Colonoscopy Prep, Experiences and Tips

I experienced my first one earlier this year. There is nothing pleasurable about it at all. The flushing out of one's system. Well lets say now I understand how my old Chevy must have felt when I flushed the cooling system. I drank the maximum amount of that god awful crap at every serving. I just wanted it to end. You spend a day on the hopper flushing your system out. The next morning (I am NOT a morning person) you get a long ass cable rammed up your anus with a small camera attachment but after you wake up you feel like you have been violated by JVC broadcast quality equipment that has been sent through your lower intestine. It took me about 48 hours to be fully recovered and I am no pansy ass. This is no medfet fun. I could not see how any person could possibly enjoy it. Thankfully (barring any unseen circumstances, of course) I wont be going through that hellish nightmare for at least another 5 years. I took the sedation option and I am no wimp.(see other posts) I survived brain surgery, a 10 day coma and a about year getting my body back into shape because of it. The sedation option is a personal choice.

I am just curious and a little nervous. I am not sure with the sedation given for this procedure, but it is possible to have an erection or even ejaculate during this procedure? I am only 40 and have not had this done yet.

I will be doing my 4th without sedation in September. In my case I have never experienced any pain at all. Each time they station a nurse in front of me to report facial expression changes and none have been reported. My doctor is known for his expertise in this field and probably has a lot to do with it. He does give the guided tour pointing out all the organs next to the colon that change its color as he proceeds along. The really good news is that you can drive away and do what floats your boat.............I normally find breakfast (a large one). In addition to the unpleasant clean out you are starved to death.

I am just curious and a little nervous. I am not sure with the sedation given for this procedure, but it is possible to have an erection or even ejaculate during this procedure? I am only 40 and have not had this done yet.

Is it possible? Probably. Is it likely? Probably not.

It depends on the details. The most common sedation in the US is a combination of versed and fentanyl. The combination induces what's called conscious sedation, you're groggy and can follow directions but may not remember much. Propofol is also a possibility. With Propofol, you go to sleep. There are reports that some men get erections and some patients get vivid sexual dreams under the drug.

Remember that sedation is optional. If you're concerned, ask your doctor about drug free colonoscopy. 3 of the 4 I've had have been drug free. As others have said, it's nice to drive yourself home (no need for a driver) and stop for a big breakfast on the way. If you want to cover your bases, you can bring a driver and have an IV started so you can change your mind about drugs in the middle.

I still remember my first complete colon test, 2 doctors were joking about, i have a half hour to kill, ill do the porcedure.. I was on my side and the doctor forced a iv in my arm so hard that it hurt like hell.. I should of pulled it out and punched his stupid face good... I wasent completely awake and someone was dressing me already and i had to have my son drive me home and let my car in the parking lot.. Soon as i got home i got on a buss to the hospital to get my car and drive myself home.. The doctor told me they found something and mumbled something to me.. My regular doctor never got the right message from them.. In between this test and the next up comming one i had a gallbladder attack, it was never removed untill 7 years later being this last june which kept me 10 days in the hospital ....

I've had 3 and they're not a big deal at all. The toughest parts are the hunger the afternoon and night before and the 'no caffeine' headache the morning of. My doc gave me a prep solution which is easy to ingest , but you do have to drink a lot of water to assist in the clean out. Once the IV is going, it's a walk in the park. When the happy drugs hit your veins, it's all over - you're in recovery.

I’m 27 and my upcoming colonoscopy will be my sixth. In my mid-late teens and early 20s I had some annoying malfunction, finally diagnosed as “colitis,” which I personally attribute to my traumatic abduction which lasted ultimately five days while I was vacationing on the beaches of Mexico. But anyhow, Versed totally agreed with me (my doctor combines it with Fentanyl) and I was usually back to my normal (?) self within half an hour.

Last time the Anesthesiologist “surprised” me with Propofol, which absolutely destroyed me. It left me so disoriented and out of whack I don’t remember a thing about being driven home or let into my house. I just went straight upstairs and flopped into bed with only ½ glass of water on the nightstand. Every time I’d wake, parched with thirst, I couldn’t even navigate to my bedroom door, let alone down the hall or down the stairs. And very quickly I’d forget what the problem was anyway and soon I’d fall back into a “coma” (I have to call it that since it was much deeper than regular sleep and not at all restful).

Finally, at the end of three and a half days I felt well enough to toddle downstairs, hydrate myself, then fall back to sleep—this time on the sofa. It was horrendous and this time I very specifically told the doctor that Propofol sucks and I would not allow that vile stuff to ever enter my body again. He argued with me for maybe 20 mins, then threw up his hands and told me I could discuss it with the Anesthesiologist at the time of the procedure.

We all know where that was headed so I’ve typed out a note using the wording from my Directive for Healthcare, and also intend to inform the Anesthetist of my refusal before I’m given the slightest hint of sedation. Then, I saw the Proctologist again this week for some minor, shallow, post-enema anus-only testing and I “out of the blue” told him I’d been reading reactions on a forum (this one) and that almost everyone (the night I was reading, anyway) mentioned Versed and none had mentioned Propofol. I reiterated that I wanted the Versed and asked if he had discussed this with the Anesthetist.

Doctor hemmed and hawed, then again told me it was something I could discuss “at the time of the procedure.” Then I became a little more graphic. I told him I could either expect to spend at least two nights in the hospital (and they need those beds for urgent-care patients) or take the dangerous course and try to make it home. But I pointed out—as gently as possible (and “gentle” is my middle name…)—that “may the gods forbid I should trip or otherwise harm myself in my drug-addled state during the next several days” because I so much respect and care for him that it would literally cause me physical pain to have to bring a lawsuit against him, the Anesthetist and the wonderful hospital he’s privileged to work at.

He left the room and came back with the reassuring news that the Anesthetist would, in fact, make sure to have Versed available on his little roll-cart and that he would plan on giving it to me, although “against his better judgment.” Different strokes for different folks; I expect I’ll be getting what works best for me this time around. One last thing: I asked the doctor if it would be okay for me to do a “final rinse out” before the procedure, just to make sure my rectum was flushed out and he told me to go ahead, but that “the most important aspect was to clean the “small intestine” which I see in diagrams is the miles and miles of tubing after the Ascending Colon and Cecum.

He also assured me that the prep has totally been revised, and that it’s much easier and more palatable now. There are some areas near the beginning (or ending?) that I definitely want to have a look at but don’t want to be awake for the entire ordeal. So I suppose I’ll ask for video clips and still photos of the area and try to figure myself out from those. Please pray. The deity Thor works best for me…

AA,

Just list propofol as an allergy. They open themselves up for severe liability if they give you something you're allergic to. Also remember that they work for YOU. Don't take crap from them unless it has to do with your safety.

Of course the other option might be drug free, but with your history, that might be more psychologically difficult.

I had a colonoscopy last week, my second one, I had my first one without sedation, and found it fairly painful. This time I opted for the IV pain medication without the Versed. I was awake for the whole procedure, and found it rather pleasant. It seemed that the scope was pressing against my prostate the whole time it was inside. I did not become erect, but I think that in my younger days I would have. I started out playing on my left side with my right leg drawn up.

I don't remember if he did a DRE before he inserted the scope, but I didn't feel very much as the scope began to be inserted. After a while he asked me to turn onto my back. The two female nurses assisting him helped me to roll over, keeping my right leg pointing up. At one point the doctor said "you may feel some pressure now." Thanks to the pain medication, I only felt a little uncomfortable at this point, but I could feel a long hard object pressing from my anus to my navel. I imagine this is what an old-fashioned rigid sigmoidoscope would have felt like.

Unlike my first colonoscopy, I could see the monitor the whole time. Finally, one of the nurses said, "I can see the appendix." I had stopped paying attention to the monitor, so I looked up and saw a shadowy area behind some triangular shaped colonic folds, and asked, "Is that my cecum?" Everyone in the room seemed surprised that I knew the name for that part of my anatomy, or perhaps they were merely surprised that I said anything, having forgotten that I was not in twilight sleep. Shortly after this, the doctors said, "I am through with you now" as he pulled the scope out.

In my colonoscopy I did a 24-hour diet only with liquids on arriving at the clinic went to the vestirario, wear a dress, put on a cap and I was taken to the procedure room then lay down on the examination table was anesthetizing on site I felt nothing after a few minutes after the procedure was that it was a little sore

I'll have my 9th (I think) scoping late this month. My gastro. always uses Demerol and Versed and I am fine with that. Last time he ordered a "split-prep". I had a terrible time with that. I am going back to drinking all the PEG solution, then taking 2 qts. of tap water to finish off. He always finds 4-6 new polyps every time. That's why I have a scoping every 3 years. I'm not interested in seeing my own colon from the inside. I've seen those of about 50 other people (with their permission). It's kinda boring.

My next is next month or so after having them at least every 5 years since 1998 owing to an extensive family history of colon and other cancers and colonic polyposis. Mine almost always include a gastroscopy (esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy) as well because of years of reflux disease and most recently a finding of Barrett's Esophagus on biopsy in 2010. I also used to give a good deal of anesthesia/sedation for these procedures when (primarily) surgeons did the procedure.

I think there's a lot of regional and temporal variation, but often GI guys give their own sedation whereas more surgeons have an anesthesia provider present to do it. More recently, more surgeons do it also, like my surgeon next month. It also has to do with speed, getting through many scopes on time, as well as the GI/Surgeon's comfort with sedation. It's far more likely that propofol will not be used if it's not an anesthesia provider. In other words, if the doc is doing their own sedation, they are usually not giving propofol.

It's a great drug, I use it constantly, and I've had it myself, but the kinetics are far different than midazolam (Versed) or Fentanyl or meperidine (Demerol). It's much more fast acting and, more importantly, of much shorter duration tha midazolam, so anyone using it has to be extremely careful to dose very accurately and be paying extremely close attention. Most docs actually doing the 'scopes either have minimal propofol experience or don't want to be distracted from the scope long enough to pay close constant attention to their propofol-sedated patient.

Jds4, I'm sorry you had/are having a difficult time with having had midazolam. I use it constantly and find it extremely useful, but also have never had a patient come back and inform me that they had a bad experience like yours (which is a valid complaint/concern). There's huge variation in patient response to any given drug, including midazolam, and the exact mechanisms, pharmacology and electrophysiology of memory are not well-known yet.

As noted above, you'd likely need to have a doc pre-arrange with you for a particular sedation regimen like propofol if you wanted it. Asking on the spot for only narcotic like Fentanyl or Demerol might be acceptable. However, arriving and asking for propofol might wind up getting you pushed to the last patient of the day or more likely rescheduled for a day when they can also schedule an anesthesia provider. Since I'm lucky enough to have good results with midazolam, as well as a pretty finicky colon as far as pain/pressure sensation, I'll keep letting them sedate me with it plus narcotic.

Eric

Oh, yes, I keep forgetting to post this, especially for all the nurses here. My first colonoscopy at the hospital where I worked for many years was around 1999 done by my GI doc who did his own sedation. So this very pleasant, good, friendly nurse I knew from the OR shows up and says Hi, I'm your nurse today. Now this lady is a great nurse and about the nicest human being on the planet - a real sweetheart. I'm thinking that this is great, I'll have great nursing care and I already know her. She attaches me to the monitors after I lay down on the gurney in the hospital gown. She takes my vital signs and walks away. A few minutes later she comes back and says she needs to start my IV. Now I'm lying there between two tall metal bedrails to inhibit falling or getting up, covered in tubes and wires from the ECG, BP cuff and oximeter, tucked in under a sheet wearing a thin gown, and with my hand in position with drying Iodine on it - I'm not going anywhere soon. So the nurse picks up the IV device, and while she's working with it to get the guard off and test the catheter before use, she looks over at me very sweetly and says "I just LOVE sticking doctors!"

Eric

(Yes, we're still friends and she stuck me several more times after that day!)

I had an all female crew in the room for all 3 of mine. There's no pain, neither during nor afterward. If anything, the pain is during the cleansing process the day before. But you can minimize on that, and i will tell you how.

When it's only a few days away, just eat like eggs, soft tofu, yellow jello. The key is soft, clear, white or light foods. Maybe soup too. Because whatever you put in is more or less going to have to come out before the procedure if it can't be digested & absorbed quickly. I learned my lesson the first go round, so the 2nd & 3rd times went much more smoothly..

Good luck with yours and all the other posters as well. My last one at 48 was clean, but my gastroenterologist told me if i hadn't had my first one with her when i was 38, the polyps she found at that time would have been bad news now. So earlier is sometimes better, especially if you have family history like me. ,

Just finished my non sedated colonoscopy 90 minutes ago. What a piece of cake.. I have had worse pains from some enemas. Was very anxious prior to procedure, but once they started just relax your Abdominal muscles and enjoy the experience. By not having anesthesia I avoided a 3000 dollar charge. I also walked out and was immediately released to drive myself home. I had my staff book patients this p.m.so off to work I go. Honestly I would rate the discomfort at a 2 / 10. My first Brazilian wax hurt way more then the colonoscopy. Now everyone is different as far as their internal anatomy, so everyone may not have the same experience I had, but I think it is worth a try. They can also give you something if it gets too intense

Just had my 9th scoping last Thurs. I fasted an extra day, took 2.5 qts. tap water two days before and one day before. The night before, my discharge looked like tea, so I assumed I was clean and I skipped the next morning enema; BAD decision! Upon scoping, my cecum and ascending colon were clean, but my upper rectum and descending colon were dirty (I have no sigmoid anymore). When I was taken back to the recovery area, where you are supposed to expel the CO2 they pump into you, I expelled lots of waste and water. Extremely embarrassing. My gasto. TOLD me to take a bag enema the morning of my scoping, next time in 3 years. I won't make the same mistake again.

No new polyps this time (very rare for me), but I am staying on the every 3 year schedule

I had my first in my mid-40s because of a history of cancer in my family, and the prep was BY FAR worse than the procedure. I was alert the whole time and found it fascinating to see what my colon looked like!

It was not an erotic experience at all.

My GP told me it is time for a colonoscopy.

I don't like being knocked out so I asked him if he knows if any of the gastro docs in the group do unsedated colonoscopy procedures. He told me yes but I could have an IV started and they would give me meds if I needed them. That statement scared me to death that I would be given meds regardless of my wishes and I checked around my area for doctor's that have experience completing unsedated colonoscopies. The long story short is that I found a doc that would do a colonoscopy without requiring someone to drive me and wait in the office, did not require an IV but warned me that it would be nice for him to have if I coded. (I wasn't worried about coding and have no risk factors) The digestive center called me and said to show up only 15 minutes before before the schedule procedure time because they weren't doing much of a prep for me. I was waiting for someone to pressure me to take an IV or drugs but that never happened. They did put a heart monitor and pulse-ox on me after I put on a hospital gown.

The instructions for the prep were to avoid foods with seeds and etc for three days before the procedure, switch to a clear liquid diet the day before and to drink 4 liters of Golytely in a split dose the evening before. The stuff I got at the pharmacy with my prescription was blessedly tasteless and not hard to get down. No laxative was required. I would not hesitate to do the prep again, the fast was the worst part.

The procedure was tolerably uncomfortable, at no point painful and I have had more uncomfortable strong enemas. Watching the monitor was totally fascinating. It was a bit 'strange' when the doctor put a lubed finger in my butt with several people in the room watching. That has always been a 'one on one' situation for me in the past. I would do another colonoscopy tomorrow if required and would not even think about drugs. The results form the office sent me said I, "Tolerated the procedure well" and the next procedure can be considered without sedation. The worst part was the nurse just tore the heart monitor patches off the tender skin on my chest. I would have been happy to work them off slowly with oil at home.

In case someone wants to ask... No, nothing erotic about being in a room where professional people are working.

Barb,

I went without sedation once; and, like you, the discomforts were managable. I, too, enjoyed watching the monitor; there were 3 or 4 polyps that my Doctor removed.

They had a line in me in case I asked to go to sleep during the procedure, and charged $750.00 for the Nurse anesthitist .

Interesting experience. The next time I could not deal with the discomfort, and I was asleep within 10 seconds of my stating, "please take me under".

I just have an aversion of medically going to sleep. The older i get, the greater my concern, though it is not overwhelming.

Have a gr8 weekend!

With my interest in medfet and the idea of loss of control so erotic to me. i am concerned that i will become erect or inappropriate under the sedation? is this a rational fear? i am also concerned that the type of sedation they use just makes you forget, so maybe i might get an erection and not even remember.

It's highly unlikely that you will have an erection while having a colonoscopy. I've done dozens and have never seen one. I've done many more intubations using similar drug regimens and never seen one either.

If you dont mind, can you tell me what actually happens in a colonoscopy procedure. Is the patient actually awake and just does not remember it? how much exposure is there really for the patient? if they find something do they automatically remove it and take care of it on the stop?

You have an IV placed while lying on your back. You are wearing a gown covered by a sheet. After you are asleep (and you are deeply asleep) you are turned to your side. The scope is introduced and is threaded up to the cecum. As it is withdrawn the observations are made. Large tumors are not removed but smaller ones usually are. Biopsies of the larger ones are done. You are turned from side to side by a strong assistant to aid visualization. The reason I know is because I was awake for mine because I was undermedicated. There is absolutely nothing erotic about the whole process. I watched with great embarrassment when they found blackberry seeds in my colon. Otherwise it was pretty interesting.

For those who don't like the idea of sedation, they now have a procedure where you swallow a capsule which contains a camera and when it passes out you anus, you return it and they watch the film. It's supposed to be as good as the regular type. Of course if they see anything, then they'll have to do the conventional type to get a biopsy. And you still have to prep for it the same way.

I've had a couple of the conventional ones. They were the easiest procedures to go through. I started to awaken during the first one and found it interesting to see my own colon. Then I went back to sleep.

No discomfort after either of them, though some people have gas, as they blow air in there.

As for prep., the Go Lytly is terrible. The one with Citrate of Magnesia is much easier.

You need someone there to take you home if you've been sedated; a cab isn't acceptable.

There was incredulity for most of the staff when I started out by rejecting sedation before even signing in. The day of the examination it was the same, before and after. Even when time to leave the hospital, the message had missed someone who was rolling a wheelchair toward me. Another nurse told her that the chair wouldn't be needed and why. The last thing I heard as I was walking out was the persistent incredulity of the wheelchair pusher.

The procedure was wonderful. For me, a 2qt TWE produces much more discomfort than the air used to expand my colon. I chatted with the doctor, enjoyed viewing my pink subject of so very many enemas. The whole thing was a joy.

I think it would be very erotic to have it given by a met fetishes dr whom is always in Control

Just had my first one a week ago. The prep was a light breakfast the morning before it had to be before 8am then after that it was clear liquid diet which was fruit juices with no pulp like apple juice white grape juice water coffee or tea no cream or creamer was pleasantly surprised that I could drink all the sweet tea I wanted. No sprite or 7up or ginger ale.

The closet thing to food was chicken broth. At 4pm had to take the first bottle of prep it was called suprep a six ounce bottle that was poured into a 16 oz cup that came with it then cold water added to the marked line on the cup. It was a salty grape flavour after taking it had to drink two 16 oz glasses of water within an hour. Then back to the clear diet until 1am then had to repeat with the second bottle the same as the first. The prep had me running to the toilet for about 2hrs after each dose was able to sleep about 5hrs total all night.

Arrived at the endoscopy center at 6:15 was taken back and told to remove everything except my socks and put on a gown. Got into the bed and covered up with a sheet and was given an iv must have been a small iv catheter because I hardly felt it then heart monitor pads were put on me and oxygen.

After a few minutes I was rolled into the procedure room and then after talking to the nurse and doctor was told to roll onto my left side and then the nurse said you will feel a warmth going up your arm and I was out. They use propofol and I actually woke up I think about half way through it and was knocked out again. Then I woke up again just as the doctor was finishing and felt him pulling the scope out. I was rolled to the recovery room and was told to get rid of as much of the air they used as I could,it was just mild gas pains not bad at all. I was wide awake after about 10 mins was given something to drink and was told I could get dressed and walked out but the nurse was holding my arm just for safety I guess.

They removed 3 poloyps two 3mm size and one large one 40mm size they all came back benign but the doc said if the big one had stayed a couple of years more it would have been cancer. The whole thing was nothing as bad as I thought it was going to be and I won't be anywhere as nervous next year when I have to repeat it because of the big one that was removed. I think it has saved me some bad trouble down the road.

Laxme, the nurses wanted, if you couldnt make it outthe door as they suspected, they would have hauled your ass back to your bed then who knows what

i have seen the w/ c gig many times from day surgery, usually itwas some with some anesthetic on board, not for a minimal iv guy.

I got my first colonoscopy Friday, April 22, 2016 (Earth Day - people keep reminding me.) I am age 67 and never had one before.

The hardest part for me was eating lightly for three days then not at all the day before. I took a few enemas along the way to help things along. I had a long Wednesday into Thursday morning. Around 7:00 PM Wed. I had tuna & macaroni salad from 7-Eleven along with two bananas. Also Gatorade (which was an allowable drink.) I got home after a long day about 3:00 AM and had about 6 oz of salmon, baked in a microwave and about a gallon of white grape juice. I got almost explosive diarrhea from the white grape juice, which was an allowable drink. (My nurse explained the white grape juice probably caused the diarrhea.) I took flush out enemas Thurs. morning to ease my discomfort. I got almost no sleep that night. I did not sleep well Thursday into Friday either.

The day before: No solid food. I had a half gallon of apple juice for calories. Also directed to take to take Ducolax caps about noon, then again at 6:00 PM. After 2:00 PM I was to drink "PEG-3350 and Electrolytes for Oral Solution." They were white salts in the bottom of a four liter jug. Mix with warm water and drink 8 oz every 10 minutes until it was all gone. It was like drinking warm salt water. If I understand the documentation, it was supposed to make the insides of intestines to "sweat" and wash away all fecal matter. I was to eat or drink nothing, not even water, after midnight.

I had certain pet sits I needed to do in the morning and didn't really get started with the program until 2:00 PM in the afternoon. (I had someone fill in for my pets sits Thurs afternoon and Friday.)

I had a friend drive me to the clinic and pick me up later. I arrived at 9:30 AM for a 10:00AM appointment. Got all undressed and my nurse explained everything to me. Then I was left to lay on the gurney until 12:15 PM. (Guess they had a busy day. My suggestion is go earlier so you can get in and out sooner.) The procedure didn't take that long. I was anesthetized and asleep for it. By the time I woke up, had my exit interview with the doctor and was released it was 2:15 PM. The doctor advised I had some fecal mater in my system but the procedure was OK to proceed. The GOOD NEWS: No cancers, no biopsies, no polyps. "You're fine! Come back and repeat the test in three years." (Whoopie! I can hardly wait! )

After effects: I had a gassy, queasy, stomach and was making messy, watery farts. I had some heavy duty men's underwear shields (I bought by mistake) and used them backwards to avoid messing in my clothes and bed. That continued until the next day. I also had a headache from the anesthesia, much like a hangover. That also continued until the next day.

On one hand, my system was so messed up I didn't feel like eating, OTOH I was hungry! For lunch Friday afternoon I had a Cesar salad with grilled chicken, and spaghetti & meatballs downed with ginger ale. For diner I had eggplant parmigiana. (These were microwaveable dishes from a local grocery.) This morning, I had about 16 oz of Greek yogurt, with 3 tbls wheat germ and a grapefruit. I am hoping the Greek yogurt will repopulate the flora & fauna of my intestines. I also drank some coffee. I have ice cream, which I am told is OK to eat. I am not supposed to drink alcoholic beverages. I have beer for tomorrow.

New York State says I am not permitted to dive a car until 24 hours after the anesthesia. (Which is about now at 3:41 PM Saturday.) I do have one pet sit to drive to this evening. Also to walk my landlords Saint Bernard.

I had no pain before or after the procedure. Afterwards I mostly slept a lot (maybe 16 hours.) In between I watched episodes of "Stargate SG-1" on Hulu and "Babylon 5" on Netflix CDs.

Mostly I slept all day and was sort of sweating it out.

One other odd note: When I came in yesterday after the procedure, one of my cats, Thomas, was laying on a cat tree. He kept sniffing my mouth. I expect that between the electrolyte drink and the anesthesia I didn't smell like I was supposed to.

I am glad that is over with and the results were positive. At least three of my customers have died of colon cancer recently, so I was concerned.

BTW: I am also grateful for this colonoscopy thread on Zitty.biz. I did read it and got some good tips.

Guzzleguzzle Kid

I do them without the sleep drugs for all the reasons you now know about. My last one was scheduled for 0630. I was pulling out of the parking lot at 0718. I have found that everything goes better if done as early as possibe. Glad your results were good.......,,so were mine.