Several years ago my GP sent me to a GI. His nurse called to tell me for the next 10 days I needed to clear my gut out. GI Dr would be possibly taking a look inside. I asked if he was doing a colonoscopy. She said it was procedure for new patients to clean out. I would be instructed to eat a soft diet, down to a liquid diet of eventually just clear chicken broth over a period of 10 days. I told the nurse taking an oral prep the day before would clean everything out. She advised me this physician is very old school and extremely thorough, to expect a very thorough physical. As for taking an oral prep or an enema she also mentioned, she said no, they can cause inflammation and false positive results. I said ok. I followed this diet I was given.
The morning of the appointment arrived and I met this physician who specializes in gastrointestinal and abdominal issues. After a long interview in his office, he invited me into his exam room. I was asked to remove everything other than my socks. He gave me a very thorough physical. He then said he felt it would be a good idea to have a deeper look inside my backside.
He had a flat exam table against the wall in the same room. He said the nurse would come in to give me some instructions. She had me face the wall, laying in the lateral left recumbent position with my left leg straight, my right leg bent at my knee and flexed towards my chest. I noticed a tv screen in the corner towards my feet, yet didn’t think about it. Eventually, the physician returned. I felt exposed, strangely far more than during a pelvic exam or mammogram. I figured I would be receiving an anoscope of some kind.
He asked if I was ready to begin. I said yes, not realizing what would follow. Having just received a rectal exam from him, I knew to take a slow deep breath when I felt him putting pressure on my sphincter. After a few slow deep breaths I asked if he was about done and started to twist around to look at him. It was then I saw the nurse holding the colonoscopy tubing that was being inserted.
She thought I knew what was going to happen. I asked what about sedation? He said it’s not needed, he will guide me through with deep breathing. He had asked me during the intake interview if I knew anything about deep breathing breathwork exercises. I had rolled my eyes at him and laughed. He found it amusing. I reminded him I have asthma, have for many years in addition to having had many years of vocal training and I practice meditation. Yeah, deep breathing breathwork exercises are not new to me. It was from this conversation he had decided I could handle a colonoscopy without sedation if he decided he should perform one.
I continued the deep breathing. A bit of cramping around the descending, transcending and ascending curves, no big deal. Having a bit of air pumped in was a unique sensation.
He referred me back to my GP and GYN. He concluded my issues were most likely GYN. All in all, it was definitely a very unique interesting experience. In a few years it will be recommended to start having a colonoscopy every so often. I will opt for only a non sedated colonoscopy.