100 Colonoscopies

llocat

I will be 70 this year and had my fifth colonoscopy three weeks ago. Good for 5 years.

michellechawner

I am 27 and had one last week to test for Crohn's.

Having digestive issues is b!tch and a half, but I would rather know if it's serious or not.

But on a good note I don't have Crohn's - or cancer, or anything, it all came back normal.

glennstoudt

Second this. The trepidation pre event is far worse than the actual procedure.
But the prep liquids do mix nicely with vodka.
Had one at about 53yrs, they said come back in 10 years. Surprising the number of people <50 that are being recommended to
have the procedure. I never thought about it until the Dr. suggested it at about age 50.

Teachinjen

I am 38 years old, and having one done tomorrow morning.....Currently on clear liquid diet, and doing the prep this afternoon.......I am having mine done because of a family history of crohns and celiacs. I have had bad gastro issues, so my gastro doctor scheduled one!

Swissmiss

Second this. The trepidation pre event is far worse than the actual procedure.
But the prep liquids do mix nicely with vodka.
Had one at about 53yrs, they said come back in 10 years. Surprising the number of people <50 that are being recommended to
have the procedure. I never thought about it until the Dr. suggested it at about age 50.

The vodka just may make the procedure worth it.

SJLS2013

Is this just done as a precautionary measure in the US?

ELEANOR43da

I have to see my specialist and have one done soon, Have to have one every 5 years.

cruzcrzyMarie

Is this just done as a precautionary measure in the US?

It was for me, due to turning age 50. I had my first one a few weeks ago. They found and removed a few polyps, but, they were benign. They said I don't have to have another one for 10 years.

SJLS2013

Is this just done as a precautionary measure in the US?

It was for me, due to turning age 50. I had my first one a few weeks ago. They found and removed a few polyps, but, they were benign. They said I don't have to have another one for 10 years.

As far as I know, that isn't offered in the UK. Here, you only have a colonoscopy if there is a reason to

Athena53

Is this just done as a precautionary measure in the US?

Yes. Removing polyps is pretty easy and when they're gone, they can't morph into something more serious.

As far as I know, that isn't offered in the UK. Here, you only have a colonoscopy if there is a reason to.

What reasons are acceptable- do you have to have symptoms, or is a positive fecal occult blood test enough to convince them? (To those of you who are hesitating- the latter is simple and non-invasive and it's an indication of whether you may need a colonoscopy. Mine was positive and that's what convinced me. I thanked my doctor who had recommended that test later.)

kraft_kris

Starts at age 50?

Donna6017

I turned 50 in February so I had my 1st colonoscopy in March. My Dr. did conscious sedation. I was awake for the whole thing. Really cool. I go back in 10 years.

Athena53

I was awake for the whole thing. Really cool.

Yeah, I got to watch it in the big screen, too! How often do you get to see a picture of your insides? If you can get over the "yuck" factor (pretty easy for me), it's interesting.

04hoopsgal73

I had mine in December 2011 - next one in 4.5 years. Before the event I was REALLY nervous. What helped me get through it was this (below). I read this and I literally laughed so hard I cried. I love Dave Barry!

Jon

---

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, and then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't though of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking 'Dancing Queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.

I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

---

After 28 years of colonoscopies and enduring the many different prep modes designed by the medical gods, this is the funniest and best read article for this topic. It has relieved much of my anxiety today. Tomorrow, I have my 15th colonoscopy. My doctor has me on the 3 year plan. Sometimes I fall asleep and sometimes I see most of the procedure.

I am 58 years old. Do not put off today what can prevent illness tomorrow.

MommaRou56

Having mine tomorrow. I'll be 57 next week, and I've had several in my life. I'm one year overdue as my doctor recommends them for me every 5 years due to my own personal history of (breast) cancer and the fact that I have a family history of colon cancer on both sides of my family. My maternal aunt died from colon cancer in her late 50s, and my paternal uncle was diagnosed, but survived, when he was 70. Plus, we have a lot of colon/intestinal issues in my family anyway. So while I don't like doing it, I do anyway. I don't mind the actual procedure. It's the darn prep. If they could come up with a way to sleep through THAT, it would be all good. But I highly recommend them because colon cancer can be cured if it's caught early enough.

Usbornegal

You all are so encouraging for me. We just passed the one year anniversary of my father in law's death from colon cancer, and it's hard not to think he could still be here if he had followed up with having polyps removed 15 years prior. Let's stay healthy!

04hoopsgal73

I had mine in December 2011 - next one in 4.5 years. Before the event I was REALLY nervous. What helped me get through it was this (below). I read this and I literally laughed so hard I cried. I love Dave Barry!

Jon

---

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, and then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't though of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by Abba. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' has to be the least appropriate.

'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, Abba was shrieking 'Dancing Queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors.

I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

---

After 28 years of colonoscopies and enduring the many different prep modes designed by the medical gods, this is the funniest and best read article for this topic. It has relieved much of my anxiety today. Tomorrow, I have my 15th colonoscopy. My doctor has me on the 3 year plan. Sometimes I fall asleep and sometimes I see most of the procedure.

I am 58 years old. Do not put off today what can prevent illness tomorrow.

I am happy to share that my check up was excellent. Officially, confirmed today by lab reports. 10 years of no polyps or CA polyps…..Yeah !!! :happy:
My doctor said this is the best he’s seen my colitis/colon ever. I have to give credit to taking charge of my life and not filling up my body with junk, both food & stress wise.

randomtai

I just lost my mom to Stage 4 Colon Cancer in August, and she was only 54. She was diagnosed at age 49 with no history in our family. I have gotten mine and so far so good. This is very important and this thread is great for raising awareness.

UCSMiami

My annual physical came back low iron reserves and blood in stool so I am scheduled to have one in a few weeks. Both versions, anal then oral.

UCSMiami

I just had my colonscopy. All well. Only 4 benign polyps. All removed. Please folks have yours done.I found out that colon cancer is the second leading cause of death due to cancer.