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Old 05-10-2011, 11:36 AM   #181
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I had my colonoscopy today and it went well. This is my second screening colonoscopy in ten years. I learned a lot from my first one. The most important lesson was when the STOP taking the stuff.


After reading Nords' adventure, I decided to take a few extra steps to make sure everthing would go right with this one.
  • I started clear liquids two days before the exam.
  • The day before prep day I put in HALF the water into the "stuff" and chilled it overnight (made it double strength).
  • I drank a bottle of water every thirty minutes for a couple of hours before I started the prep. Your body needs water for this to work.
  • I started the prep at noon. Yes, I know the doctors say late afternoon. That's just too late unless you want to literally run an all-nighter.
  • I put 4 ounces of the prep (shake the prep before pouring) in an empty water bottle and added a bit of Crystal Lite Lemonade for flavoring. I chugged the 4 ounces every 20 minutes and followed it with at least 4 ounces of warm water.
  • The doctor's instructions say to drink the stuff every 5 to 10 minutes. That just wouldn't work with me for a variety of reasons (gas, upchuck, etc.). Every 20 minutes was just fine.
  • At first I sucked on a lemon drop; but, quit doing it because the warm water took away the taste.
  • As soon as the "all clear" was evident (almost at the end of the prep), I quit the prep and drank several glasses of iced tea and water.
Some other things to think about.
  • Air freshner.
  • Scented candles ($.99 at Wally World) in the rooms closest to the bathroom.
  • Baby wipes with aloe. Seriously.
  • Zinc Oxide - should be somewhere around the baby wipe section.
  • Walking around a bit helped with the gas.
  • Don't start this with only one roll of toilet paper in the house!
  • Beer is not on the clear liquid list.
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Old 05-10-2011, 11:43 AM   #182
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  • Don't start this with only one roll of toilet paper in the house!
This needs to be first on the list, the type size needs to be tripled, bolded and in red...
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Old 05-10-2011, 04:24 PM   #183
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Beer is not on the clear liquid list.
Sadly, neither are vodka or gin...
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Old 05-12-2011, 05:30 AM   #184
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I forgot one important thing - if you have flexibility in scheduling your appointment, make sure you're first up for the day. That way you're not in line behind someone who needs a lot of extra time. You don't want your 10am appointment turning into an 11am exam.

My exam only took 15 minutes and I spent about 45 minutes in recovery. It seems I entertained the nurses the first 30 minutes; but, no one would tell me what happened except my spouse keeps laughing.

Walk as much as you can after you get home and for the next day or so. It helps dissipate the air that was used during the exam. There's only so many times you can blame the little mouse on the motorcycle.

I must admit this second colonoscopy was a walk in the park compared to the first one. This time I had much more information on what - and what not - to do.
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Old 05-12-2011, 05:47 AM   #185
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I forgot one important thing - if you have flexibility in scheduling your appointment, make sure you're first up for the day. That way you're not in line behind someone...
Being "behind someone" at a colonoscopy gives new meaning to the concept of having a bad day...
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Old 05-12-2011, 11:58 AM   #186
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You have wayyyy too much time on your hands! One clarification on toilet paper - buy the good stuff. This is not the time to try to save a few cents.
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Old 05-12-2011, 01:04 PM   #187
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I got one coming up next week and I want to get ready for it by reading this thread.
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Old 05-12-2011, 03:03 PM   #188
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I got one coming up next week and I want to get ready for it by reading this thread.
I suggest, if it's convenient, you visit the clinic where you're having the exam before your appointment to get all the paperwork out of the way.

I visited the clinic where I was having my colonoscopy several days before the exam because I just didn't want any last minute paperwork problems. I turned in their completed forms and made sure there weren't any questions on insurance (there were). The billing person told me I would owe a couple of hundred dollars up front. I asked her to call my insurance company and the insurance company rep told for her not to have me pay anything up front and to submit the claim to be processed. Then the insurance company would let me know IF I owed anything.

So the morning of my exam all I had to do was show up.
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Old 05-12-2011, 07:50 PM   #189
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Another good hint is wear something really easy to put on after the colonoscopy . Don't wear jeans as you may still be bloated ,slip on shoes & elastic waists are the best . Think sweats or t shirts and elastic waist shorts !
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Old 05-12-2011, 09:11 PM   #190
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Another good hint is wear something really easy to put on after the colonoscopy . Don't wear jeans as you may still be bloated ,slip on shoes & elastic waists are the best . Think sweats or t shirts and elastic waist shorts !
I wore light sweats, a pair of slippers, and nothing else. Some of you sensitive souls may be shocked; but, even skip the underwear. Honestly, no one really cares what you're wearing. Comfort is important.
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Old 05-12-2011, 09:29 PM   #191
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Another good hint is wear something really easy to put on after the colonoscopy . Don't wear jeans as you may still be bloated ,slip on shoes & elastic waists are the best . Think sweats or t shirts and elastic waist shorts !
I had to think about that one, but then I realized that I dress like that about 97% of the time anyway...
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Old 05-13-2011, 07:12 PM   #192
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I suggest, if it's convenient, you visit the clinic where you're having the exam before your appointment to get all the paperwork out of the way.

I visited the clinic where I was having my colonoscopy several days before the exam because I just didn't want any last minute paperwork problems. I turned in their completed forms and made sure there weren't any questions on insurance (there were). The billing person told me I would owe a couple of hundred dollars up front. I asked her to call my insurance company and the insurance company rep told for her not to have me pay anything up front and to submit the claim to be processed. Then the insurance company would let me know IF I owed anything.

So the morning of my exam all I had to do was show up.
Thanks for the tips everyone.
I had the precolonoscopy office visit today. Billing. It doesn't take much to foul it up.
The prep at this place is two slugs (2 and 8) of senna pills, then the triple Miralax treatment. Clear liquid diet all day the day before. Coffee and tea are NOT clear liquids!
It's fun. Everyone is doing it.....
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Old 05-13-2011, 07:59 PM   #193
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You're welcome. I'm just curious - did you doctor tell you to drink ginger ale after your last pill? I took the pills (don't remember which kind) for my first colonoscopy and had to drink ginger ale after the last pill to make the pills work their best. I really hate ginger ale so that in itself was an issue. I guess that's the reason I didn't mind drinking the goopy stuff this time around.

Coffee and tea were on my clear liquid list as long as they didn't contain milk or milk products.

I really recommend starting the prep around noon-ish. No matter if you take pills or drink the goop - it's still about a ten hour event.

We look forward to hearing everything went well.

On a personal note - colon cancer is so easy to catch early. My step-mom lost her mother, sisters, brother, aunts, and cousins to colon cancer. She never got tested. By the time she finally went to the doctor she had advanced colon cancer that metastasized to her liver, lungs, and other places. Even though the cancer was terminal, she still went through chemo and radiation (that's a whole other story...) Then she died a more painful death because she had radiation burns on her esophagus in addition to what the cancer did to her body. I think the few days it takes to prep for a colonoscopy every five to ten years is worth the effort.
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Old 05-14-2011, 07:54 AM   #194
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Sadly, neither are vodka or gin...
Yeah, I asked about that too. Not even white wine.

Those people are no fun at all.
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Old 05-19-2011, 05:44 PM   #195
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Just finished up and everything went OK. No polyps. I do have internal hemeroids. Good for another 10 years. 2 days without coffee left me in a grumpy mood. That and the dehydration headache. I was a couple of hours late because an emergency case before me.

They had me in what I assumed was the operating room and they were handling these giant black hoses with measurement increments on them. "Hey aren't you guys going to put me under or something?" They got the OK to put me under, then they were asking me to put my hands on the bed rails. I know from waiting in recovery all morning that this is what they do when they are bringing you out after the procedure. I did not feel a thing.
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Old 05-19-2011, 05:48 PM   #196
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Congrats!
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Old 05-20-2011, 01:30 PM   #197
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Just finished up and everything went OK. No polyps. I do have internal hemeroids. Good for another 10 years. 2 days without coffee left me in a grumpy mood. That and the dehydration headache. I was a couple of hours late because an emergency case before me.

They had me in what I assumed was the operating room and they were handling these giant black hoses with measurement increments on them. "Hey aren't you guys going to put me under or something?" They got the OK to put me under, then they were asking me to put my hands on the bed rails. I know from waiting in recovery all morning that this is what they do when they are bringing you out after the procedure. I did not feel a thing.
What, you're not going to share any horror stories concerning the prep?

Congratulations on the good test results though.
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Old 05-22-2011, 07:51 PM   #198
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What, you're not going to share any horror stories concerning the prep?

Congratulations on the good test results though.
Thanks.
I think it is odd that I never met or seen the doctor during all of this.
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Old 05-22-2011, 08:11 PM   #199
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At one point in my career our management decided to save on toilet paper by installing the dispensers like in airports, bus stations and flop houses. The kind where the roll is about 2 ft in diameter.

We called it "John Wayne" toilet paper.

The saving angle backfired after many folks developed irritations and were unable to sit for long periods.

So yeah, buy the good stuff before a colonoscopy.

For some reason, I wake up very quickly from the anesthesia. That sucks, I want that good sleep time.
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Old 05-22-2011, 08:19 PM   #200
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Thanks.
I think it is odd that I never met or seen the doctor during all of this.
That is odd, I agree! When I got my colonoscopy in January, the doctor came in and introduced himself to me after I had changed into the gown I was to wear for the surgery. He asked me if I had had any digestive/intestinal problems, and I took the opportunity to tell him that my father had died of colon cancer.

We really didn't say much of any importance (since that was all probably in my chart already) but it was nice to at least meet the person who was going to be doing this procedure. At least I knew he wasn't a drunken lunatic, y'know?

After the procedure I think he came by and told me how it came out and when I should return, and luckily all that was written down on a sheet because I was a little very hazy from the Propofol.
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