Utterly personal: colonoscopy story. With poll!

I managed to sneak past 50, and past 51.  But the stories posted by nyceve and drchelo and others convinced me that I was being childish, so I called my doctor and said "Hey, um...I need a colonoscopy."

"So you do!" he said, and scheduled one.

And here I am, with it all over, thank heaven!  I thought I'd share my experience, because I am the biggest chicken on Earth, and if I can do it, so can you.

I asked for the prep with pills.  My poor mom had Crohn's disease, and had to have tests of all kinds that required preps quite often.  She struggled through the years of citrate of magnesia (she could never drink 7-Up again), of the tiny bottle of phospho-soda, of gallons of Go-Lytely, and was so grateful when they invented the pills.

(On the phospho-soda: I had to have a GI series some years ago.  I was fighting that horrible stuff down, and Mr. escapee was being all big and bold and put a small touch of it on his tongue to show how he could do it.  He vomited immediately, copiously.  Hah.)

I did one stupid thing.  If you have a prep with the pills, leave them in the bottle.  I put them on the countertop in piles of four.  Something in the air or the pills caused the salt to leach out of them.  They were damp, and they tasted horrible.  My own error.  Leave the pills in the bottle!

Taking 32 pills is hard.  But I did it.  The cleanout is efficient and rather gentle - no explosions, just a need to visit the bathroom.  No cramping at all.  No nausea.

Then off to the surgical center, where they put me into the funniest thing you ever saw - a gown that hooked up to a hot-air vent in the wall.  I felt like a teddy bear.  

I'm very frightened of anesthesia.  The anesthesiologist told me I'd be under for exactly as long as it took.  He was right.  I explained some things to the doctor about previous surgeries,  the anesthesiologist told me "Here we go" and injected something into the catheter.  I felt a rush, then a distinct taste, and then I was talking to my husband.  Just like that.

No pain.  Some gas - they do blow air into your colon - but it's evacuating quickly.  I felt sorry for the other patients as the evalcuation went on.  Nice for them.  And now I'm home, polypless (they found two) and very, very relieved, full of fresh orange juice and a cinnamon bun.  

So.  If I can, you can.  Come on, all you fifty-year-old chickens.  It really isn't that bad.  And you'll be relieved when it's over.  I sure am.

•  Thanks, escapee. this is something that I have

  avoided like the plague. Blue jersey dad was advised to have a colonoscopy right after he turned 50. The damned thing was mis-read, and we thought that he had colon cancer. I spent a week in hell worring about him and about how I was going to deal with 3 kids under the age of 10 on my own. I know I should get one, but that was the WORST WEEK OF MY LIFE.

  by blue jersey mom on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:49:52 AM PDT

  •  Definitely an awful week!

         No one should have to go through that kind of a mistake, but these things do happen.
         Nevertheless, it's a nice feeling to know that you're okay, so, if you're 50, it's that time for you...

    We are men of action; lies do not become us.

    by ER Doc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:04:40 AM PDT

  •  Oh, gosh, bjm

    I kind of know how you feel.  Mr. escapee went through several years of unexplained nighttime vomiting once.  They endoscoped him and colonoscoped him, and they found nothing.  Then they put him on Nexium.

    It turned out that his stomach is simply small, and he had gotten into bad habits - grabbing a Sizzli at Wawa on the way to work, sitting at night with his hand jammed into a bag of Fritos.  He backed off the carbs, the vomiting stopped.  

    But I was terrified.  I can't imagine how much more intense that terror would be if I had kids.  

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:17:17 PM PDT

•  Bravo!!

  In this day and age - there is no excuse for not getting this procedure done.. it's quick and relatively painless.. and the payoff is peace of mind...

  by OpherGopher on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:51:31 AM PDT

•  Saw my doctor this week

  and she said "it's time."  I really appreciate your diary. I'm usually not a weenie about medical procedures but this one concerns me. Your story was very helpful.

  by AnneElizabeth on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:53:44 AM PDT

  •  Trust me there is noone . . .

    more fearful of anything medical then me, it's nothing--a breeze. I promise.

    by nyceve on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:27:50 PM PDT

    •  Be not a weenie

      The fasting was actually the hardest part for me.  Gosh, I love to eat!  And if you can't fast for 24 hours, well...even I could do it!

      by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:20:57 PM PDT

•  I've had TWO of them

  The first one was totally negative.  The second one found and removed two small, benign polyps, one of which was at the recto-sigmoid junction, which was the precise point at which the colon cancer originated that killed my father at age 68.  Probably just a coincidence, but still, enough of a shock that I'll be sure to get them as scheduled for the rest of my life.  It was very eye-opening to think about what that small, still-benign polyp might have looked like in another 12 years or so.

  I can't say it strongly enough:  If you're over 50 (or younger and have any of the major risk factors) GET ROUTINE COLONOSCOPIES.  There is really nothing to the procedure itself (contrary to what you might have heard from people who had it years ago), the preparation isn't bad, and it's about a million times better than dying of colon cancer.  Virtually all deaths from colon cancer could be prevented if people with signficant risk factors (including being over age 50) got routine screening colonoscopies.

  by leevank on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:54:43 AM PDT

  •  Oh goodness

    I'm so glad they found it.  

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:21:14 PM PDT

•  I didn't know they had pills....

  the prep is the only thing that's been keeping me from doing it.

  Glad to know about that!

  by ShainZona on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:57:49 AM PDT

  •  my partner drank a nasty liquid

    I didn't know about the pill option either.

    by davidkc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:04:13 AM PDT

    •  My first one was with the liquid

      I didn't think it tasted as bad as some people do, but just drinking that much liquid is as chore.  The pills were MUCH easier.

      by leevank on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:29:49 AM PDT

      •  My doc advised mixing

        the prep stuff with gingerale.  It helped.

        by astoundedstill on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:29:05 PM PDT

  •  The prep . . .

    is the ONLY thing that has been keeping me from doing it.

    by goofygringirl on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:35:46 AM PDT

    •  Agreed.

      The doctor my internist referred us to will only do the old-fashioned, gallons of stuff, "You may throw up, if so; wait 5 minutes and continue drinking it" prep. I need a different referral.

      by el dorado gal on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:57:07 AM PDT

    •  Do it, do it!

      Don't let that stop you.  (*Now* I'm all brave!)

      by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:23:24 PM PDT

  •  Yes, pills!

    A lot of pills.  But the thing is, no matter what prep you use, they want you to drink about a gallon of liquid.  It went fast, and it also, um, went fast and painlessly.

    And don't take them out of the bottle until you use them!

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:22:23 PM PDT

•  I had mine on 10/5.

  What they say about it is true: the purging you have to do beforehand is the worst part, and the procedure is a breeze after that.

  The day before, in addition to taking that horribly salty Lytely stuff, I couldn't eat anything solid. I could have coffee or tea, but no creamer. I could have popsicles and Gatorade, so I basically lived on Gatorade. I had 3 or 4 bottles left over. I didn't drink any more of them until 3 weeks later, so sick was I of Gatorade. Taking a dump every 15 minutes wasn't fun either.

  In the procedure they found some polyps and took them out, but it turned out none of them was in an advanced stage. I have to come back and do it again in 3 years. I'd gladly wait that long, just to avoid the purging.

  On the whole, I was lucky, because I didn't get off my lazy, negligent ass and do it until I was 57. No more goofing off like that. Colon cancer? Ew! No thank you.

  by Kimball Cross on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:58:27 AM PDT

  •  I had three little polyps found last year

         No family history of traditional colon cancer, although my older brother died at the age I am now, of a weird colon tumor, (a sarcoma; no connection to polyps.) But my cholesterol is 177, and my mom and other brother both had lymphoma, so there's a fine chance that cancer will punch my ticket out at some point. I'll be getting the three year followup, too.

    We are men of action; lies do not become us.

    by ER Doc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:15:35 AM PDT

  •  Bless me, Lord, for I have sinned

    Mr. escapee has disposed of all the ginger ale and apple juice in the house.  I won't have to see it.  I wasted.

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:24:21 PM PDT

•  Once you lose a friend to this disease

  you become motivated....

  by 7November on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 10:58:44 AM PDT

•  Mine is scheduled in 3 weeks

  I'm not yet 50, but my family has a history of colon cancer so they're recommending I do it early.  I'm not looking forward to it at all.  I heard there's a new laser technology that might do away with the traditional colonoscopy.  Here's hoping!  It's such a nasty procedure.

  by davidkc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:03:01 AM PDT

  •  There's a CT scan

       Its proponents say it's supposed to replace screening colonoscopy. Problem is, if they see anything questionable, you still need the traditional colonoscopy to check it out. My consultants don't think it's ready for prime time yet. And you still need the prep.

    We are men of action; lies do not become us.

    by ER Doc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:09:20 AM PDT

    •  Thanks for the info.

      I had also heard that they haven't perfected the technology yet.  Oh well.

      by davidkc on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:15:01 AM PDT

      •  And you still have to do the prep.

        Which stinks.

        by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:26:40 PM PDT

  •  The traditional one, as it's currently done, is

    not bad at all. I had "twilight" anesthesia (conscious sedation) both times I've had it done, and the whole thing was really easy, including recovery, since that type of sedation wears off quickly.

    by roses on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:17:53 AM PDT

    •  For some reason

      none of the 'light' anesthetics ever worked on my Uncle Tommy.  He had every single one - and he had colitis - wide awake.  Tough guy.

      by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:27:33 PM PDT

      •  That does sound like it could be tough!

        On the other hand, I have almost all of my dental work done without any anesthetic at all anymore, since a dentist hit a nerve directly with a syringe and I never regained complete sensation on that side of my lower mouth. The sensation is mostly back, but the super-numb feeling took over a week to wear off. And then sensation gradually came back, mostly. I went online and found out that when this happens, some people never regain sensation. So I prefer not to risk it. It hasn't really been that bad to endure some temporary pain at the dentist. Of course I haven't had to have a tooth pulled yet...! Just fillings, inlays, and crowns.

        But I don't know what a colonoscopy would be like without any anesthesia... I'm glad the light stuff works for me.

        by roses on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 02:07:24 PM PDT

        •  Oh, I've heard of that

          When I had my wisdom teeth out, they listed that as a possible problem.  That must have been awful - thinking it might not come back!  And still not having all of it.  I'm so sorry.

          You sound like my DH.  When he was little his dentist used gas, and he says you can feel the pain, but you can't do anything about it.  You laugh "Oh, that hurts, it hurts!".  So he stays away from novocaine.  

          by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 03:24:42 PM PDT

  •  There's also that capsule thing...

    I.e. capsule endoscopy, wherein one swallows a tiny little camera that progresses through the GI tract taking pictures all the way, which are then transmitted to a little receiver unit that you wear like a belt.  You wear it for several hours, long enough for the capsule to make its way to the end of the line, as it were, and then your physician looks at the images that have been collected.  You do need to monitor stools afterward to make sure you pass the camera capsule. One advantage of this technology is that you can visualize parts of the intestine that are difficult to get at from either end with traditional endoscopes. (I know all this because I translated a journal article about it, not because I'm a doctor.)  

    I've got a few years left before I hit 50, and am VERY MUCH hoping that this technology will replace the current medieval methods. If that doesn't happen, I'm at least glad to know that there's an option of swallowing pills rather than disgusting gloppy liquids to clear the decks.

    by slapshoe on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:27:59 AM PDT

    •  My SIL has had one of these

      She has terrible health problems, and a traditional colonoscopy prep is impossible.  So they did the capsule thing.  Fascinating.  She had to go up to Temple to get it, but she goes there a lot anyway.

      by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:28:39 PM PDT

•  I've had more than 10

  I had stage 4 colon cancer at age 39.  Very uncommon, and thankfully I am fine.  Because of my cancer I had annual colonoscopies for the first five years, every two or thhree years for a while and now every five years.  Haven't had a single polyp since my surgery so my cancer was a fluke.

  Most physicians only sedate their patients, so most are just groggy.  At my first colonoscopy my physician had me ready to sedate, but I tolerated the procedure just fine so he never started the drip.  Since then I don't even have them hook me up and they really aren't that painful, even with no sedation.  The real benefit of not being sedated is that you can watch the exam on the screen and talk to the physician during the procedure.

  SO ALL YOU 50+ BLOGGERS GET IN AND HAVE A COLONOSCOPY, ITS NOT THAT BAD  

  by VClib on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:09:02 AM PDT

  •  I agree

    My first one was with mild sedation, but I was conscious and watched the whole think on the little TV monitor, and only went to sleep for a few minutes when they began extracting the scope.  There was a feeling of pressure, sort of like having bad intestinal gas, but no pain, and it was kind of interesting.  And whatever drug they used was a very pleasant high.

    On the second one, although it was sedation rather than anesthesia, I was totally out of it, and I'm just as glad that I wasn't in a position to watch them snip off the two polyps (although there was ZERO pain afterward, and I wouldn't even have known they did it if they hadn't told me).

    by leevank on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:36:00 AM PDT

•  I can't remember what my prep was, but it wasn't

  that many pills. Whatever it was, it wasn't unpleasant enough to be memorable. I think it was tablets, but not nearly that many.

  I've had the procedure done twice (had polyps removed after first one, so repeated the next year). First time I had good insurance; second time, with my $5000 deductible as a freelancer, it took me a while to pay off the debt of nearly $5000 for hospital, doctors, anesthesia, labs, etc. I'm dreading my next one only because of the cost!

  by roses on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:14:51 AM PDT

  •  My recollection was something like 6-8 pills.

    No big deal at all.  I think they've figured out that it's the prep that people don't like, and they're making real progress in making it less unpleasant.

    Other than the fact that you don't want to be too far from a toilet once the prep begins, it's no big deal at all.  As I recall, I spent most of my prep time here on DailyKos or reading, and it was a great excuse not to go to work.

    by leevank on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:38:27 AM PDT

    •  I think it was 6-8 pills for me too. I thought

      the prep would make me feel miserable all day, but it really wasn't bad!

      by roses on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:52:12 AM PDT

      •  Then I'm going to look into that one

        32 pills is a lot of pills.

        by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:29:29 PM PDT

•  The exam itself is piece of cake,

  it was just the prep I hated. But I hear it's easier now.

  My doc was so proud of himself for this line, "You're as clean as a whistle." I kept the photo they gave me for years, just to prove it.

  Yet, next two time I was scheduled, I backed out ofthe test. Just don't like the prep and idea of it. Stupid I know when the exam was painless and over quickly. They administered valium.

  But the psyche is a curious thing.

  by Gorette on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:19:33 AM PDT

•  I've had 2

  First one was around 50.  My Doc is really good and coded "rectal bleeding" so it wasn't rejected for "routine screening".  So if any Kossacks out there are contemplating one - make sure it's for cause (or at least coded for something that's covered or you're out about a grand out-of-pocket).  

  Got a dose of diverticulitis this past May and had to spend 2 days in the hospital with 24 GRAMS of Unisyn IV and met the best surgeon that didn't make any $$$$ on me.  He told me I had 2 chances with IV antibiotics before they yank out 12-18 inches of large intestine and so I have 1 more chance.  All I could think of was "Braveheart".

  So now I don't eat red meat anymore (I was a real meat-and-potatoes guy that my wife bugged me for 10 years to stop), no more beer, OJ, and fruit/popcorn/nuts/pickles etc.  I still can't get to the 25 grams of fiber/day but I'm OK now.

  The meds you got for the scope were probably Fentanyl and Versed (better living through chemistry!!).  Good stuff, analgesia with amnesia and very short halflife.  No intubation either.

  Oh, for guy Kossacks - the docs check the prostate while he's in there for free.

  by anthracite on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:23:16 AM PDT

  •  Many insurance companies will pay anyway

    They recognize that it's cheaper than treating advanced colon cancer.  But if yours doesn't pay for routine screening, virtually EVERYBODY has some symptoms occasionally that can be symptoms of colon cancer, especially if they're described persuasively.

    by leevank on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:41:02 AM PDT

    •  yep - my doctor coded for cause too

      by Pandoras Box on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:37:29 PM PDT

•  The dread was 1,000 times worse than the actual

  procedure.  The clean out was yucky, but bearable, and the actual procedure was really nothing.  I had some polyps removed as well.  

  Go do it!  It might save your life.  

  by Do Tell on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:30:30 AM PDT

•  I'm scheduled . . .

  What were the pills you took? I'm going to request those and burn my prescription for the Go-Lytely! THANKS!

  by goofygringirl on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:34:34 AM PDT

  •  I didn't think the go-lytely was so bad

    mine just tasted like mineral water

    by Pandoras Box on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:28:03 PM PDT

  •  Osmo-Prep

    They have a web site.  Can you imagine?

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:30:43 PM PDT

•  had my first one

  on Tuesday. Was deathly afraid, but it wasn't bad. As someone said, prep is worst part. I had syrupy liquid prep. Not as bad as I thought it would be but by the last glass of it, I thought, ok enough already.

  2 polyps were biopsies. Probably nothing.

  by hopeful on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:36:56 AM PDT

•  Totally agree on the experience. Now the cost is

  another thing.

  In an earlier diary I'd commented and recommended the procedure and a reply to my comment made note that while agreeing with the value of the procedure, it was  not a trivial expense for someone with no insurance.

  These types of screenings - mammograms as well - really should be made available for low to no cost to everyone.

  Hopefully one of the first things a Universal Health Coverage system provides are these types of screenings free to anyone in the age brackets where screenings can result in early detection.

  by Ammo Hauler on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:38:19 AM PDT

  •  Of course they should

    Medical care should be free. Period.  So should education.  And when I'm queen of the world...

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:31:42 PM PDT

•  I'm 54 but

  I have no health insurance. Haven't had a job since 1983 that has offered it and my income's way too low to buy my own.

  I go to the ER when I'm really really sick - which only occurs about once every 5 years. But a colonoscopy? That's simply impossible.

  You might want to include "I can't afford one' on your next medical poll.

  by Cowboy Kahlil on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:49:16 AM PDT

  •  I will, Cowboy

    and thank you so much for reminding me of it.

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:32:32 PM PDT

•  I'll Get One When I Can Afford One

  I know someone who got their first one under Medicare and they passed with flying colors -- they've taken psyllium husks regularly for years and their doctor said they have a colon of a 40 year-old (they're 68).

  by GW Chimpzilla on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:51:55 AM PDT

•  I've had several, as I have ulcerative colitis.

  The last time they removed a couple of polyps.  I can tell you, the worst part of the experience for me is the IV, as I have awful veins.  There is always alot of fishing for a vein, and the inevitable blow-outs which necessitate more fishing.  Very unpleasant.

  I can also tell you that I'd rather have 1000 colonoscopys if I could avoid having one barium enema.  Have babies the natural way was far less painful, and there's nothing to equal the humiliation.  Many years after I had one, my dad had to have one, and he came home and called immediately, screaming "they raped me!!".  So if someone approaches you with a suggestion of a barium enema, run!!  Run like the wind!!

  by Got a Grip on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:54:59 AM PDT

  •  Me too!

    I also have UC.  As I said in my response below compared to a barium enema it's a walk in the park.

    by Jjc2006 on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:00:21 PM PDT

  •  Oh, God, I hate those!

    First, the IV: I told the anesthesiologist kind of hopelessly that my hands tend to perforate (the usual response is "Well, let me try it", a swollen blue hand, and then they try the other one).  He immediately went to the big one inside my elbow.  Nice anesthesiologist!

    Barium enema.  OMG.  That was my very first prep, with the tiny little bottle of poison, and the sadistic creep who prepped me came in and plugged the syringe into my ass, the thing the bag goes into - and left it there and disappeared for half an hour.

    Well, I laid there, with that funnel or highway tunnel or whatever the hell it was inside me, and I went from gritting my teeth to crying to calling out loud for help - and then they came in and did the test.  That hurt a whole lot more.  

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:36:53 PM PDT

•  I am glad you did it

  It really isn't that bad.
  Like your Mom, I have IBD (but I have Ulcerative Colitis and not Crohn's).  So I have had all kinds of things shoved into places where the sun don't shine and since I have had this disease for forty-six years, I remember taking things so disgusting, the prep now is not all that bad (to me).  

  I think I have had a yearly colonoscopy for the last 30 years.  At one time I had to drink a gallon of water that was mixed with powder of some kind.  I swore I was going to freaking EXPLODE.  But compared to what I went through at age 15, before they did colonoscopies, while they were trying to diagnose my disease, that was still a walk in the park.  

  Barium enemas and air enemas while you are awake are h*ll.  

  I honestly don't mind the test at all, and the day before AKA green jello day is getting easier though I cannot drink ginger ale except on that day.
  Of course I can't drink OJ either as they used to spike it with Castor Oil when I first got sick.  That was 46 years ago and I still gag when I try to drink OJ.

  Congrats for doing it.  Everyone should.

  by Jjc2006 on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 11:56:12 AM PDT

  •  So did my mom

    There were so many things they'd given her over the years that just ruined foods for her.  

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:37:47 PM PDT

•  Careful with preps that contain sodium phosphate

  There's been some concern about kidney problems
  Renal Failure After Oral Sodium Phosphate for Colonoscopy
  Ask your MD about Miralax prep - Miralax is pretty much tasteless, but you still have to drink a half gallon of gatorade.

  by terabytes on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:08:22 PM PDT

•  Kaiser says no, even if you're over 50

  I switched my wife and I from Blue Cross - California to Kaiser last year and the first thing we asked our new Kaiser doctor about was our wish for colonoscopy with me being 58 and the wife 60 years of age and neither of us ever having had such an exam.

  Her reply, "We only do colonoscopy if you have family history or your stool tests positive for occult blood".

  I took that to mean that Kaiser Permanente's policy is to ignore the generally accepted and recommended practice of examining patients on a regular basis once they hit 50 years of age. Their policy seems to reflect a mind-set that it's a waste of money to find and remove polyps that aren't bleeding yet.

  I don't like their idea that I could be walking around with 10 or 15 polyps, putting me at increased risk, but we'll just wait till one or the others starts bleeding before we check you out. So much, I say, for their vaunted preventive health programs.

  Turns out though, my second stool sample results in a year just proved positive and I'm going in for the colonoscopy on Nov. 5.

  I appreciate Kaiser's quick response now that I've tested positive for something bleeding in my colon, but I resent the gamble they've taken with my life when I specifically requested such an exam a year ago and was declined by my own personal physician.

  I don't think a request for a colonoscopy at age 58 should be treated as just another hypochondriac's foolish and unfounded fear.

  by RickWn on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:30:35 PM PDT

  •  Well, that sucks

    It's an outrage.

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:38:12 PM PDT

•  Oh, glad you wrote this, escapee!

  was wondering how you were doing!

  I hesitated for a long time, but finally had one this past March at age 53 (I was having a bit of pain so I was concerned - I do have IBS).  No polyps - a bit of internal (!) hemmorrhoids (which accounted for the pain), nothing to worry about, do it again in 5 to 10 years.

  I was greatly relieved and it wasn't nearly as horrible as imagined.

  I had a VERY kind doctor, as were his assistants and nurses.  That helped too.

  by Pandoras Box on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:35:36 PM PDT

  •  Hey, Pandora!

    Everyone there was so nice.  And I was very encouraged, dumb as it is, to find a Flyers calendar on the inside of the OR door, and big Flyers banners!  I thought 'Oh, they do this to calm the patients', but I had a short but intense conversation with the doctor and the nurse about the power play, and why in 20 years it's never been much better!

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:40:53 PM PDT

•  My sister (age 65) has a dear friend

  who refused to get a colonoscopy because "they're yucky!"

  A couple of months ago, my sister's son (a doctor) started treating this woman for stomach pain. In the course of diagnosis, they HAD to do a colonoscopy. My nephew said "Mom, it's like a forest in there" there were that many polyps.

  She's dying for fear of going through "something yucky"

  She had children die from this (at about age 32) and she didn't want to tell the others because she "didn't want to scare them"

  Now everyone in the family, all the way down to their 20s in age is getting tested.

  by Pandoras Box on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 12:47:45 PM PDT

  •  Oh, bless her heart

    I'm so sorry for her.

    by escapee on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 01:41:51 PM PDT

•  Did it last year, escapee,

  and hated it completely.  However, the test served its purpose and I didn't go into it with the purpose of having a good time.

  The prep my doctor prescribed was Fleet Accu-Prep and that was the worst part of the whole thing, aside from the embarrassment.  I was put to sleep (or I probably wouldn't have had it done; believe it or not, I know some folks who've had it done wide awake - umm . . . not for me, thanks.), and woke up feeling that my doctor, the nurse, and the young tech with the highlighted hair and pierced eyebrow knew far more about me than I was comfortable with . . .

  But, my family history was against me and I'm not sorry I had it done.  My Dad had malignant polyp back in the late 80's-early 90's.  Thankfully, the cancer was completely contained in the polyp itself and was removed surgically; it hadn't spread to the colon walls or elsewhere and he didn't require chemo or radiation.   His cancer never reoccurred, thankfully.  Currently, he gets a colonoscopy every 3-5 years, I believe.  After his surgery, I think he had to have them every year for a few years and after a number of years of his tests coming back clear, he now has them every 3 years, I think.

  I ended up having four polyps, all benign.  However, being I'm a "poly producer," (like my Dad; thanks Dad!), I have to have another colonoscopy done three years from my last one (done a year ago).  I'm not looking forward to it, but I just think it's a smart move, for me at least.

  It is embarrassing, though.  Sorry, there's just no way around it.

  by Dreaming of Better Days on Fri Oct 26, 2007 at 05:39:05 PM PDT