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The Kitchen Table

Clairdo2, I had my colonoscopy and . . . .

16 years ago

. . . . the whole thing was a lot easier than I'd anticipated, so I thought I'd pass along what worked for me.

I chose the MiraLax prep on my DR's recommendation (my GYN nurse recommended it, too). The instructions said to mix it with Gatorade, but I was told I could use anything so I mixed it with 1/3 electrolyte water (Smart Water) and 2/3 apple juice. There was a total of a half-gallon to drink, and I drank it in two hours with no problem. It wasn't thick, and it tasted fine. It wasn't even refrigerated, as my fridge was still broken at that point.

The rest of the time I constantly drank white grape/peach juice diluted with Smart Water, alternating with hot broth. Looking for ways to add a little protein, I dissolved gelatin in broth a couple of times. Would have done it more often, but I only had two envelopes of gelatin.

I felt better and less hungry than I thought I would. By the end of the day I had major joint pain and weaknessÂcould barely make it up the stairs to bedÂbut that was my only complaint, really. I'm guessing it was related to my autoimmune issues. I got a good night's sleep, and my friend picked me up at 9:45 the next morning.

My appointment was for 10:30. Lot of preamble stuff, and then the procedure took place about an hour later. They used the anesthesia Diprivan, and it gets my vote! It's a general anesthesia, and I was fully asleep. I even had a nice dream. But when they were done I was awake and feeling fine. No hangover or blurry feeling. Best of all, no nausea, which I'm prone to with anesthesias. As soon as I was discharged I took my friend out to lunch.

Hope this was helpful. You'll do great.

Susan

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Comments (4)

golfergrrl
16 years ago
I had my second colonscopy on Wed. Piece of cake. The day before is not fun, but worth it since the test is so valuable. Colon cancer is called the "unseen" cancer. My mother's was growing for 7 years before she knew....and of course by then it was too late.
A colonscopy is a "must have" test.
clairdo2
16 years ago
Thank you both for the tips. Getiing mine on the 30th. Is jello ok to eat or is that considered solid food?
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My sides are splitting. I am sitting in my office with my hand clamped over my mouth and my stomach moving in and out trying to swallow the laughter. This is sooo funny. I had my first colonoscopy (hopefully my last) in the last year. Every word of this is true. Well, it's not just a tube they insert "up there" -- it's a camera!! I actually saw photos of the inside of my colon. Now that I think about it, I saw Katie Couric's, too. I never did drink all the yucky stuff. I figured when what was coming out looked exactly like what was going in, things were clean.
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I can't recall what the stuff I had to take was called, but I was given what I think was a gallon container and some powder to mix with water. I drank half of it, then waited a couple of hours and drank the rest. After all the horrible stories I'd heard, the prep wasn't as bad as I was expecting. Propofol is the anesthetic I was given and the only thing I remember about that is the anesthesiologist asking me if I felt it when he gave it to me. I replied that I didn't feel it but that I could taste it and that it had a strong chemical taste. Then it was lights out. The next thing I recall is the sound of people moving furniture waking me up. I was very annoyed that they would be so rude and make all the noise when peole were trying to sleep. A few seconds later, I realized that what I thought was furniture being moved, was my gurney/bed thingy being rolled into the recovery area. I think it was the wheels rolling on the floor that I had heard. It wasn't furniture that was being moved; it was me! Love Dave Barry. I used to read his column every week in the local paper, but when we moved, the paper was no longer available to me and I kind of forgot about him.
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sjerin, they cancelled mine because the liquid didn't do enough--I think it was the Golytely that I took the first time. I actually felt like it cleaned me out more than the pills but apparently not!! I figured something was up with the liquid when I got there and they wanted to do an X-ray first to see if it worked--apparently they have lots of problems with that at this hospital. I'm actually glad I didn't have it done at the first hospital--the X-ray tech was going to do the colonoscopy--not the doctor.
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Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers. Still feeling pretty good and was able to get out of bed without assistance this morning. Me and my daughter walked just a little bit outside yesterday and will do the same today. I saved up magazines and I'm reading a really good book, which helps with the down time.
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jannie
16 years ago
My husband has had three colonoscopies, his father died of colon cancer, ditto his maternal aunt. He needed re-checks because the first one found a small polyp, which they were able to remove easily. But you have to be careful. They told him he doesn't have to go back for another five years. Whoopee!
alisande
Original Author
16 years ago
Jello is allowed in any color but red. Red anything is a no-no. (Obviously, I used plain, unflavored gelatin in my broth.) :-)

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