The dreaded colonoscopy - not so bad

Same here...very easy, great drugs, and I don't need to have another one for 10 years! I went for one after Tammy Faye Baker and Joel Siegel died from colon cancer...scared the crap outta me (literally !)!

~Marin

My first screening colonoscopy was last November (2008).  I, too, dreaded it, postponed it, and whined about it on these boards.  Nearly everyone here assured me it was "no big deal," and if I had survived chemo, I would certainly survive a colonoscopy.

They were right.

The prep was no picnic--I had the Phospho-soda, which is a small volume but has a vile taste.  Unfortunately, it made me sick--I vomited an hour after the 2nd dose. I felt much better after that, and even managed to get about 2 hours of sleep before I had to get up and head for the clinic for a 7:30 a.m. appointment.  But it p*ssed me off, because I had never even been nauseous from 4 rounds of chemo.  There I was, throwing up at 3 a.m. and worrying I'd ruined the prep and would have to do it all over again.

The procedure itself was a snooze--literally.  The care and handling I received was wonderful.  (Who can complain when the first thing they do is wrap two warm blankets around you and ask if the pillows are comfortable?)  One moment the nurse was telling me she was injecting the "good stuff" into my i.v.; the next moment, someone was helping me sit up and asking what type of soft drink I would like.  That was it.

Really--no big deal.

otter 

I'm having one in a few weeks. They do have an alternative stool test that can detect cancer/polyps, but if you have a positive result you're still in for the real thing because they'll want to remove them.

I'm not really looking forward to it because it looks like you can hardly eat the day before and I know it will seem like the longest day of my life!

I had one yesterday.  I have had them before (as recently as July of 06) because I have Crohn's disease and that plus the BC predisposes me to colon cancer.  The only trouble I have had with them in the past is that the one in 2006 kicked off an exacerbation of my Crohn's and two weeks later, I had to spend a weekend in the hospital.  I don't know if something went wrong yesterday, but I recall two moments of intense pain.  Usually I remember nothing.  I have to talk to my gastroenterologist to find out what happened.  I know I have a stricture that prevents them from doing the complete test, so I am wondering if that was the problem. For normal people, the worst thing is the prep, not eating for the day before and then taking medication to clean out the system.  The procedure itself is usually no big deal. 

Tina,

 I think what you heard about is the camera that you swallow that records the entire digestive system as it goes through it.  I asked my doctor about it and I am not a candidate because of my stricture - it does sound like a wonderful idea - I think it is still considered experimental so it wouldn't be paid for by the insurance companies, but of course it is so much less invasive than a colonoscopy.  You still have to do the same prep and if it finds anything, you still have to have a regular colonoscopy and many people do have polyps, so I don't think it's considered very cost effective right now.   Believe me, if I could do it that way, considering the frequency I have to do this, I would so much prefer it.

The phospho soda prep is no longer an alternative in the U.S.  The FDA recently took to off the market because there were some incidences of kidney damage. I had the phospho soda prep the 2 years ago. There is now a product called Half-lytely. You only have to drink 2000 ml instead for 4000 ml for the usual preps. Since we are more susceptible to colon cancer, the peace of mind is well worth the trouble. 

I did not have to drink anything. I just took a pill and then a glass of water, for several hours. The hardest part was starving. But my doc said I had the cleanest colon she had seen in a while so I guess I should be proud.LOL By the way, the new scans coming up the pike will still not change the prep at all. The colon needs to be emptied. Also, if they see anything they will then have to go in and check it out, so it is just as easy to do the knock out and get it over.

I have one scheduled for May 20th.  Actually, the "routine  colonoscopy" started this whole thing rolling.  I had scheduled a number of routine appointments, including a mammogram, and THAT is when they found the breast cancer.  So, I had to cancel that colonoscopy in favor of a partial mastectomy!  Now I am hoping that this goes smoothly, but I am truly getting tired of being tested and prodded... however, I am still kicking, and that's what's most important.