Re: Have you had your colonoscopy??

[Guest guest]

Yes, I have had several. You are not knocked out but are given happy drugs by

IV. You prepare for 3 days before. That's the worst part, drinkinbg that crap

to clean yourself out. Then you go to the hospital, outpatient, The scope has a

little light and camera on it and there is a monitor set up (where you can see

too) and the doc does the scope. If you have any polyps, they remove them then,

They send them to pathology just to make sure they're ok. It takes the rest of

the day for the meds to wear off. Caution: You will say anything while on this

med; I did. I insulted my doc by asking him if he was sure he wwas a real do,

and had anyone ever told him he looked like Rick Moranis(honey i shrunk the

kids). Now this doc is the gastro guy that gave Mickey Mantle a liver. He was

not really impressed by my conversation. So, what I'm saying is it's not too

bad.

loboshe wrote:There is now a strong emphasis for folks over 50 to

have a

colonoscopy to help prevent colon cancer in the long run. And since

constipation is a problem for folks on T4-only meds (which many of

us were on for a long time), and since chronic constipation can

cause colon problems in some, a colonoscopy might be wise.

Has anyone here had a colonoscopy, and would you share your

experience? Were you knocked out? How was recovery?? etc etc.

Janie

[Guest guest]

I had one, probably 12 to 15 years ago, so the technology may have advanced

since then. For me the worst part was the pre-cleasing. Liquids only for 2

days before the procedure - no problem for me there. On the day of the

procedure I was given an injection to combat the nausea caused by the liquid I

had to drink. Then I was told to drink a jug full of whatever the liquid was,

followed by another and another and another.......

Three hours later and I was still running to the toilet every two minutes.

I was given an injection tranquilizer just before the actual procedure and it

didn't knock me out totally but enough not to care <g>

Lynda (in the UK)

Have you had your colonoscopy??

There is now a strong emphasis for folks over 50 to have a

colonoscopy to help prevent colon cancer in the long run. And since

constipation is a problem for folks on T4-only meds (which many of

us were on for a long time), and since chronic constipation can

cause colon problems in some, a colonoscopy might be wise.

Has anyone here had a colonoscopy, and would you share your

experience? Were you knocked out? How was recovery?? etc etc.

Janie

[Guest guest]

Sure wish there was an easier way than this to detect polyps!!!!

Janie, dreading her first colonoscopy

>For me the worst part was the pre-cleasing. Liquids only for 2

>days before the procedure - no problem for me there. On the day

>of the procedure I was given an injection to combat the nausea

>caused by the liquid I had to drink. Then I was told to drink a

>jug full of whatever the liquid was, followed by another and

>another and another.......Three hours later and I was still running

>to the toilet every two minutes. I was given an injection

>tranquilizer just before the actual procedure and it didn't knock

>me out totally but enough not to care <g>

> Lynda (in the UK)

[Guest guest]

Janie, it's not too bad. You don't have to drink anything . That's another

test. It's just the cleanout that bothers me. Once you get there it's ok. I

have to have one soon too. I was supposed to have one last August but didn't

have the co-pay.

loboshe wrote:Sure wish there was an easier way than this to

detect polyps!!!!

Janie, dreading her first colonoscopy

>For me the worst part was the pre-cleasing. Liquids only for 2

>days before the procedure - no problem for me there. On the day

>of the procedure I was given an injection to combat the nausea

>caused by the liquid I had to drink. Then I was told to drink a

>jug full of whatever the liquid was, followed by another and

>another and another.......Three hours later and I was still running

>to the toilet every two minutes. I was given an injection

>tranquilizer just before the actual procedure and it didn't knock

>me out totally but enough not to care <g>

> Lynda (in the UK)

---------------------------------

[Guest guest]

I had one ...it is not that bad at all and I was dreading it.....you

don't eat anything like red meat or red food colored stuff for two

days and then the day before (a certain time depending on when your

appointment is) you must " clean out " with drinking a gallon of

solution that you mix with the flavor packet of your choice--or split

the gallon and make two flavors or so....the best thing is to make

sure the gallon is VERY cold and pour it over ice as you drink 8 oz.

every 15 minutes until it is gone---it is not that it tastes " bad " ,

just kinda strange.....yes, you do go to the bathroom alot (starting

within an hour and a half or so) but nothing like you can't make it

there on time or anything.....the procedure itself is painfree as

they give you something that takes away any discomfort, but you are

totally awake and it is VERY interesting to watch it on the

screen.....I never had the feeling of talking goofy or anything like

that.....maybe some people do....you need someone with you to drive

you home but you can certainly carry on with your regular life for

the rest of the day....and the doctor talks with you afterwards

before you leave and shows you pictures of it, etc......he will tell

you if he removed any polyps and how many and if so, then you will

get a call a couple of days later from the nurse/doctor after they

get the pathology report, letting you know how the results came

out....

My husband also had one (on a different day than mine) and he felt

some discomfort but did not say anything to them or they would have

given him a little more stuff in the IV, so I told them I did not

want to feel anything!!!...hahaha.........sue in TN

~~~~~~~~~~~~

--- In NaturalThyroidHormones , " loboshe " <usns@r...>

>

> Has anyone here had a colonoscopy, and would you share your

> experience? Were you knocked out? How was recovery?? etc etc.

>

> Janie

[Guest guest]

Janie,

I thought I read that there is a new procedure for checking your

colon. Like an MRI. It's non invasive but you still need to do the

cleansing part. Maybe search the internet for body imaging.

Louise

> Sure wish there was an easier way than this to detect polyps!!!!

>

> Janie, dreading her first colonoscopy

>

[Guest guest]

Colonoscopy:

The " prep " will be determined by the hospital at which you are having the

test. You will be getting a prescription or " order " for the cleansing

agent. One, " Go Lightly " is a powder that is mixed with water and

refrigerated so that it is cold when you have to drink it. The other, the

one that I use, is Citrate of Magnesia and comes in a kit with two Dulcolax

tablets and an enema solution.

I cannot get that " Go Lightly " stuff down at all. If the doctor insists

on using it, then he has to admit me to the hospital the afternoon before

the test so that a tube can be used (down the nose to the stomach). Get

your prep directions at least a couple of weeks ahead of time so that you

have on hand what you will need... Warn other occupants of the home that

they may not use the bathroom as a library from the time that you start

taking the cleansing agents. You will need to get in there -- quickly!

On the day of the exam, you will report to the hospital's outpatient

department and finish up any paperwork. You will be taken to the area

where the test is going to be done and given a hospital gown to wear. The

staff will hook you up to a number of monitoring devices and start and

IV. Just before the test is to start, you will be given a short-acting

sedative agent. That drug may put you to sleep, but you probably won't

sleep for very long (short-acting meds allow you to go home sooner). After

the test is completed, you will be taken to a recovery area where your

blood pressure will be checked and you will be watched for possible

complications. If no adverse events occur, you will probably be sent home

with orders to eat a " light " diet for the rest of the day and gradually

begin re-introducing solid food until you are back to what is normal for

you to eat.

You *must* have someone with you for this test because you are not safe to

drive a vehicle. The whole thing should be completed in less than four

hours. Ask for the earliest appointment so that you do not have to wait

while other patients tests are being done.

Before you leave the hospital, the nurse or the doctor will give you a set

of instructions to follow for the rest of the day of the procedure and for

a week or so afterward. You may need to call your doctor's office for a

return visit for the results, as they are not always completed that same

day. My doctor usually stops in to let me know what he found or didn't

find. Usually that amounts to " Everything was fine, Dianne. See you in

the office in a week for the final reports, okay? "

The cleansing portion of the require prep is unpleasant, but no worse than

having the stomach flu without the fever and chills. The IV may smart a

bit when it is inserted, but that fades very quickly. Once the sedative is

administered, you won't care anyway!

I have had five of these done (family history of colon cancer and I have

Diverticulosis) and, while I certainly do not like the procedure, I can

deal with it.

I hope that some of that is helpful to you! You will do fine!

Dianne

[Guest guest]

Actually I checked the suggested guidelines from my insurance company

and baseline mammograms are between 35-40 and a colooscopy is

starting age 50. Also it's important to know your family history as

that may mean you need to get one sooner. Also there are other less

and none invasive tests they can do.

Louise

>

> Most doctors will start suggesting that a " baseline "

Colonoscopy

> be done when a patient reaches a certain age. It is the same idea

as

> having that first mammogram done. If there are films showing what

these

> " parts " look like before problems develop, then problems will be

recognized

> earlier, which is when treatment is most effective.

>

> Dianne

>

> At 05:56 AM 3/12/04, you wrote:

> >Thanks Dianne, that's a keeper.

> >Debbie K.