Colonoscopy

[Strawberry]

:( I've got to have a colonoscopy at the end of the month and I'm supposed to drink a gallon of stuff the day before to clean out. Have any of you had to do this and did the laxative hurt your bladder? I don't want a flare-up, should I cancel? Just chicken I guess :rolleyes: Please post an answer soon:pray: Strawberry

[hopeful]

Right there with ya!!!! Ive had two sched. and cx both. I was sick for one and the other I was having a hard time with the prep. only liquids because of my hypoglycimia. I went back to my doc and he said I have to go, so I waiting for my appt. I guess Im nervous too. Our IC will prob flare because of being limited to what liquids we can have. well maybe not you but for me I have to keep sugar stuff on had which in my case would be juice so Ill prob just try to stick with Pear juice. I hear ya though Im in the same boat. We will get through it though. Keep me posted. when is your sched? love hopeful

[ICNDonna]

I had my colonoscopy on June 4th. I managed to make it through the gallon of liquid --- not an easy task and not something I look forward to doing again, but I made it! The procedure was not bad at all and took only a few minutes. I'm also hypoglycemic, but since I didn't have anything at all to eat or drink, my blood sugar level stayed pretty level for the day with clear liquids and the morning with nothing by mouth.

I will tell you, however, to stay close to the bathroom while you do your drinking. I started drinking at noon and finished about 3:00 pm by chugging an 8-ounce glass every ten minutes.

I don't envy you, but it's one of those necessary evils. They did find a polyp during mine --- thankfully not malignant.

Sending encouraging hugs,
Donna

[Strawberry]

Thanks for the replies. My test is the last wed. of this month, so on the last tuesday I will be drinking the gallon. I don't know how I can hold that much. But I guess I will have to try if it won't hurt my bladder. Anyone else that has had it please join in and let those of us who are waiting know what it was like for you.:)
Strawberry

[Iris]

Hi, I had a colonoscopy just a couple of months after I had my cysto/hydro, and the worst part of it, was drinking the yukky stuff beforehand. I am also hypoglycemic, so was worried about that , but I was O.K. Like Donna advised, priority to stay close to a bathroom after having the stuff to drink. My bladder did O.K. through all of it. Good luck and keep us posted as to how you do, hugs Iris.:hi: :flower:

[Katrina]

I probably have had more than could ever be seen as fair....but they were needed....the hardest part of the prep was how weak it makes me. I do think the test itself has been major hell.....I am suspecting this is diagnostic not a check up....that being the case if something is wrong it may be very very painful........and if you bladder is always is pain than it may hurt your bladder too. I have requested to be put under for each one.....they have always been fine with that request. There are some things that have stung my bladder for a second with other tests.... but not the laxative.

I hope your test goes well

Take Care

[yvette]

I just had a colonoscopy a week ago and I had to prepare the night before with clear liquids and two 1.5oz bottles of phospho-soda. I had to start at 4pm with one bottle of the stuff with at LEAST 24 oz liquid then repeat at 8pm with the other bottle and another minimal 24 oz.......I ALSO fasted 24 hours prior so there wouldn't be that much to......well...not much to poop out. I finished my last glass of liquid (water) by 11:30pm and was all *cleaned out* for my colonoscopy for 8:30 am the next morning. And I agree with Donna....be VERY close to the bathroom....:toosh:

All in all it wasn't too bad, the frequency was there but that's how it woud be for anyone else too...

I have done the X-Prep II kit in the past....man alive!!! I think I lost a few internal organs along the way!!!! :dizzy:

Hope that helps you some. :)

[Strawberry]

My colonoscopy is next wednesday. :yikes: I have to drink 4 liters of something called Colyte on tuesday. Don't know how I can get that much liquid down. :dizzy: Any of you had to do this? Please reply, I'm getting worried :(

[ICNDonna]

I wondered the same thing, but what happens is that the stuff goes scooting right through your system. They way I did it was to park myself near the bathroom (important because when it works it works! ) and I chugged an 8 ounce glass every ten minutes. It's not particularly fun, but you'll make it. Once the last of the liquid goes down it only takes about three hours for it to be out of your system.

:toilet:
Donna

[Britgal]

Hi, yes I have experienced a colonoscopy, and I am totally with Donna on this one, do park near the bathroom. When that stuff starts to work, its get out of my way everyone I need the bathroom now! Good luck, will be thinking about you, hugs Iris. :yikes: :toilet: :flower:

[bigdog31]

Strawberry:

The first thing that I need to say is that you need to get a huge carton of the softest toilet tissue that you can afford. This is no time to run short of toilet paper, and once you start, you will have no chance to run out to get more!

You can make this much easier on yourself by eating very lightly for several days beforehand, and this will reduce the amount of food that needs to be purged from your system. Don't load-up on anything in anticipation of going without food for 12+ hours; it will just make things worse as you will have to keep drinking more of the gooky stuff to clean out your guts.

If you eat lightly, then it will be purged much sooner and you will need to drink less of the stuff to get to the point of clear bowel movements. Once you have had a completely clean movement, then you don't have to keep chugging down the last quart or two. It worked well for me, since I had become unable to hold down the last quart and a half. So, don't wait till the last moment to start eating clear stuff; start doing it several days early.

Do NOT cheat by adding your own flavorings to the gooky stuff, as anything that you use will leave colored residues that will confuse the doc during the exam and could well cause him to cancel the procedure due to your non-compliance with the preparation protocol.

Some versions of the gooky stuff are sold with a set of safe color-free flavorings, so be sure to ask the pharmacist which ones are available. You need to take your script to a large pharmacy that is more likely to have a larger selection. Don't just get the default generic pineapple-flavored junk; no one in Hawaii drinks that much pineapple anything in a month!

While the flavoring envelopes are intended for flavoring the whole gallon jug, you might consider making a quart of each flavor so you won't get so tired of drinking a single flavor, as I did when I had to drink nearly three quarts of a weak pineapple flavored solution five years ago.

As for drinking techniques, I suggest the following:

a) Never use a glass that you might drop and break, as you will no time to clean up the mess while you await the next emergency trip to the potty

b) Place the drinking cup over the first inch of your tongue and drink it quickly, so it won't wear out your taste buds. Never sip the stuff, or you will get sick of it too soon and puke.

c) Have a quart of plain ice cold water and another drinking cup ready to use to rinse out your mouth after each chug of gooky stuff. This helped me tremendously.

d) Keep your containers of gook in a ice-filled cooler at all times and pour from it as needed. It helps to keep the stuff as cold as possible, as it helps to keep the taste buds numb. Keep the cooler in the bathroom and don't think that you will be able to run to the refrigerator to get another refill.

e) If you live in a single-bath house, then you will need to get everyone out of the house for the night. You will need exclusive access to the potty as you will be experiencing one emergency after another as you drink the stuff. No one can help you with any of this, anyway, so it helps to have everyone out of the house.

If you are unable to hold down enough of the gooky stuff to do the job (and some are simply unable to do so), then you will need to enlist the help of a certified colon hydrotherapist who uses the "Libbe" system.

The Libbe system is an open system, which would be much better than going to a hydrotherapist that uses the older closed system. The Libbe system would allow you to freely empty your bladder while the system gently cleans your lower intestinal tract with filtered water. The closed system would require that your procedure be interrupted prematurely and be disconnected in order for you to make a potty trip, and then be reconnected to resume the procedure.

You should look for a Libbe provider in your area by looking at this link to the International Association of Colon Therapists for a referral: www.i-act.org ,or by using google to search for "libbe +hydrotherapist +[your city or state]". Many providers have a website that offer detailed information about the Libbe procedure. If you are unable to locate the information that you need, then PM me for specific links for someone in your area. If your doctor prescribes the colon hydrotherapy procedure as part of your prep, then you may be able to receive reimbursement from your health plan.

It is a mystery to me as to why none of the doctors or outpatient facilities where colonoscopies are performed do not have the Libbe systems there; it seems to be a much more civilized way to get cleaned out than to drink a gallon of gooky crap. The primary thing to understand is that all of this preparation is for the convenience of the doctor, not you, the patient.

The final advice is that after the procedure, DO NOT go out and load up on food again! You need to take some acidophilus to help rebalance your intestines, and probably have some Gatorade on hand, too, to restore your electrolytes. A totally cleaned gut can take many days to get restarted again, so do not use the same harsh laxative that you were told to take during the prep to induce renewal of your bowel movements. Get specific guidance in writing from your doctor's office about post-op, too. Be sure you get the name of his nurse who can answer your calls more quickly in case of problems.


:dogrun:

[Strawberry]

:) Thank you Bigdog for your reply. That advice will help me alot I'm sure. I know I could never drink the whole 4 liters so it's good to know that if I eat lightly maybe I won't have to drink as much. And I'll be careful about what I eat after. I guess I'll lose weight though and unexplained weight loss is why I'm having the test. Oh well. Thanks again.

Strawberry :toilet:

[ICNDonna]

Strawberry, it is extremely important to follow the instructions of your physician to prepare for a colonoscopy. The prep is so that the entire colon can be viewed.

The solutions do come in flavors. The one I drank had a slight orange flavor to it. The instructions that came with the powder said to mix it and then chill it thoroughly before drinking. I kept mine in the refrigerator until I started drinking it, then took it to the bathroom to finish.

Part of my preparation was a clear liquid diet beginning the night before drinking the solution --- and I started drinking it at noon. It was out of my system by about 7:30 pm, at which time I was more than happy to go to bed and sleep. The following morning I was NPO (meaning nothing by mouth) until after the colonoscopy.

The recommendation was for soft foods for the first day. I didn't have any problems at all afterwards. It was a couple of days before the first BM, but that was just because there wasn't anything there to get rid of.

You will be able to drink it all --- it goes through so rapidly that you don't have that much liquid in your system all at once. And if you don't drink it all, you may have to go back to the beginning if your colon isn't clearly visible.

Sending encouraging hugs,
Donna

[Strawberry]

Thank you Donna for your reply :) it's good to hear this stuff from people that have done it before. When it is over I'll let you all know how it went. I hope it will be a :) and not a :yikes:

Strawberry :toilet:

[bigdog31]

Strawberry:

There is another issue that you need to tend to first thing Monday morning! You need to contact the doctor or his head nurse and find out what they plan to use as sedatives for your upcoming procedure.

I have had a number of procedures in the past five years, and I can vouch for the efficacy of Versed, which did not cause any bladder problems. In the other procedures, some other sedative was used and I had incredible bladder pain problems for days.

They may give you several things, including Novocaine. You should avoid this, as it contains epinephrine which might set your bladder on fire and create a huge need to empty your bladder constantly during the procedure.

Because you will be sedated, you will be unable to drink any fluids during the procedure to help drench the flare, and I am pretty sure that they are not going to let you get up to go potty whenever you feel like it. You might consider being catheterized if this is going to be a problem anyway, regardless of the choice of sedatives.

You need to alert the doctor about this, so he can select sedatives that will not bother your bladder. It is very likely that he has never operated on a patient with IC, thus it is likley that he has no idea of what to do. He may positively state that he doesn't think that the choice of sedatives will be a problem, but in reality, he means that he has no effing idea of what you are talking about, thus it is not a problem... for him. The doctor's blatant ignorance of IC is not a substitute for intelligence.

You may need to enlist the help of your urologist to help inform the other doc of what IC is and what aggravates the condition. I'm assuming that your uro actually knows something about IC, by the way. Call his head nurse early Monday morning and get the ball rolling on the matter.

The doc that is performing the colonoscopy may have done it a million times doing it his way, including arbitrarily using certain sedatives. You need to inform him of your problem now, so he can have some alternatives on hand before your procedure starts. Not every doc or facility has everything on hand, so get started on making the phone calls as soon as possible!

:dogrun:

[Strawberry]

I found out it is Versed :) so hopefully my bladder will be fine. Thanks,

Strawberry

[ICNDonna]

Versed is usually what is used for a colonoscopy. One of the questions I was asked before the procedure was whether versed is a problem for me. You'll do fine. After the procedure, I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just let me get up immediately --- I felt just fine --- but the nurse said if he let me get up I would fall flat on my face so I needed to lay there for about a half hour. Then I was helped to sit up on the edge of the bed and less than another half hour later I was on my way home --- even though I had a polyp removed. Believe me --- the preparation and drinking the gallon --- is the worst part of it.

Donna

[Strawberry]

:) The colonoscopy is over and everything went alright :woohoo: It wasn't fun but it wasn't as bad as I thought either. Takes two days of your life though, one spent very close to the tolite and one just out of it. Thank you all for your words of advice :bow:

Strawberry :toilet:

[jobobbi]

i have had 4 colonoscopies and had to drink the colilite. its nasty but i didn't have to drink the whole gallon as long as you drink it quick then once you have clear fluid coming out then your good. the faster the better and stay by the bathroom, but my bladder was fine each time. bobbi

[gypsyjoy]

I had a colonoscopy one week and the following week a barium enema. Not much of a party. And yes, my bladder was screaming.
Joy