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Old 03-06-2016, 05:28 PM   #261
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I opted this year to remain conscious during my colonoscopy. It was only mildly uncomfortable, and recovery was much faster and less disorienting. I also didn't have a slug of air left in there to make me uncomfortable for days afterward. I'm going to go this route from now on. It was interesting to watch the goings-on on the monitor, too. Now I know how subtle a polyp can actually look in the colon....more like a little fold in the surface than a second uvula.
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Old 03-06-2016, 06:21 PM   #262
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First colonoscopy 27 years ago, finding cancer and having a sigmoid resection.
Then every 5 years until the last one... plenty of polyps along the way, but none cancerous.
After the second colonoscopy, just had the IV just in case, but no anaesthesia... not because I'm tough, but because I like to see what's going on... last time on a large screen monitor. Just mildly uncomfortable when going around corners. All of the doctors I've had, have talked throughout the whole procedure, telling me what I was watching.
The doctor prescribes Moviprep, but I ask for Golytely, less than 1/5 the price. I don't mind the taste, as I mix it with dry gin.

Colon cancer surgery has come a long way in the past 25 years. Laproscopic surgery is now common and recovery is much faster. Way back when... a 7 inch scar, a four hour operation, 12 hospital days and, for me, three months before I could stand up straight. My neighbor had essentially the same operation (but laparoscopically) a few years ago and was back to work in 10 days.

Good luck... enjoy!
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Old 03-06-2016, 06:28 PM   #263
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The doctor prescribes Moviprep, but I ask for Golytely, less than 1/5 the price. I don't mind the taste, as I mix it with dry gin.
With a twist?

Glad your surgery went well and has had such good long-term results.
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Old 03-06-2016, 10:54 PM   #264
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Colonoscopy puns...
Whew. I was afraid those were too subtle for this crowd.

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This thread reminds me I'm due for one a few years ago but I was too busy. I have to wait after I return from my vacation overseas.
We have lots of travel plans for later this year, so March is turning into "bodywork month".

The following week, the dentist is routing out and repacking a 35-year-old filling (cracked). And around these fun events, I finally (nearly 14 years after military retirement) filed my VA disability claim. I'm waiting on the VA's C&P exams now.
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Old 03-10-2016, 10:46 AM   #265
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So far so good. A quart of MoviPrep at 5 PM the night before, and again at 5 AM the morning of, is much better than chugging a gallon of the stuff I used five years ago during one evening's thrill ride. I got a lot more sleep last night, too.

But this whole prep experience (and the effective starvation that goes with it) seems to be designed to make you look forward to the actual procedure (or at least the yummy dinner which will follow shortly afterward).

Said procedure is in 5.5 hours, not that I'm counting...
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Old 03-10-2016, 11:06 AM   #266
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Sending good wishes for an uneventful procedure and a most enjoyable meal afterwards.
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Old 03-10-2016, 01:45 PM   #267
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But this whole prep experience (and the effective starvation that goes with it) seems to be designed to make you look forward to the actual procedure (or at least the yummy dinner which will follow shortly afterward).
Our experience is that we go home, eat something fast and filling, then then fall asleep for the next four hours or so.

Hope this turns out to be a non-event.
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Old 03-10-2016, 03:42 PM   #268
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Nords I hope yours went good. My last one didn't. ** graphic warning ** I was sedated but not out. Started with laying on my left side. Then he told me to switch to my right side. Then my back. He called in two nurses who pushed on my intestines and told me not to fight it. Then he had me switch to my stomach. Still couldn't get it all the way. I heard him say that he couldn't spend any more time on me or he would never get out of there. He came to the recovery area to tell me he couldn't see the last couple inches. He said I would have to have a C-scan. So one month later I had to go through the whole elimination process again. They said no sedation was necessary and I could drive myself. Said it involved just a gentle stream of air. When I went in there was a lady technician (who spoke with an accent) standing with what looked like a blow torch with a huge tank. She had me lay on my back and said to let her know if the pain got too bad. She then placed the tool and blew up my colon like a life raft. Then I had to hold my breath four times while I was put into an x-ray cylinder. I had tears running down my face. Then she said roll over onto your stomach. It was like laying on a basketball. She said she were going to repeat the process from this side and she said to signal if it was too painful. I started waving my arms and saying enough. She said she hadn't turned the air on yet. After 4 more x-rays I was panting like a dog. I said to her they had said it was painless. She said if they said anything else, people wouldn't have it done. She then directed me back to the rest room to "clean up". This was just before Christmas and she wished me a happy holiday. I said don't expect a card. When my doctor got the results they were inconclusive because they couldn't see enough. So not only did I go through a humiliating and painful process for nothing, because ins had already paid for the colonoscopy, it was not covered. $1,000 out of pocket. I will never go through that again.


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Old 03-10-2016, 04:21 PM   #269
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While colonoscopy is considered the gold standard testing for colon cancer some may want to consider the relatively new FDA approved DNA stool test called Cologuard. It is covered by Medicare. Much better than the older FIT test which just checks for blood.
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Old 03-10-2016, 05:55 PM   #270
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Sending good wishes for an uneventful procedure and a most enjoyable meal afterwards.
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Our experience is that we go home, eat something fast and filling, then then fall asleep for the next four hours or so.
Hope this turns out to be a non-event.
Those were my hopes too!

It was a huge relief. Totally uneventful, no polyps found, able to see clear to the appendectomy scar, everything's normal, no nagging carcinoid questions, and I'm paroled for another 10 years.

800 calories later (high fiber, of course) I'm starting to feel human again.

I learned some interesting things:
  • When following the colonoscopy prep (a quart of MoviPrep the night before with a pint of water chaser, followed by a quart of MoviPrep next morning with another pint of chaser) the result is about a quart of dehydration.
  • When you're dehydrated, your blood pressure rises. I checked in at 140/75 (dehydration and white-coat syndrome), got to 120/70 with the help of a liter of saline, and woke up in recovery at 100/60. I like this new BP trend.
  • When you're dehydrated, it's hard to stick an IV needle in your vein. The nurse who stuck me is a pro and nailed it on the first try, but I could still feel more than usual.
  • My before & after weight dropped by six pounds out of 190. I still don't recommend this as a weight-loss program.

The doctor asked if the room's music track was good (70s classic rock). Then I realized that I wasn't going to be listening to any of it. 330 mg of propofol later (no Versed), I don't remember hearing more than the first song.

I'm told that the procedure took about 15 minutes. I woke up back in the recovery room 30 minutes after I'd left. The whole process was a lot faster (and seemed much more efficient) than Tripler.

For anyone on Oahu, I'd happily recommend Pacific Endoscopy and Dr. Yang.

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Nords I hope yours went good. My last one didn't. ** graphic warning ** I was sedated but not out. Started with laying on my left side. Then he told me to switch to my right side. Then my back. He called in two nurses who pushed on my intestines and told me not to fight it. Then he had me switch to my stomach. Still couldn't get it all the way. I heard him say that he couldn't spend any more time on me or he would never get out of there. He came to the recovery area to tell me he couldn't see the last couple inches. He said I would have to have a C-scan. So one month later I had to go through the whole elimination process again. [...] So not only did I go through a humiliating and painful process for nothing, because ins had already paid for the colonoscopy, it was not covered. $1,000 out of pocket. I will never go through that again.
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I'm sorry to hear about that. It's events like this which make me wonder whether I really need to show up at the 10-year point, or if I should just try to quietly age out of the system.

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While colonoscopy is considered the gold standard testing for colon cancer some may want to consider the relatively new FDA approved DNA stool test called Cologuard. It is covered by Medicare. Much better than the older FIT test which just checks for blood.
Although that's a good symptom to detect, I'm not sure how they'd find polyps. Snipping off the growths has always seemed to be the issue holding back the virtual & external colonoscopies.

But I hope they figure it out in the next decade, although I may never have another update for this thread...
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Old 03-10-2016, 06:12 PM   #271
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Good to hear it was totally uneventful from a cancer perspective.

I certainly remember being totally parched in the hours leading up to the procedure. Nobody talks about that, but it's no fun. I didn't know it wreaked havoc with the BP.
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Old 03-11-2016, 08:04 AM   #272
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Nords I hope yours went good. My last one didn't. ** graphic warning **
Wow- what a nightmare. From what I've read, colonoscopies can be difficult if your intestines have more twists and turns than usual or are otherwise tricky to navigate, but the tech who did the second procedure sounds like she was a mammogram tech in a previous career! I'm guessing that the more she inflated your intestines, the better they can check out your colon, but she may have been overenthusiastic. The "it's the patient's fault" attitude of both the doc and her would rub me the wrong way, too.

If you've got any alternatives, I wouldn't use that facility again.
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Old 03-11-2016, 08:26 AM   #273
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Wow- what a nightmare. From what I've read, colonoscopies can be difficult if your intestines have more twists and turns than usual or are otherwise tricky to navigate, but the tech who did the second procedure sounds like she was a mammogram tech in a previous career! I'm guessing that the more she inflated your intestines, the better they can check out your colon, but she may have been overenthusiastic. The "it's the patient's fault" attitude of both the doc and her would rub me the wrong way, too.

If you've got any alternatives, I wouldn't use that facility again.

My last colonoscopy couldn't be completed because of a twist. I had to redo the prep and go in for a lower GI the following week. Not fun.


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Old 03-11-2016, 03:09 PM   #274
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While colonoscopy is considered the gold standard testing for colon cancer some may want to consider the relatively new FDA approved DNA stool test called Cologuard. It is covered by Medicare. Much better than the older FIT test which just checks for blood.

It's good to know. I think Colonoscopy is not effective up to 70 from what be read.


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Old 03-11-2016, 08:05 PM   #275
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Lessons from my own colonoscopy history, up through yesterday's procedure:

Lesson #1. For some (me), a 1-day prep isn't enough. For my previous colonoscopy, I followed the instructions to a T but wasn't sufficiently, ahem, cleaned out, so the procedure couldn't be completed - ugh! Doctor advised repeating it in a few months. Then I procrastinated, & by the time I went to reschedule, the doctor had retired. New doctor said she would do it but she thought I could wait a few more years since I had no history of polyps; once every 10 yrs was fine for me, she said. So I let it go & another year passed. But when I told my gynecologist what the new doctor said, he strongly urged me not to wait & do it now. (It was now 7+ years since my last complete one.)

Lesson #2 - Drink Gatorade! Determined that this time I'd have the cleanest colon ever, I started preparing several days earlier. I maybe overdid it, but it worked: ate very lightly for several days, drank magnesium citrate on Monday, ate almost nothing on Tuesday, so I was feeling kind of depleted before I even started with the Movi-prep on Wednesday (C-day was Thursday). But then I saw Gatorade on the list of permissible stuff (not red), so I got a big jug of it, which I started guzzling, & quickly felt so much better.

Lesson #3 - Movi-prep was disgusting. Some blogs advised drinking it with a straw, amid chasers of lemon-lime soda, but that only made it take longer to get it all down. That orange Gatorade afterwards really helped get the bad taste out, though. For the second dose of Movi-prep on Thursday morning, I just drank the whole quart as fast as I could -- much easier, I think.

Lesson #4 - "Past history of no polyps" is no guarantee of future performance. Result on Thursday: 2 small polyps were removed (they even give you nice full-color photos). So, I'm very glad I didn't wait. New doctor now says I'm on a 3-year schedule (although I thought I'd be "aging out" of colonoscopies if this one came out clean).

Lesson #5 - The procedure itself was painless since I was totally sedated. Took the subway home afterwards with no after-effects of sedation at all.

My advice to all: just do it!
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Old 03-11-2016, 08:40 PM   #276
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I have had 3 colonoscopies by two different doctors.

Each time a different prep, and I did not have problem swallowing any of them down. In all cases, the prep did not start until the late afternoon of the day before the procedures, which were all done in the following morning. I followed the instructions to the letter, and the docs noted "Nice prep" in their report.

No diet restrictions up until the prep. The prep cleaned my innards so well, I don't think what I ate earlier mattered.

I do not understand people having problems swallowing the prep. The hard part for me is having to make quick dashes to the bathroom. Other than that, easy peasy.

I was knocked out cold by anesthesia each time. Supposedly, Propofol must be administered by an anesthesiologist, but I did not see one in the room, so not sure what they gave me. Woke up fine, and had my wife drive me home as they demanded, but I was not at all groggy.

And I also had a sigmoidoscopy where I declined sedation and stayed fully alert. Ugh! Thank goodness it did not take long. Would be tough to go through full colonoscopy like that.
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Old 03-11-2016, 10:25 PM   #277
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Interesting to see very different reactions to the prep. Based on my own experience I will never again rely on a 1-day or half-day prep, but I guess I'm just, er, sluggish.
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Old 03-12-2016, 03:51 AM   #278
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Interesting to see very different reactions to the prep. Based on my own experience I will never again rely on a 1-day or half-day prep, but I guess I'm just, er, sluggish.
I had the same issue with my last one and used a 2-day prep the second time, which I actually preferred because it worked less violently over a longer period of time. I actually slept decently the night before. In my case, I think that my otherwise healthy eating habits worked against me- my diet is heavy on fibers, especially vegetables. I eat nuts and sunflowers seeds as snacks. I'm planning to stick mostly to softer foods the last few days. Blah- how boring!
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Old 03-12-2016, 07:26 AM   #279
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A little more rant: the dr was in such a hurry that when the nurse didn't escort me to the room he said he would take me. I asked if I could make one more pit stop. Someone was using their one so he had me go to the visitors one, walking through the waiting room, trying to protect my dignity holding the flaps closed. Then he took me to the room and the nurse was busy getting ready so he gave me the sedation himself. Maybe because I was so busy turning but I did not feel any sedation and heard all his comments. He was incredibly impatient. I felt like a piece of meat. He also asked a tech to take the instrument because it wasn't working right. The tech asked if wanted a different one and he said he didn't have time. What his report to my dr said was "redundant colon". The result of the other test was they could not get enough air in to fully inflate the colon. Also since tey removed a single polyp I get to do it again in four years. I told my dr I would not go back to that proc dr.
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Old 03-12-2016, 10:08 AM   #280
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I've never brought this up in a discussion on the subject because I don't want to scare anyone away from a valuable test, but a HS classmate of mine died from a perforated colon during a colonoscopy. Your Doc in a Big Hurry sounds like just the kind of guy who would be capable of that. I'm glad you told the referring doc why you won't go to that guy again.
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