up my own....

No, seriously, I'm interested in biology, and it was fascinating to see my insides on a TV screen. I know it's not for everyone, but I had been awake for the sigmoidoscopy, and asked to have this second test, largely because Katie Couric used to say, "Having just the sigmoid test is like having a mammogram of only one breast."

Anyway, did everything come out all right in the end? :rofl:

(I couldn't resist.)

[spacelady]

28. Yes, my end purpose was good - I said positive at first but that is negative

when you are talking medical tests. So, who's on first?
You might get a kick out of this - My daughter (11) & I were in the car listening to the radio & I quizzed her on what the best name for a band would be & she said.....I Don't Know. Just think about the abbot & costello possibilities of that!

[MountainLaurel]

23. How did you survive the prep process?

I went through the whole 'scopy thing, and thought I was going to die the night before drinking that gallon of laxative.

[spacelady]

25. I am not going to lie - it was a LONG fricken day. Now that I am done &

I have had my request for food fulfilled, I can say it was just ONE day.

[SPKrazy]

32. Bowel Prep Well, IT SUCKS!

I got so sick doing it I thought I'd pass out

blah

[auntAgonist]

34. not my favourite test for sure, but my Mother

was diagnosed with colon cancer in late 1995, she died in august of 1997. Had it been caught early on, she would still be with us today. May she rest in peace.

My sister and I are tested regularly, my brother is a stubborn ox and refuses to have the test done.


I'm glad you're ok spacelady, I wish your husband all the best. Prayers for a complete remission :)

:hi:

aA

[leftofthedial]

36. is it true the sun doesn't shine

up there?