Hello Everyone, I came back from the doctors a while ago and now he wants to do a colonoscopy on me. I am quite scared and nervous. I should of had this test when I had my upper endoscopy. The doctor thinks I have uc or crohns. I will be going for my colonoscopy on Oct 5th. Write Back Soon, Leah
Colonoscopy
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I have had 2 colonoscopies within the past 3 years. The worst part about them is the prep the night before. You have to drink a solution to clear your bowels and have to stay very near the toilet for about 4-5 hours. On the day of the procedure, you will probably feel a little nervous, but it is painless. I had the twilight sleep both times, which means I wasn't knocked completely out, but rather I was in a light sleep and couldn't feel a thing. I was not at all sore afterwards, but felt a little tired until the anesthesia wore off. Stay calm, good luck, you will do just great.-------------------------------------------------What happens to you is not nearly important as how you handle it.~~Jennie~~
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I have my first colonoscopy scheduled for October 5th too. I will be right there with you. I am not too nervous about the procedure but I am worried about the prep. I have had to take the GoLytly (not sure if I am saying this right) and I couldn't stomach it and I had to cancel the procedure. I am supposed to take Miralax this time and I have heard that is easier to take. Carly
Hi Carly, Why did you have to cancel the colonoscopy? I am really worried about the prep part. I don't want to be up all nite in the bathroom. What are they looking for in your colonoscopy? I might have colitis. My symptoms match for the colitis part. Write Back Soon, Leah
Hi Leah,I had a colonoscopy in July. The prep was not great, but I survived. I had to drink 10 oz of Magnesium citrate and then every 15 minutes for 2 hours, 8 oz of Nulightly(pineapple flavor). I drank everything through a straw as far back in my throat as I could and was able to get it all down. I only spent about 31/2 hours off and on in the bathroom and the actual procedure was a piece of cake, wasn't sore just tired and STARVING. Try not to eat too much a couple days before the test too. Makes the prep go easier. You will do great. Jane
Hi LeahI had a double header colonoscopy/endoscopy. I just accepted it had to be done so I could get on with my life, and tried not to psyche myself up too much with focusing on how uncomfortable I might feel for one night.Much better concentrating on looking forward to getting an accurate diagnosis so you can start treating the symptoms !And it is only uncomfortable, not painful. It helps to have the most variety of liquids (clear chicken soup broth, powerade, green jelly, etc - but check with your specialist what you are allowed to have) so you don't get sick of drinking.The cutting back on eating is a great tip, that way your stomach will be shrunken a bit and you won't feel so hungry.Be strong ! And "just do it" to quote Nike
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Well, I don't HAVE a colon anymore, but when I DID, I had about 5 of these tests done. Everybody is right, the prep is the not-so-fun part. But someone suggested to me right before my last one that I eat really light, easy-to-digest foods for a couple of days before I began the prep, and that I would empty out quicker. And they were right. I believe I had Jell-O, mashed potatoes, yogurt, and soup (just don't eat tomato soup...can't have anything red show up or the doctor will think it's blood...). And this person was right...it went much faster than it would have if I'd eaten heavy meals beforehand. You will be in the restroom a good bit, but it won't last forever, I promise
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Just have some good reading material in there, or some hand-held games. My husband even moved the TV into the bathroom for me
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!! That way I could soak in the tub between potty trips and relax. Here are some tips that helped me. Keep some baby wipes on hand if you can. I know that some people suggest Tucks pads, but, for me at least, those really burned. I'll be honest...I was ready for flames to start shooting out of my butt. I do NOT like Tucks!! But they work great for some, so don't just discount them because of me. So I just bought Huggies Baby Wipes with Aloe in them. They were much better. And when you are using TP, always remember, PAT, PAT, PAT. Never, ever wipe
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It makes it hurt a lot worse if you wipe
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And have some baby rash ointment on hand to use before AND after you go. My GI always recommended Desitin Creamy. He said to put it on before you go AND after. It's thick, and keeps the output from burning your skin. Now I use Nupercainal Ointment. (Found near the Preperation H). That is the best stuff since sliced bread. Since I've had my colon removed due to colon cancer, I have mainly liquid BMs. And the Nupercainal is *WONDERFUL* for butt burn. Imagine having to deal with the burn of a colonoscopy every single day for the rest of your life
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!! But as long as I put it on before I go, and right after, I'm good. You just have to get a good barrier between your skin and the output. As far as preps go, can you ask your GI for the Miralax prep?? It's a powder that you mix in with any 64-ounce drink of your choice. My GI even said that soda was okay, but I was way worried that the butt burn would be worse with anything fizzy. So I used white grape juice. The great stuff about Miralax is that it is nearly tasteless. It tastes like whatever you mix it in. It was HEAVEN compared to Golytely or Colyte or Fleets Phospho Soda. It's a good bit to drink, but when it only tastes like white grape juice (in my case, you just pick the liquid of your choice to mix it in...), it isn't nearly as bad. So if the doctor hasn't suggested it, maybe you could ask him for it. Since I don't have a colon anymore, I reckon that'll be my last colonoscopy. But I feel your anxiety though, because I got that way everytime my time for a colonoscopy rolled around
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But once you get through the prep, you'll do great!! Do the light diet thing, and you should be running clear in just a few hours. And ask them if you can start it in the morning or around lunchtime if possible, so that way you will be emptied out and be able to sleep the night before your test. The test is a breeze. You'll never even know they were in there til you wake up, and you'll come home and have the best sleep of your life, Heehee
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I will be praying for you though, as I know how anxious I used to get. You will be a-okay though, I promise!! If you need to talk to someone, PM me and I'm happy to give you a call if I can answer any questions for you. I had Ulcerative Colitis for 21 years (I'm 31 now) so I know a lot about that beastly disease. I developed cancer in my left colon though, and had to have it removed. Along with my gall bladder, appendix and 4 lymph nodes. But I am a rarity I think. Not everyone with UC or Crohns has to worry about it turning into cancer. It just hits some of us, and not others. I was just unlucky enough to be caught in the "Some Of Us" line
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I'm off to message you now with my number. I get free long distance, so if you want to talk, just let me know!!
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Wow you've had it since you were 10? poor gal,Leah, just stay calm..as everyone says the prep is the worst, the precedure is easy(from what i've been told by a few close friends) when i was in germany for a student exchange. i got something nasty in my stomach(now that i think of it, nothing has been the same since) I was 4000 miles from home, no one could speak a word of english, i had to be there atleast another week and a half. and I was in the bathroom every 15 minutes. I was wondering where all of it came from, but through all that the worst part was the lack of support around me. clearing your bowels won't be that bad. the mother of the host family i was staying with, was force feeding me laxitives every 8 hours(she didn't understand it wasn't a bowel problem, she thought i was constipated. LOL) but we're here for ya! so just stay calm, you'll be fine.
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Hi LeahI'm not sure what happened on all the other forums but I'm sure all the members here want to give you a fair hearing and help you if they can.It would help though if you listed all your conditions and tests so we have the overall picture, otherwise any advice given may not be relevant to your conditions.Also if you could just post your topics on one board, you have posted the same posts on several boards so it makes things very confusing, and people may think their responses have disappeared when they find the same post unanswered. I bet it is hard for you also to follow the responses to your questions.I'm not sure what it is you think you have, diverticulosis, IBD, or IBS. Just stick to one of these boards until you are diagnosed, posting on all of them won't get you more responses, it will just confuse the advice you are given.Good luck with October 5th, I hope it brings out an "all clear" result.
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Well said Tropigal.
Hi Leah,I will be having my first colonoscopy on the 7th and I can SO relate to how you feel right now. My Mum and my brother have both had colon cancer and I know I am at high risk..I am scared of the prep, the procedure and the result, but I know I have to do it, but I am terrified.I have heard the same thing so many times, the prep is the worst part and some of us with IBS are no stranger to D. So many people have told me that I'll be fine, but it's still scarey. I'm sure you'll breeze through it like I will. Let us know how you go.Sue
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Hello Leah, I am preparing myself for tomorrow and the fasting. I ust made up a bowl of green jello and one of blue jello. I have apple juice and chicken broth too. I tried to eat lighter today but I didn't do a very good job. I kept thinking that I didn't want to be hungry tomorrow morning. I am a substitute teacher and I will be the classroom all day and then I do home and start the Miralax. I had to cancel my procedure before because I couldn't get the prep down. I made my doctor gave me something different this time. What time is your procedure on Tuesday? I have to wait until 1:30pm. That is torture. Carly
Hi Leah-I just registered so I could send you two little colonoscopy hints. 1. Whatever you are going to take to flush you out - most likely it will give a range of hours for starting. Start early. Because you'll not want to go to bed until you are sure it is all done working.2. I took the big old pills. Visicol or something like that. They worked. But with little advance warning and no cramps. Soooo ... I had a accident. Stay very close to the potty until you figure out how the stuff is going to work on you.And finally. The worry is the worst. If one more person told me "Katie Couric had one on TV" I was going to punch them in the teeth.As for me, turned out I had a redundant decending colon and the ascending colon is all twisted. So, the Doc was unable to see all the colon. He said that out of the last 1000 colonoscopies he had done he had only had to stop 4 or 5. Lucky me!GOOD LUCK girlfriends.Peg
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Good Morning. I am already wondering what to do about breakfast. I am packing Jello and apple juice for my day in the classroom and I have broth for dinner. Yum.
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I found this really detailed website about what is going to happen at the doctor's office. I am guessing all doctor's offices are different but it really makes me feel better to know what is going on. http://www.gihealth.com/html/test/colonoscopy.html Carly
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