COLONOSCOPY SCHEDULED, WANT TO CANCEL

[perrier]

Colonoscopy is survivable.

 

[Jimbo39]

Folks, my poor daughter has had 6 colonoscopies, several endoscopes, two balloon endoscopes, and on it goes. She has hemmorhaged 6 times. She has severe severe ME, housebound and bed bound. Colonoscopy is survivable. Good luck, it will go OK.

How terrible. I feel for her.

 

[Jimbo39]

chickened out. Rescheduling at a latter time. I can't take any sedatives since I'm in Valium withdrawal. I want my gut to heal more before I do it drug free. It was doing great up to 3 weeks ago. What a baby.

I cancelled. I'm just too hypersensitive.

 

[frog_in_the_fog]

Definitely worth getting checked out once you feel you are ready for it. The prep does seem to be the most difficult part, as others have said. When I had the procedure done last, I came out of it as sure footed as a new born deer. Like that deer I was steady on my feet after a short time.

 

[Jimbo39]

Definitely worth getting checked out once you feel you are ready for it. The prep does seem to be the most difficult part, as others have said. When I had the procedure done last, I came out of it as sure footed as a new born deer. Like that deer I was steady on my feet after a short time.

I agree. At my age I need to have it done.

 

[perrier]

I agree. At my age I need to have it done.

In the hands of a good GI Doctor, and intelligent anaesthetist, you won't suffer

 

[Chiron]

Not to be a debbie downer, but I'd like to chime in with my experience. I had major pre-existing bowel issues leading up to my first colonoscopy, but I had them relatively under control. Within 3 weeks of my colonoscopy - in which they took biopsies and snipped a couple of pseudo-polyps - I had a life threatening flare of ulcerative colitis. Their tissue biopsies showed I already had UC brewing, but the scope and the snipping of intestinal tissue must've pushed my body to the brink.

I had 2 more colonoscopies that year, both of which increased the damage and the flare. I will never submit to a colonoscopy again unless other non-invasive tests show signs that something might be wrong. My research into colonoscopies, as a practice, shows that they are generally not that sanitary, and they can cause mechanical injury. In otherwise healthy people, such injuries heal. In people who are already in a weakened state, it could add one more health problem.

Not trying to scare you. But I don't trust this procedure. I was told by the performing GIs that 1 in 1000 colonoscopies causes bowel perforation (punctured bowel wall requiring immediate surgery). It's a bait and switch because I bet other sub-clinical afflictions caused by the procedure are not part of their data set.

 

[frog_in_the_fog]

To play the other side of the coin, I have seen what colon cancer can do. You don't want to wait for symptoms because it will likely be too late by then. I have two colon cancer survivors in my family, other friends have not been so lucky. If you are at risk, you should especially go for a procedure. There are non-invasive methods, but they tend to be less effective at detecting early colon cancer. Every diagnostic method has its risks, so it is wise to do your research.

 

[Jimbo39]

@frog_in_the_fog Great video! Have you had this done? I like the fact that doctors can also see problems outside the colon (liver, kidneys, adrenals, liver). I think I'm going to go this route (my insurance covers it) as I'm hypersensitive to sedatives.

 

[Sushi]

I like the fact that doctors can also see problems outside the colon (liver, kidneys, adrenals, liver). I think I'm going to go this route (my insurance covers it) as I'm hypersensitive to sedatives.

This is a great approach, but there is a big but! Whenever they detect anything (and in every colonoscopy I had done they found several polyps) they will have to do a traditional colonoscopy to remove them.

 

[frog_in_the_fog]

@frog_in_the_fog Great video! Have you had this done? I like the fact that doctors can also see problems outside the colon (liver, kidneys, adrenals, liver). I think I'm going to go this route (my insurance covers it) as I'm hypersensitive to sedatives.

In the past doctors have not recommended virtual colonoscopies for various reasons, but also the procedure is not available in every community. I have only had a traditional colonoscopy done without much ill effect.

This is a great approach, but there is a big but! Whenever they detect anything (and in every colonoscopy I had done they found several polyps) they will have to do a traditional colonoscopy to remove them.

When I went last they didn't find anything, so a virtual colonoscopy would have been great for me. I do fear having to take a radioactive compound. So a virtual colonoscopy may not be the best choice for everyone.

 

[Jimbo39]

This is a great approach, but there is a big but! Whenever they detect anything (and in every colonoscopy I had done they found several polyps) they will have to do a traditional colonoscopy to remove them.

Aren't polyps only removed if they're a certain size or appear cancerous?

 

[Jimbo39]

When I went last they didn't find anything, so a virtual colonoscopy would have been great for me. I do fear having to take a radioactive compound. So a virtual colonoscopy may not be the best choice for everyone.

Are you taking about the barium?

 

[Sushi]

Aren't polyps only removed if they're a certain size or appear cancerous?

My docs have removed all that they found--whatever size. It is usually several years between colonoscopies and polyps grow.

 

[kangaSue]

Virtual colonoscopies are only a second best computer generated guesstimate.

I would probably be dead by now if I relied on reassurances from doctors that results of a virtual colonoscopy are fairly accurate after there was anatomical problems preventing a normal colonoscopy from being done.

They might detect cancers and the like but the severe intestinal ischemia that I had causing the GI dysfunction is invisible to computer guesstimates and was only picked up by a follow-up regular colonoscopy because of ongoing symptoms. Those with Ischemic or Ulcerative Colitis are likely to be in the same boat.

 

[Jimbo39]

Virtual colonoscopies are only a second best computer generated guesstimate.

I would probably be dead by now if I relied on reassurances from doctors that results of a virtual colonoscopy are fairly accurate after there was anatomical problems preventing a normal colonoscopy from being done.

They might detect cancers and the like but the severe intestinal ischemia that I had causing the GI dysfunction is invisible to computer guesstimates and was only picked up by a follow-up regular colonoscopy because of ongoing symptoms. Those with Ischemic or Ulcerative Colitis are likely to be in the same boat.

You're right. My integrative GI doc wants to also check for UC. Forgot about that.

 

[perchance dreamer]

I'm glad my husband and I had colonoscopies. We have a friend around 55 who kept putting it off. When she finally had one done, she had so many polyps that she had to have additional procedures to get them all out.

The only problem I had was getting a yeast infection from the Gatorade added to the prep powder. A gallon (or whatever the quantity was) has a lot of sugar, so the next time I'll ask for a non-sweet type of prep.

 

[Spoons]

I've had a sigmoidoscopy, and also had to do a full prep for a barium enema.

1. Prep really wasn't that bad. Have a low residue diet the day or two before to make it easier for you, use bepantham cream after each trip to the bathroom, have bottles you can fill up to track your water intake, etc. (The prep I had was powder in a very small amount of water which requires you to drink a lot of water during the day). I had no cramps/pain, had plenty of time to get to the loo & slept fine. You get to just have a chill out day at home really!

2. I found the sigmoidoscopy painful, apparently because I have a number of tight loops in my bowel, & couldn't finish it. But a friend had a full colonoscopy with no pain at all. I'd suggest if you want to avoid twilight anaesthesia, etc, ask if you can have it on standby. That way, if you are a person that ends up finding it more painful, they're ready to go with help but you don't have to commit to it from the start (that's allowed in the UK, not sure about US).

3. It took me longer to recover from the sigmoidoscopy than the procedure with prep, I think because I wasn't prepared for it to be painful so it was more a stress response. I had a minor op a few months later & was under for 30/40 mins & that was about 3 days acute effects, but felt back to pre-op levels a week or two later.