Mara Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 ass. Almost literally, in this case. I have a colonoscopy scheduled for Friday to see why I am NQR in the innards. Ugh, I dread it - not so much the procedure itself (I will be asleep for it), but the PREP is hell. No solid food on Thursday and then I have to take the A-Bomb of laxatives. Apparently it's not the liquid concrete stuff that used to be the norm; it's more like Gatorade. But I will be spending Thursday night in the bathroom. Please convince me not to cancel or postpone this (again). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nettiesaur Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Be like Nike, just do it! If you do it, I'll do it....next year. It's required after a certain age. Get some depends for the trip to the testing site. Saved my sister a load of embarrassment. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NobodysHeroine Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Oh, poor Mara. I'm still very young and haven't experienced this myself, but still... If it will benefit your health, it's a very good idea to go through with the procedure. It won't be any fun, of course, but knowing what's wrong and how to treat it will outweigh the inconvenience of what happens beforehand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 of the 7 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 The sooner you do it, the sooner it's over, and you don't want to feel like crap if there's something you can do about it! Hope you get good results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 ^x2 Just get it off your plate and you'll be done and over with it for a few more years. Besides, *if* they find something minor, they can deal with it now and not down the road when that minor thing turns major. I'm with you though on not minding the procedure but dreading the prep. I'm going to have mine done next month and I'm NOT looking forward to it. I'm high risk which doesn't exactly have me leaping for joy at the thought of them possibly finding something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 As far as I know we've never had cancer of any sort in the family, on either side. However, I've had some colitis-like symptoms going on for longer than I care to admit (six years, ahem). In the last year they've gotten worse and more frequent. I still have normal appetite and energy and the doctor (who is SO nice) is not overly worried. My sister-in-law started telling me all the details of what to expect. I finally interrupted her, saying, "look, probably the less I know about this up front, the better." Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scars Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I may not be a "New World Woman" but I did have a colonoscopy about 2-3 years ago. As you said, the worst part is definitely the prep (unless you're a complete wuss like me and are deathly afraid of needles, in which case that will be then ). I don't know if the stuff has changed but the prep liquid was pretty much the equivalent of drinking plastic syrup a thousand-times in 24-hours (to which I was allowed to add *some* powder "flavoring"). As you've been told, you should definitely continue on with the procedure the way it's set (you have no idea how badly I wanted to just cancel it). A day of sitting on the toilet and drinking the prep and eating nothing can ONLY be worth it once the procedure is over and done. If it helps, I watched a few YouTube videos of people going in for a colonscopy (LenEdgerly had a particularly notable few videos). It helped me knowing that their were people who were able to make light of the entire experience so I could realize there's nothing to fret over and only good comes from going through with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowItIs Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Have heard the same thing, Mara - the prep is the worst part. But if you're having colitis-like symptoms, you really need to get through this. Just curious, have you tried pro-biotics for these symptoms? A lot of people say that has made things much better for them. Even Crohn's sufferers find relied from them. Just a thought.... Hang in there. We're here if you need to vent or just scream Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSnwdog Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Just be glad that you don't ever need to get your prostate checked. http://irenegung.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/fletch1.jpg Using the whole fist, Doc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen of Megadon Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Do it, be done with it. Knowing is better than not knowing. Besides, you're way stronger than a one day cleanse...you can so do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeddysMullet Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I had a colonoscopy in March and none of it was as bad as I thought it would be. One thing I would recommend, though, is to schedule the procedure early in the day. Mine was at 2 in the afternoon and that extra half-day of fasting was really a bitch. Don't put it off. You'll feel better for having gotten it over with, and the information you get from it might be really valuable. Also, I second HowItIs's suggestion about probiotics. Probiotics and dietary adjustments have tremendously helped my chronic digestive problems. Good luck! Oh, and ILSnowdog, you should just be glad that prostate exams don't require a speculum and that you haven't had to have them every single year since you were 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 Oh, mine's at 7am, which I'm grateful for, as is my husband. I'm none too pleasant to be around after a long period of fasting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeddysMullet Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 QUOTE (Mara @ Aug 2 2011, 10:38 AM) Oh, mine's at 7am, which I'm grateful for, as is my husband. I'm none too pleasant to be around after a long period of fasting. I think the worst part of that for me would be getting up that early! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILSnwdog Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 QUOTE (GeddysMullet @ Aug 2 2011, 09:23 AM) Oh, and ILSnowdog, you should just be glad that prostate exams don't require a speculum and that you haven't had to have them every single year since you were 16 You're right. We just have to deal with doctors who have big knuckles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LyndseyG Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Having never heard of Colitis I just looked it up on Wikipedia which, as I'm waiting for dinner to cook, probably wasn't the wisest thing to do! All i can say is get it over with now. The quicker they can find the problem the quicker they can fix it. I will be thinking of you! Let us know how you get on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeddysMullet Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Aug 2 2011, 02:10 PM) QUOTE (GeddysMullet @ Aug 2 2011, 09:23 AM) Oh, and ILSnowdog, you should just be glad that prostate exams don't require a speculum and that you haven't had to have them every single year since you were 16 You're right. We just have to deal with doctors who have big knuckles. We get that, too, you know. Though maybe not as deep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 2, 2011 Author Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) QUOTE (GeddysMullet @ Aug 2 2011, 02:21 PM) QUOTE (ILSnwdog @ Aug 2 2011, 02:10 PM) QUOTE (GeddysMullet @ Aug 2 2011, 09:23 AM) Oh, and ILSnowdog, you should just be glad that prostate exams don't require a speculum and that you haven't had to have them every single year since you were 16 You're right. We just have to deal with doctors who have big knuckles. We get that, too, you know. Though maybe not as deep! Re: the speculum - thankfully many doctors now warm their instruments first. Edited August 2, 2011 by Mara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PassTheAmmunition Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 DO take time to read the label on the prep kit (you'll have plenty of time to do this as you sit in the bathroom just looking for things to read after youve read the shampoo labels, toothpaste labels, and air deodorizer can for the six hundredth time) "May cause loose stool" LOL. Seriously, it said that on the RapidPrep kit I was given. Really? Drinking 48 ounces of salt water and comet cleanser MAY cause a loose stool?? Whodathunkit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolinda Bonz Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 i just had one a few weeks ago as a follow up to the gall bladder surgery. also, my dad had colon cancer (in his 70's) so they wanted to screen me early. the prep is no fun, but the procedure itself never really happens one minute i was waiting for everything to go down and the next i was ready to inform the anesthesiologist that his drugs weren't working ...except that it was over already! the biggest pain in the ass was finding a ride home. they would not even do the procedure until i had arranged for a ride from a friend whose cell phone number they had and promised to call on my behalf later that afternoon, i had to take a cab back to their office to get my car oh yeah,,,when you're in Recovery, the louder you fart, the sooner they let you go home btw, i'm cancer free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 QUOTE (PassTheAmmunition @ Aug 2 2011, 02:43 PM) DO take time to read the label on the prep kit (you'll have plenty of time to do this as you sit in the bathroom just looking for things to read after youve read the shampoo labels, toothpaste labels, and air deodorizer can for the six hundredth time) "May cause loose stool" LOL. Seriously, it said that on the RapidPrep kit I was given. Really? Drinking 48 ounces of salt water and comet cleanser MAY cause a loose stool?? Whodathunkit Oh, I've already bought some new reading material specifically for that purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowItIs Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 QUOTE (Rolinda Bonz @ Aug 2 2011, 08:50 PM) i just had one a few weeks ago as a follow up to the gall bladder surgery. also, my dad had colon cancer (in his 70's) so they wanted to screen me early. the prep is no fun, but the procedure itself never really happens one minute i was waiting for everything to go down and the next i was ready to inform the anesthesiologist that his drugs weren't working ...except that it was over already! the biggest pain in the ass was finding a ride home. they would not even do the procedure until i had arranged for a ride from a friend whose cell phone number they had and promised to call on my behalf later that afternoon, i had to take a cab back to their office to get my car oh yeah,,,when you're in Recovery, the louder you fart, the sooner they let you go home btw, i'm cancer free Great news, Roli!! I've had to accompany my Mother-in-Law for her colonoscopies a few times (she had colon cancer 20+ years ago and has been cancer free since), to provide her ride. She often has pain sitting in the car on the way home, so we bring a cushion now. You might want one just in case, Mara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital Man Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 QUOTE (Mara @ Aug 2 2011, 11:56 PM) QUOTE (PassTheAmmunition @ Aug 2 2011, 02:43 PM) DO take time to read the label on the prep kit (you'll have plenty of time to do this as you sit in the bathroom just looking for things to read after youve read the shampoo labels, toothpaste labels, and air deodorizer can for the six hundredth time) "May cause loose stool" LOL. Seriously, it said that on the RapidPrep kit I was given. Really? Drinking 48 ounces of salt water and comet cleanser MAY cause a loose stool?? Whodathunkit Oh, I've already bought some new reading material specifically for that purpose. I hope you bought a book, I went through all the magazines we had and still had spare time on my hands. Also be careful when you are finally done in there when you go to stand up, your legs may be asleep or wobbly from sitting so long. TMI? Maybe, but better safe than sorry. Good luck, hope everything turns out well for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'm curious: of those of you who've had this done, did you adhere to the "no solid foods, clear liquids and/or hard candies" rule the day before? Or did you cheat just a little? Can ANYONE suggest something I can drink that actually has some nutrition in it besides sugar? Is there a clear liquid protein drink out there? Because I really am not looking forward to the fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mara Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 I'm curious: of those of you who've had this done, did you adhere to the "no solid foods, clear liquids only and/or hard candies" rule the day before? Or did you cheat just a little? Can ANYONE suggest something I can drink that actually has some nutrition in it besides sugar? Is there a clear liquid protein drink out there? Because I really am not looking forward to the fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammer.2112 Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Well, I don't even take breaks or lunch at work anymore. I just stop to get a bite or a P - If I set down its to hard to get going again. Using my free time to get work done makes it easier anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now