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Anxious About First Time Procedure

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Posted 1/29/2010 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
My apologies in advance. I am new here. I am about to have a colostomy and I really don't know where to post this. I am really anxious about this procedure and would appreciate feedback on what is involved.
Posted 1/29/2010 11:44 PM (GMT 0)
SORRY AGAIN ita a Colonoscopy Exam.
Posted 1/29/2010 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
Been there done that. The worst part is the prep. A walk in the Park!!!

Jeff T
Posted 1/30/2010 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for hooking up with us here at HW Prostate, can't help you personally on that one, but sure other men here have had that done in their pasts.

David in sC
Posted 1/30/2010 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
The night before is not so pleasant, but no worse than a minor stomach virus.  The procedure is ordinarily a total non-event.  The most common methods of sedation are versed (typically along with a painkiller, such as fentanyl) or deeper sedation with propofol.  If you are concerned about the procedure, you might consider asking for propofol sedation -- it puts you out more completely than versed typically does.  With propofol, you will be totally and completely unaware of what is happening, and will get 20 minutes of good sleep.  Most people also come out of propofol sedation faster than versed.  Propofol does tend to be a bit more expensive because it requires an anesthesiologist to be present (or at least a nurse anesthetist).

 

Posted 1/30/2010 12:43 AM (GMT 0)
Stress Less, Its no big deal, they put you on happy gas and you dont know much about it anyway, just dont forget to "smile" lol
Posted 1/30/2010 1:05 AM (GMT 0)
I am due to take mine again in 3 1/2 years and my hope is that some scientist comes up with a 2 ounce solution to the one gallon drink we have to take now. Have Barry wrote a great and humorous column on having a colonoscopy, worth reading. google it, but good luck and it's not too bad.
Michael
Posted 1/30/2010 1:54 AM (GMT 0)
My wife just had one. Didn't like drinking the stuff beforehand, but the procedure itself was a breeze for her. Nice drugs, I gather!
Posted 1/30/2010 12:47 PM (GMT 0)
Alive, no big deal with a colonoscopy. The preparation is the worst of it ... no solid food, and you have to drink some really awful stuff to get the bowels cleaned out. The procedure itself is nothing as you'll be knocked out. I just had my second one in December and it really is not a big deal. Depending on the results of the test - whether or not polyps are found - will determine when your next test it. Polyps were found both times with me (totally benign) but because of these plus the fact that my dad had cancer of the small intestine (which is rate), my gastro wants me to have a colonoscopy every 5 years. Fine by me - I see it as a way to lose 3 to 5 pounds in 48 hours!

One piece of advice: drink lots and lots of water during the prep so that you don't dehydrate (you will lose an incredible amount of your body's water during this period). The instructions your doctor will give you should specify taking in plenty of liquids while you're preparing for the test. Also, CO2 will be pumped into you so you'll have some gas issues for a few hours after. No pain, just bloating and farting.

Galileo: yes, the drugs are awesome! A shot of valium before to start the process (very nice indeed) then the anesthetic (the same one that Michael Jackson OD'd on but the doctor assured me that is a safe drug when used properly).
Posted 1/30/2010 2:21 PM (GMT 0)
Piece of cake on the colonoscopy! The hassle is clearing out the night before, but generally that is no prob either. I simply told my butt doctor that if I woke up in the middle of the procedure, that he truly would not want to know me! They knocked me out, I woke up, felt great, went home, and that was that. The nice part is that they will review the film with you right there. I get my next one next Spring and I haven't thought twice about it. Hope that helps.
Posted 1/30/2010 2:39 PM (GMT 0)
I have had 4 colonoscopy over the last 10 years. The preparation for it is the worst part. Drinking the stuff they give you is not pleasant. The actual colonoscopy itself is the easiest part. It takes 20 minutes and when you wake up you don't even know that it is over. There will be no pain. You will wake up hungry and you will have some gas for few hours.
Posted 1/30/2010 3:28 PM (GMT 0)
I had put off mine over fear - funny at this point - after a cystocopy, biopsy and robotic surgery, it should be a walk in the park when I get it done later this year
Posted 1/30/2010 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
I have had three over the years. I was mildly sedated for all three and actually found it interesting to watch the procedures on the monitor. No pain of any kind, just real mild discomfort. I agree, the worst is the cleansing the night before. I gag a little as I type this. But it is important to get the colon as clean as possible. Watching on the monitor I could see why. Lots of junk floating around could cause the doctor to miss polyps. Anyway, don't worry about it and get it done. It's an an important test.
Posted 1/30/2010 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
I found mixing one part of the laxative solution with three parts Coca-Cola was very effective in masking the nasty flavor. (The doctor's office told me Coke was no problem as an admixture.)

Some people are told to drink the stuff room temperature, but I kept mine icy cold. That helped, too. I also recommend supplying your bathroom with plenty of interesting reading material.

Agree with everyone else: the procedure itself is a big bunch of nothing.
Posted 1/30/2010 8:50 PM (GMT 0)
All here are correct. It's the prep that is the *real* issue. My first time, I had to drink a gallon of "Colon Blow" as it's nicknamed (appropriately, I might add). Starts out as not too bad but pretty soon, you're sitting on the toilet while you're drinking the next glass. Yuck! I ended up sick in the shower. My second time, I tried the pills because I swore I'd never do the "CB" again. You still have to drink a gallon of water but it's just a dozen or so tablets. However, the result is pretty much the same; lots or Quality Time on the potty. No getting around it. They want you nice and clean and there's only one way to do it. So, don't sweat the colonoscopy itself; it's No Big Deal.

Garth
Posted 1/31/2010 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
Alive
This is the Dave Barry article:
www.miamiherald.com/dave_barry/story/427603.html
You will appreciate the humor much more after you've been poked and scoped.
An excerpt:"The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, ''a loose watery bowel movement may result.'' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet."

You get the idea.
The prep chemicals work so well it gives you faith in modern science. You'll be amazed at how much your colon holds. I asked to be awake during the procedure so I could watch but fell asleep within 6 seconds. Oh well. Maybe next time.
Just remember, this too shall pass.
Jeff

Leave a magazine or two in the bathroom. You'll have plenty of time to read them.

Post Edited (Worried Guy) : 1/31/2010 3:19:41 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/31/2010 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for posting that Worried guy, as I had lost a copy of it that I had on my computer. Great material.
Michael
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