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Well I made it through my first Gastro appt!

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 11/22/2006 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Yes I am a big chicken and have been putting it off for years! But I went and it wasn't too terrible. I got there, with my hubby and 2 kids in tow cause I didn't have a babysitter, and thankfully I did not have to wait in the waiting room for long. The dr asked me questions about how long and what kind of symptoms I have. Then he handed me a gown and told me to take everything off. I thought what the heck have I gotten myself into?!? I've had 2 kids and there is very little shame left in me, so I went ahead and undressed and waited. Then he listened to my stomach, and my lungs, and told me to get on my left side. That's where I froze. I thought what the hell is he going to do. And as you can imagine it was not the most comfortable thing in the world but it was over quickly. He basically told me that he thinks it's just IBS  ("just" ibs, like it's a walk in the park) but given my family history with IBD and the fact that my symptoms wake me up,  he was going to do further testing. He explained how he wanted to do a colonoscopy and an endoscopy, along with a blood test that tests for IBD and UC, and Xrays and an ultrasound. He also gave me some prevacid, and a RX for Vistaril for nausea.
So I headed downstairs for the blood work and the xray, where again I had to put on that gown and walk to the xray room wearing a gown, socks, and my purse...what a good look!  And it was all over. I have to call and schedule the colonosopy and endoscopy, but they gave me my RX for my bowel prep kit and it's Half Lytely!!!!!!!!!! Ugh, I am sooooo not lookiing foward to that!!!

Well thanks for letting me share!

-Kim

 

Posted 11/22/2006 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
Glad you went to see the gi. I hope the tests will give you some answers.
Posted 11/22/2006 7:50 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know if that's GoLyghtly like I had to drink (comes in about a gallon jug), but if I were you, I'd demand something else. That stuff's torture, in my opinion, and I absolutely refuse to drink it ever again in my life, even if that means lying down in the floor of the doctor's office and screaming "I won't I won't I won't" like a 3-year old. LOL.

I've heard there's a good product available up in Canada called Pico Salax. Everyone who took it said it tasted great--just like Tang. I've sworn if I need a colonoscpy again, I'm going to order some of that from an online pharmacy. Of course, I have thought about just getting a 2-liter bottle of coke, a whole pizza and a half-gallon of ice cream and cleaning myself out with just those, LOL. I'm prone to D anyways, so it doesn't take much to flush me out. And boy, coke and ice cream and pizza can flush me out a whole lot faster than any laxative.

I assure you, the drinking of the swill from a low-tide marshland and getting toliet paper burn is the absolute worst part. Going to sleep for the colonoscopy is a relief (I was still pooping water the morning of my procedure). If you want a laugh, tell the staff, as I did, "Now you're going to stick that tube down my throat FIRST, right? Mouth first, butt second." The nurses about fell out in the floor (they use two separate devices, of course).

Also, you might want to consider investing in some baby wipes, if you don't still have some around the house, as I have heard that's easier on the behind when you have to wipe so much.
Posted 11/22/2006 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
I'm with you, Keri!!! :-) (great post)
Kim, I am so glad you finally went to the doc and had such a productive visit. Don't you just love that "it's just IBS" spiel? If it was "just" IBS then you wouldn't be there pleading for help. Anyway, I am glad you are doing both scopes. When I joked about doing the upper scope before the lower my doc chuckled and kept me pretty alert when she went in for the upper. But then I was out quickly after the tube was inserted. Anyway, they are a piece of cake. Afterwards you will feel so good being cleaned out. Which reminds me of your prep... I too hope you didn't get prescribed GoLyghtly. Maybe you could call your doc back and ask for something else. Especially if you're prone to nausea... What was he thinking? If anything, try Phosphosoda. It's not 'yummy' but at least it's not an entire gallon of sludge. It's actually just salty and bitter/sweet (weird, I know). You get 6 mini-bottles that you have to mix with 8oz glasses of clear liquid. You get about 12 hours to drink all 6. Anyway, you should ask for something else if you're so prone to nausea. Keri's right about investing in baby wipes. Your bum will be so sore after going so much that it will scream for Tucks or Preperation-H. Be prepared with good reading material in the restroom.
Did your doc mention testing you for Celiacs? Hopefully that'll be looked into while you're being scoped.
Good luck and please keep us posted!
Posted 11/23/2006 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
LOL Keri, my husband asked the same question he said "I hope they put that tube in your mouth before they stick it up you a#$" Good to know that they use 2 different scopes. And I do think that HalfLyghtly is GoLyghtly except that HalfLyghtly is only half a gallon. But when I schedule the appt then I will surely ask for something else.
My rules for the prep say that I have to take 6 Dulcolax tablets at noon, then at 1pm drink a bottle of magnesium citrate, then when I have the 1st BM start drinking the HalfLyghtly. The nurse did say that I can take the Vistaril for nausea that day ( I guess they know that it's gonna make me nauseated). But after what I've heard about the GoLyghtly crap I don't want it!!!!
I will surely get some wipes for the bum, and some good stuff to read. I'm not sure if they are looking at Celiac disease or not, hopefully they look when they do the scope.
Also about the sedation....how sedated are we talking about? I don't want to be anywhere near awake when they stick that tube down my throat!! And I don't want to gag either. ewwww.
Thanks so much-
Kim
Posted 11/23/2006 4:40 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Kim,
I was 1/2 awake when they started the upper scope.  I gagged as the tube went down and then I was out.  Gagging isn't a big deal, there's nothing in your stomach to come up.  Also, they spray some stuff down your throat prior to the scope to "numb" your gag reflex.  It tastes like rotten bananas.  tongue   I remember coming to briefly as they were preparing me for the lower scope.  Then I was out before they stuck the tube in my rear.  You know, I think the level of sedation is all up to your doc, if s/he wants you alert.  I've heard some people say there were out the entire time and never even briefly woke up.  Others have watched the scope on the monitor as the docs were doing the procedure.  Maybe you can ask to be put out.  I know that before I went in, as the nurses were prepping me, I was so nervous my heart rate was elevated, so the doc had no problem giving me lots of sleepy meds to relax.

Boo GoLyghtly!  See if you can get something else.  If not, just be happy it is not the gallon stuff.

Posted 11/23/2006 5:22 AM (GMT 0)
If sounds like this may not be the same as I didn't think that you took Citrate and the Dulcolax with GoLyhgtly.
Posted 11/27/2006 7:35 PM (GMT 0)
I guess they've had so many complaints about the nauseating swill Golyghtly that they've halved it and added in pill laxatives to make up for it. But if you're prone to D anyways, I don't see why you can't insist on the pills all the way. People who have C, though, will have to take more laxatives for longer to get everything out.

Let me tell you, they dosed me up REAL good for my scope. So good, in fact, they couldn't get me to wake up afterwards. Finally my mother woke me up some, but she had to dress me because I kept falling back asleep. I even slept through eating breakfast afterwards!!! All told, I slept about 8-10 hours that day before I finally slept that stuff off. And then I woke up just in time to go to bed, lol. Not only do I not remember any part of the scope, I don't remember going to the bathroom afterwards or any of the car ride home, lol. But, I'm like you and really shy of my private areas (and downright phobic about my bum--bad enema experience as a kid), so it's just as well they overdosed me; at least I don't remember any of it.
Posted 11/27/2006 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
There is a fine line that they need to watch when they sedate you. In my case I have emphysema so they don't even like to sedate me but I won't go otherwise. I am out enough that I don't see the Dr. but I wake up very fast still in the room where it was done so that is about the right way for me. I hear people say they have colonoscopies without sedation and I had that once and was in terrible pain from cramping. I had the IV they just didn't use it because the Dr. said he was concerned about my emphysema. Of course for the throat scope he knocked me totally out and I was fine so go figure. No one should have so much that they are knocked out most the day.
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