Finally having that colonoscopy

I'm 57 and have been putting having one off.   I'm pretty sure I don't have polyps, but I am very interested in just hearing what my colon looks like, after having IBS for about 10 years.  I especially am interested in seeing if they really do find a small animal in there!  That's what it always feels like.

   Do we get to talk to the doc ahead of time, and tell him our symptoms?

   I'm not really worried about it.  I know the clean-out isn't fun, but its better than a root canal.  Plus, I love being home when doing unpleasant things.  Plus.....I'm used to spending alot of time on the pot!

  I just hope I don't get a headache.

  Have any of you found that you had residual problems after such a drastic clean out?

   I have found that when I've had to be NPO for some procedure, and had to do a Fleets enema, I actually feel really good.  I suppose we would all feel better if we never had to eat!  I do the clean out on Monday and the test is Tuesday morning.  Wish me luck!

Almost forgot... baby wipes (preferably aloe), magazines, the softest toilet tissue (I like Charmin Ultra for my preps). You also might want vaseline so you don't get chapped. I'm sure others will post their prep "kit".

I've had random strangers stick all sorts of things up my arse - don't worry, it's normal, at least in the hospital setting

It'll be fun.  It'll be good for you.  Everyone needs to be humbled with a colonoscopy!  I've had three and I'm more humble than I've ever been!

Enjoy your Mother's Day!  Are the kids making you breakfast in bed!?  Do you have grandkids???

Cathy,
Good luck today with the prep!!! Drink plenty of fluids.
Please let us know how the scope goes for you tomorrow.

I'm back! Its over and its normal, except for a few small diverticula in my sigmoid area.
I'm really still sort of out of it from the sedative, which wasn't as nice as I'd hoped it would be.
Was totally out of it, so don't remember a thing about it.
I wish I could have talked to the doctor afterwards, but I was pretty slow to wake up. with my fibromyalgia, I don't seem to clear sedation very quickly. I warned him about finding a small animal in there, but I guess he didn't.
I'm so glad I had this done. Now I don't have to worry about things, at least not in that neck of the woods!
about the prep........I took 2 dulcolax at 3p.m. Then I starting drinking that stuff at 6 p.m. I mixed the miralax with 2 Liters of lemon-lime gatorade and water and had to drink it every 10-15 minutes for 2 hours.
I seemed to hardly have any stuff in me to come out. I had no cramping at all. So the absolute worse part for me was drinking that CRUD!!! I wasn't sure I could keep it down towards the end. I don't think I can ever drink lemon-lime Gatorade ever again! hahahaha
Now I keep coming off the floor a little because I have so much air in me!
Anyhow.......thanks for your help everyone. Its sure nice to have people like you all to turn to, when going through some of these things!

Hi Des,
No, the doc didn't talk about a follow-up. I sure wish I'd been awake to talk to him afterwards. DH said he just said everything was normal with a few tics. No, no pics. When I had my knee arthroscopy, the doc gave me a disc of the operation. I thought it would have been cool to get one of them here too. Maybe I still can?
I also meant to ask him if my curve from my transverse to my descending looked normal, but don't you think he'll include that in the report?
When I told him about my IBS he suggested trying probiotics. I already have and didn't get much relief, but I was encouraged that conventional docs are starting to tell people about the probiotics.
Also........I found it curious that I had no cramping with the clean out. I started wondering.........I'll bet "normal" people, and you folks with constipation probably have alot more cramping with that than those of us with diarrhea......since our stuff is probably already super soft anyhow.
I guess I still need to find out why I have that chronic achey pain in my left mid-section. But at least its not from colon cancer or something else bad!

Woo Hoo, Cathy!!!!
Glad to read the good news. No animal news is good news.
I didn't have any cramping with the prep either. The roughest part was getting the abundance of liquid down. Blah!
LOL about the wind. Before I went in for my procedure some woman got wheeled out and placed next to me in the holding tank. The whole time I was there getting IV prepped the woman was tooting uncontrollably. At first I couldn't help but giggle, but then I started to get worried... Was that going to be me in an hour’s time???? Thankfully, it wasn't as bad and the gas was just temporary.

I didn't have a follow up exam but I did have issues (polyps, diverticula, and inflammation) so my doc did a follow up phone consult. I think its a good idea anyway because if they have to let you know about something, right after the scope is not the time to go over it. I guess it depends on the nature of the doctor.

Well, he found no animals in my colon, but I have the sneaking suspicion that when they saw the light, they ran backward up through my small bowel! teehee
I'm glad to hear you all didn't have cramping either. I thought something was wrong with me! And it seemed like I hardly had anything to come out, even though I had eaten ALOT the day before. But it must be like you said, Des, and everything got liquified. I was worried there was still lots of stuff up there. In fact........and I hope this doesn't gross anyone out........last night I had a dream I was out somewhere, and a huge ball of poop fell out of me (after I had done the prep). I was trying to carry it home, without anyone seeing it, and it dropped right in front of my daughter and broke into a bunch of pieces. hahahahahaha
What a dream!
Lil........I felt the same way......the VERY worst part was getting that stuff down. I really had to do some big time mind control to keep from gagging. And your story about that woman tooting is sooooooooooo funny! Yes, what goes around, comes around! hahaha
I was soooooooooo sedated. I really outstayed my welcome in the recovery room, and they finally gave me Narcan. The nurse kept pushing on my stomach yelling something like "push that gas out.........really bear down".......and I was barely conscious. Then she had me lay in the knee chest position and I was still rather comatose! hahaha It finally all came out at home, after I had eaten. I sort of spun around the room like a balloon that is let loose.....hahahaha
Now I know why they make you leave out a different door than the waiting room. Can't you just see people walking through there, tooting with every step? hahahaha
Thanks everyone! :)

I used Huggies baby wipes with Shea butter.Better than TP.

Hi Cathy,
I think the yellow was just the residual stool mixing in with the liquid. 1/2 way into my prep I started to see only yellow-ish liquid come out. By the end all I got was clear liquid, like I was urinating out the other hole. SUPER gross, not to mention weird at first. How many times would you say you made a trip to the bathroom? I'd have to say I went at least 30 times... Hence the sore bottom. I had to use baby wipes and then some medicated wipes my doc gave me (I think they were Tucks).
Nice topics we discuss here, huh? 

Now THAT is the Full Garden Hose Experience.  The expulsion of copious amounts of yellow-to-clear waste, shooting out of the back door at a dizzying speed at LEAST every 10 minutes.  Booyah!

Sometimes, when I'm having a Very Bad Garden Hose Day, I will literally be excreting blue-green/red/orange fluids, depending on what flavor of Gatorade I ended up reviving myself with.  I am not kidding!  I am a big fan of the "Blue Crush," which produces the most profound effect in the toilet.

LOL, I love the fact that I can be this disgusting with y'all.  I love you guys!

LOL, we could open the Garden Hose Gallery!