What should I expect- Colonoscopy??

You will most likely hear this from others as well but the prep, by far, is the worst part of the colonoscopy. There are several different prep methods but prepare for at least one day of a liquid diet and then an evening chained to the bathroom the night/morning before the procedure.

Depending on the practice, you will either be fully sedated or recieve conscious sedation. I got the conscious sedation so was awake for part of it but did not feel any pain and "napped" a few times throughout. Only felt a touch of pain when they turned the scope around to check for internal hemorrhoids.

You will have a lot of gas/air after the colonoscopy and sometimes for a few days afterwards. You might notice a little blood from the biopsies taken but it clears quickly. 

As others have said, the prep is the worst bit. For me, the absolute worst parts were having to drink so much water, and that was just because it was so tedios. Top tips - have plenty of wet wipes and sudocrem ready, and drink the prep through a straw. The procedure itself is pretty much a breeze. The only time I felt any discomfort was when the Dr was moving the scope round the bends in the colon but a couple of puffs of gas and air and everything was fine. I had conscious sedation, after an hour or so, a cup of coffee and a slice of toast I was ready for home, and apart from feeling tired and a bit bloated, no after effects at all. I had read all sorts of horror stories about the procedure but to be honest, on a scale of 1 - 10, I'd measure the whole thing ( prep and procedure) no higher than 4. 

Best advice ?? Don't work yourself into a frenzy, it will be over and done with very quickly. 

Good luck. 

Jan

Yes the prep is a bit of a pain... but for me even the stories of the drinks being bad I found they were all fine. The problem I had was taking on soooo much liquid litres of it...going to the loo because of that really..... Once the laxatives have done there job and you do need to be near a loo....it was fine... My problem was feeling so hungry.

The procedure itself was a total non event I had built up this terrible thing in my mind but in reality I was done and dusted in 20 mins tops....never felt a thing maybe a little bit unconfortable as if you had sat on a carrot if you see what i mean but that was it.

As i said if I was told I had to have another one I wouldnt care.

What it did give me and this is the kicker was peace of mind.....I was finally diagonesed with IBS and since then my symptoms have halved or even quartered.

Hello Alecia:  Don't fret the prep.  There is good advise here about using a straw to suck up the fluid (keeps a lot of air out of your stomach, intestines).  The prep I had was 2, 8 oz. bottles of liquid.  Drank the first bottle and several 8 oz of water every 15 minutes for an hour I think.around 5 pm day prior to the procedure and that pretty much cleaned me out. It was OK for me to eat food other than just clear broth (doc's office gave me sheets of step by step information re:all aspects of the procedure).  If the doc's office does not give you these instructions, be sure to ask for them (eases your anxiety when you know exactly what you should do).. The IMPORTANT thing I want to stress is DO NOT USE TOILET PAPER.  I used a soft warm moist face cloth and just dabbed.  The next bottle I drank, along with more water, the following morning 4 hours before the procedure.  Lots of fluid but that is a good thing because it keeps your body hydrated while you are losing a lot of fluid while sitting on the pot.  I also recommend drinking Pedialyte later in the day after the procedure because your bode may be low on sodium & potassium, etc.  because of all the fluid that passed thru you.

The procedure is fairly painless (only pain I experienced for a couple seconds was when the scope went thru the bend in upper left corner). My gastro uses water instead of air during the procedure.   I wanted to be awake to view the monitor but he refused, so he gave me conscious sedation. Even tho I told him Versed (liquid valium) does not work on me -- he used it so I was almost fully awake the whole time. 

I'll say this, that for at least 3 days after the procedure, I had normal stools.  Something I had not had in a very long time (like years).  I felt GOOD. 

Nothing was found in my colon but a small hernia is in my stomach (he did what he calls a "double dip" -- colonoscopy and endoscopy, at the same time). I spent about 1/2 an hour in the hospital bed after the procedure but felt as tho I could have walked out the door right after the procedures.  I especially felt relief because we ruled out any inflammation or other potential problems.  I had a lot of anxiety and stresss not knowing if there were other problems which only made my IBS flare.

Don't worry, you'll be fine.  This was my second colonoscopy and I can tell you 10 years ago the prep was terrible.  There have been advances in the prep because so many people complain.  It's not half as bad as it use to be. Again, don't worry!

You don't need a colonoscopy unless you have red flag symptoms such as unintended weight loss or bleeding.  My IBS was diagnosed without a colonoscopy.  I would ask a different doctor to see if this procedure is warranted.

As others have said the worst part will probably be the prep.  I have had to do the prep 4 times now with 4 different types of prep, 2 for colonoscopies, 1 for a CT scan and 1 for a barium enema.  I found the diet part hard - for some reason my area insisted on 3 days minimum residue diet, followed by 2 days clear liquids only before taking the prep.  Most others it seems to be just 24 hours special diet.  

3 of the preps were fine, just fierce runs for a few hours.  The 4th, Moviprep, did not suit me and I will ask for something different in future.  (I posted my experiences on the Diverticula forum).  I read of one person who tried to work after taking the prep as they were unaware of the somewhat sudden nature of the prep!!  Bad idea.  I would advise you have someone to take you in, just in case you urgently need a toilet en route. (Mine was Tesco!!! lol).

The degree of sedation varies, from out cold, almost asleep, just relaxed to none at all.  I would opt for sedation, particularly if you are anxious.  My area only offered the last two.  For most people it is a bit uncomfortable to mildly painful.  From my experience the pain I felt was due to the particular location of my diverticula, the scope just could not get safely past, so both colonoscopies were aborted.

Afterwards you can expect some discomfort, bloating, wind, spotting and possibly constipation.  Nothing has gone in, so there is not much to come out, so to speak, and it takes time for the bowels to return to their natural rythym.  My area insisted I have someone collect me and stay with me for 24 hours afterwards.  I was told not to drive, as the car insurance is invalid for the 24 hours after sedation.  Although I felt fine, I was aware I felt a bit tired and could not concentrate for very long.  Best wishes

Your GP will make an appointment and you will get an appointment from the Clinic. You will need to clear out the bowel medications are given upwards of 24/48 hours before the test.

When you agree the appointment you will be asked if you need a sedation, I always take that choice.

You will be walked into a test room and laid upon a gurney. You will be asked to lye on your side with your knees up towards your chin they will if you said you wanted a sedation inject it into the back of your hand and you will remember little of the test.

They pass a camera attached to a long black pipe up your bottom and as they proceed they will look for any problems, most problems can be sorted at that time.

When finished you will be pushed back on the ward and left to recover, yu will have to option of buttered toast and a cup of tea or coffee. When back into the land of the living the Specialist will come and explain how the test went you will then go home.

When you arrive at the hospital ask to be put down on the mailing list, that is your rite, you will receive a copy of the letter your doctor gets. When you get your copy make an appointment with your GP and you can discuss the hospital findings.

BOB

I should have mentioned, because my area only offered light conscious sedation or nothing, I was actually handed a written report immediately afterwards, which I later copied and handed to my GP (no trust in NHS admin actually sending my GP a copy).  Had there been biopsies or polyps removed, a follow up report would have been sent to my GP.  If you are told that has been done, you will need to chase the GP surgery to find out the results.  The consultant didn't bother to even see me, just sent a letter to me saying "only Diverticular Disease, a benign condition" and handed back responsibility to the GP. 

Whatever your outcome, you will find this forum a mine of useful information for your condition.  Unfortunately conditions like IBS or Diverticular Disease are considered minor in comparison to other conditions, so your doctor might not have much more than general information.  We are all individuals and have different symptoms and solutions that suit us.  Pardon the pun, but there is no bog standard, one solution suits all.  It is trial and error.  Best wishes