"World-class colonoscopy"

[Nords]

All Surgery or Endoscopy centers have these rules . I even had Nuns do Pregnancy tests . We actually had one woman ( not a nun ) fail the test . Surprise !

Tripler's interpretation of this requirement involves a bureaucrat with a stopwatch, not a sympathetic attitude. I'm not going to smear the hard-earned reputation of command sergeants major by invoking that stereotype, but you get the point.

I'm just sayin', a little internal motivation goes a long way. Admonishments that the onerous requirements are for our benefits... well... that's far too common, especially in the military.

I also can't be the first guy to show up on the table who did everything right (perhaps too right) only to achieve the wrong results. I was pretty groggy coming out of there, but someone could've tucked a copy of a "Sorry about the bad prep" form letter into my pocket for later reflection.

But Tripler called today to make sure that I've completely recovered from yesterday morning, and they'll send a postcard about the biopsy. Perhaps that'll be when we start talking about "bad prep" issues.

 

[Sue J]

You're picking a doctor because on one day every 5-10 years he'll let you eat a hard boiled egg? I'm not being critical --- just trying to clarify my understanding.

The options are fasting with a clear liquid diet vs hard boiled eggs and a clear liquid diet.

Also, he is the doctor that did my husband's colonoscopy. So I got to meet him and ask questions while I still had my clothes on.

My husband had a good enough experience (or was that the Versed talking) and the facility is close by. The eggs issue is... icing on the cake.

 

[BigNick]

The options are fasting with a clear liquid diet vs hard boiled eggs and a clear liquid diet.

Why do they allow hard-boiled eggs? Are they easy to spot on the camera?

Seriously, though, I'm glad I don't have to go through this. I just turned 50, so I got to submit my first screening stool sample this week. Pooping into an ice cream container is already enough contact with this area of medicine. (Why yes, since you ask, it was chocolate chip.)

 

[Sue J]

The doctor told me that eggs leave no residue in the colon. He's been in more colons than I have so I'm going to trust him on that.

 

[Nords]

To Tripler's credit, they followed up the postcard over the phone.

When the doc observed the "poor prep" and snipped the polyp, he initially recommended three years to the next inspection.

The biopsy came back "7mm adenomatous polyp: benign (normal) at this time. Could have become cancer after many more years." So he awarded a meritorious raise to five years.

The physician's assistant didn't have much solace to offer on the "poor prep" assessment besides "sometimes that happens".* Other than patient misbehavior it doesn't happen often enough for them to have figured out why. Her "solution" would be to have only clear liquids on the prep day before the colonoscopy (no solid food at all, not even breakfast), to still finish the four liters of Golytely the afternoon/evening of prep day, and to have an extra bonus chaser liter of Golytely at 4:30 the next morning. I guess it could've been worse... corrective action might've involved jumping up & down 100 times between bathroom breaks to shake everything loose from the walls.

Lookin' forward to round two, and hoping that the prep makes some quantum-leap improvements over the next half-decade. But I've dutifully put this on the tickler list for late 2016. Very late 2016.

* Yeah, I know, but it's a hackneyed cliché punchline and they're tired of hearing it.

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[REWahoo]

• 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...

 

[Nords]

Beer is not on the clear liquid list.

Sadly, neither are vodka or gin...

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[REWahoo]

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...

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[Free To Canoe]

I got one coming up next week and I want to get ready for it by reading this thread.

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[Moemg]

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 !

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[Nords]

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...

 

[Free To Canoe]

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.....

 

[East Texas]

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.

 

[Walt34]

Sadly, neither are vodka or gin...

Yeah, I asked about that too. Not even white wine.

Those people are no fun at all.

 

[Free To Canoe]

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.

 

[East Texas]

Congrats!

 

[BTravlin]

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.

 

[Free To Canoe]

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.

 

[Zero]

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.

 

[W2R]

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.