I am going to have a colonoscopy in the near future. I've gone through the "cleansing process" before and it was a lousy experience. I had to drink the gallon of "go-lightly" 8 oz. every ten minutes. I had the huge water and soapsuds enemas every 8 hours til running clear (about 4 or 5). Of course, during all this I was constantly shitting.

Then, after the cleansing it took about a week and a half to two weeks before my stool firmed up enough to not have accidents all the time. I did this in the hospital because, at home, I have an aid for an hour in the morning and in the evening but no one to clean me up in between. I couldn't lie or sit in shit all day. That's just begging for breakdown. I got kicked out of the hospital just as my bowels were getting back to normal. I was in the hospital for something other than a "cleaning" and was lucky I was able to stay for that long.

Was my experience typical compared to those of you that have had to be cleaned out? If not, what was different? I have to have the colonoscopy because cancer has run rampant in my family and colon cancer killed my father and something is wrong with my innards (for lack of a better term).

BRETT

Hi Brett,

Can I ask if you have polyps, is that why you have regular colonoscopies? Do they need to take samples for tissue diagnosis? If not then why do you not opt for a CT scan instead?There is a procedure called CT colonoscopy/colonography which is being used a lot now. Although the preference is to still clean out the bowel before this procedure, it is possible to do it without preparation or limited preparation (maybe diet alone) with something called 'faecal tagging'.
IF you don't have polyps then maybe just a straight forward CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis would be enough. We perform CT scans on elderly and immobile patients where I work instead of them having to undergo bowel preparation for barium enemas, and it is much kinder.

Here is a link to some info on CT colonoscopy that gives details of faecal tagging for you, although there is loads of info on the Net.
http://www.touchbriefings.com/pdf/1432/Lefere.pdf

It may be worth asking your doctor about it?

If you are concerned about the cost and whether insurance will cover it, then I am pretty sure that the CT is cheaper than a traditional colonoscopy.

However, as I say if you have polyps that need biopsy then I am afraid that the bowel prep is probably the only course of action for you. Sorry! And the best of luck with it.

brackman,

I had a colonoscopy couple years ago to determine the cause of severe bleeding was not anything more than hemorrhoidal. Did the go-lightly thing but I was admitted at the time and my situation was a bit "unplanned". I had passed out in my apt and was immediately admitted for a blood transfusion. The hemorrhoids had been bleeding for a few weeks and I lost enough blood over the course of a couple months that it got that severe. Doc said I was "half empty of blood" at that point

They did my transfusion first then around midnight started me on the go-lightly (which I vomitted most of as I just couldn't hold that much that fast) I remember laughing to myself when the nursing staff had their plan to transfer me to a commode chair each time as was necessary. I suggested just changing a chux would be much easier for them and me! It worked nicely.

As for the days that followed I didn't have any trouble, in fact it took a few days to begin having a bowel movement again (not unusual). Is it really necessary to do the cleansing diet before hand?

I'm not sure if I have polyps or not. I've been fighting bowel problems for a while. Mostly gas pressure and pain but also just pain when putting pressure on my lower stomach. The big reason for the colonoscopy is a lot of cancer in my family history. My dad died from colon cancer about ten years ago and my mom has had many polyps removed. I have had CT scans with nothing out of the ordinary but I will definitely ask about that other type as well.

It sounds like you had a better experience with the cleansing process than I did lune. Of course, I didn't almost bleed to death!

Thanks for the info.

Brett

I wanted too reply. I`ve had the ass cam and it was the worst crap I`ve ever had too drink and then when they shove the cam up my butt the nurse had too be the hottest one ever too be seen in this coutry. And the doc kept making coments about the sweet sounds coming from my hole. no it wasn`t good either. the flushing didn`t work as good as it was supposed too and it came all out after the cam was taken out and I was back in my room. Too bad i wasn`t on a toilet! Anyway i`ll never do that agian unlesss it`s too save my life or something.

I'm hoping someonw will see this who has found a modified solution to the, "drink an entire bottle of miralax mixed with 64 oz. of gatorade, with a bisacodyl chaser and 10 oz. of magnesium citrate the morning of (6 A.M..)"

The first time I had a colonoscopy was in 1997. I got c-diff in the hospital and had it for over two months. Even with antibiotics it wasn't going away so the GI did a colonoscopy. When they tried to tell me to do bowel prep, I told them they were out of their minds. I'd had diarrhea for two months and I was NOT going to take any laxative. They went ahead and did it with no problem. I didn't have polyps, it was just a persistent case of c-diff.

Now that I'm 52, I thought it might be time for another one. I don't have any bowel irregularities and that would be probably the only thing in my body that hasn't gone awry in 29 years of being injured. The clinic messed up my appt. so I was prepped on the 20th, and no test. I didn't do large amounts of laxative, I just didn't eat any solid food for 10 days, nothing for three days before except water and I took some laxative, which was hardly even necessary.

But since nursing is insisting on these enormous amounts of laxative (I know it's better than 2 liters of Golytely but not much), I'm thinking of cancelling my appointment until someone comes up with a better idea. When I had c-diff in the hospital, they put in a rectal catheter for obvious reasons. However, I live alone, and even though I'm skilled with every aspect of urinary catheterization, I'm not exactly up for a bowel perforation. I still think that being on a very low residue diet for a couple of weeks with only clear liquid for 3 days before should justify limited laxative use. All they want is for you to be really cleaned out inside, and if it ends up running clear, that's a good enough indication. I never use laxatives, and I am very sensitive to them. I may not be positive, but I'm pretty sure that if I took that much, I'd have the same experience with not having normal bowel movements for a couple of weeks and I'm not going through that because it isn't really necessary.

The only other alternative suggested to me by a nurse at a different clinic (I don't trust Craig Hospital anymore. Supposedly they're the "best" but I honestly think they've gone really downhill in the last 20 years--I get stupid answers and ridiculous treatment there so I have gone to choosing my own doctors at different facilities) was that I check into a hospital for a 23 hour. observation and make them deal with it. Part of the reason I don't want to do it at home is because yuck. It isn't that I never have accidents, but they are so rare (about once every five years) that I can't see doing it on purpose, and to that extent. The thing about checking into the hospital is that I know they're filthy places and I don't want to end up sick. It's flu season,I have looked everywhere trying to get a vaccination (just regular) and they're nowhere to be found. I'd take an H1N1 as well, but that's even rarer. The other concern I have is that they'd try to "force" the huge amounts of laxative on me. I don't know why, but some nurses just don't seem able to accept the fact that a person who has been injured 29 years and takes good care of him/herself know their own body better than someone who just met them.

I have all my other regular screening tests and it isn't that I avoid going to the doctor. I go often, but I really feel this is mistreatment and there has to be a better option--especially since it's just a test, not an absolute necessity. I can put it off for awhile but eventually I should really have it done. I'm going to ask about the other CT scan someone mentioned above, but if that were an option, I honestly can't understand why they've been torturing all the spinal cord injuries for all these years.

If anyone has had a different experience, I hope they respond.

My GI specialist does these on me every 5 years. He's stopped using the Go-Lightly because too many people were becoming violently ill with it and not being able to finish the whole gallon and thus, were not properly cleaned out. Only once have I had polyps. He uses something else which is just a small bottle and then an enema the morning of the test.

I have a motility disorder of the intestines since my accident. Basically, the "off" button on my small intestines isn't there anymore and my digestive system will digest constantly without medication to control it. Without medication, I have constant diarrhea.

Carolyn

I've had it twice I think the prep is by far the most intense purge you will ever have. Holy smokes you could poop through an eye of a needle, if you know what I mean.. hahahah. Anyway since we are on this delicate subject I thought I would lighten this topic with a little bit of laughter. This video is called the Scottish Colonoscopy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMsPNI6EZE

I hope you guys enjoy this one.

Cheers

Hey, I wanted to say a little something, if you don't mind. I have NEVER had a colonscopy done personally; however, I have helped w/ hundreds of them. And I will tell you this much guys. THERE ARE ACTUALLY PILLS YOU CAN TAKE FOR THE CLEANSING PROCESS. Doctors don't use them as much, but we did. I think it's like 2 at 3pm, then 2-3 more 4 hours later...etc...i don't really know about that process, but i know i've sent patients back to the docs office for the instructions on how to use them. Since i've been on the other end for years before my own accident, I can tell you this as well. EVERYONE is different! Some people won't be as cleaned out as others and they crap all over the sheets and scope. Some are very clean, and you wonder if you're still in their colon. Some shoot gas fumes at you the whole time, some are louder than others, some are green, some are black, some are yellowish. EVERYONE is different. But the cleansing process really is the most important. We had a (bad) doctore once say that this woman had a big cancer tumor. He wanted to do a colon resection on here. I wasn't in the room at the time of this procedure, so i couldn't vouche that it was infact a tumor. But the other girl that was was trying to convince our fav. other doctor to look again that it was only a "terd" for lack of a better word. Sure enough, good ol dr. ghanta checked again and found that it was in fact just some poop. He had "tattooed" it and everything for surgery. Colon resections are big deals. And she was a elderly woman, some don't make it through. I've done plenty of those surgeries as well. I hope i never need one.

I know that colonoscopies are pains in the butts (literally), BUTT they are extremely important to routinely do. I can't tell you how many patients that were full of cancer and it could have been preventive had they only had the colonscopy done before. It's becoming more serious i think. I swear there isn't a person in my town that doesn't have polyps or diverticulosis... I've seen IT ALL!!

Colonscopies are difficult for people that are normal, even worse for us since we need help getting to the bathroom in time, but overall it's worth it for you health, I think. And it's only an opinion (mine and mine alone), but trust me. EVERYONE fears the dun, dun, dun....... C O L O N O S C O P Y!!!! mmmwwwwwaaaahhhhh.....

lol, later