Colonoscopy Doctor
conandrob240 said:
I just meant that after all this time, I would have hoped they could come up with an easier way to test it. Sending a camera up there, being knocked out and after going through a period or extreme discomfort with the "prep"- I would have hoped there could be something a little less invasive.
I don't like medication. I don't want to take an anti-anxiety or be knocked out. That's more of my issue than the procedure itself that's why I was asking about being awake. I wonder if that puts you at higher risk for things like perforations?
I understand the value of the test, I really do. I am not questioning that. Just 1) wishing there was a better way and 2) wondering if the being knocked out part was 100% necessary.
It is exactly the invasiveness that could save your life (and possibly saved my father's, given the growth was paper-thin flat and wedged between two folds, completely unseen from an MRI). Anyhoo, I'll echo ffof's wise advice.
Well, I don't need one yet thank goodness but anticipating with some questions since the thread was started.
+1 for Dr. Barrison at Summit Medical Group. The anesthesia really is a non-event; the very worst thing about the procedure is the prep (and that still shouldn't stop anyone from having it done -- it really is an important screening). I can't take the usual prep liquid, so they let me do Miralax in Gatorade, and it evidently works just as well, just FYI.
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
Hummmm. Not sure about that one. I have heard of people having to have a second scope done because they weren't "cleaned out" enough. Not saying you're wrong but it doesn't seem worth it for so little reward.
GGartrell said:
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
Hummmm. Not sure about that one. I have heard of people having to have a second scope done because they weren't "cleaned out" enough. Not saying you're wrong but it doesn't seem worth it for so little reward.
Ugh. This happened to a friend of mine last month -- she found out after they woke her up that the procedure was "incomplete" and she had to schedule another one.
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
I didn't start my liquid diet on schedule. As a result, there was still sh*t in my system when they did the colonoscopy. They couldn't see well enough, and I had to do it again. I think you're safer following instructions properly.
Tom_Reingold said:
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
I didn't start my liquid diet on schedule. As a result, there was still sh*t in my system when they did the colonoscopy. They couldn't see well enough, and I had to do it again. I think you're safer following instructions properly.
Of course if safer to follow directions. One thing that doesn't track is the prep not being based on weight, so a 100 lb person needs the same prep as a 225 lb one. It would seem if you have a smaller area to clean out,a lesser amt would be required.I have them every year and while its not something I look forward to, other than the Michael Jackson milk, I know its for the greater good and is a lifesaver.Alternately, like a very good friend of mine had done due to severe UC, you can have your "entire"large intestines removed and never have to worry about the prep again. No colon = no prep. Wasn't being snarky just giving a different perspective.
I have not had one (yet) and the prep sounds daunting. How close do you have to stay to a restroom during the prep phase? Do you need to plan to be at home for a few days?
peteglider said:
my doc recommended Paul Lerer, at Overlook -- any feedback?
I've used him two or three times. He seems fine.
muppet said:
I have not had one (yet) and the prep sounds daunting. How close do you have to stay to a restroom during the prep phase? Do you need to plan to be at home for a few days?
You need to be very close -- and basically you start the day before in the afternoon.
Just the day prior.
The prep isn't really daunting. You just have to drink large amounts of liquid that doesn't taste particularly good.
muppet said:
I have not had one (yet) and the prep sounds daunting. How close do you have to stay to a restroom during the prep phase? Do you need to plan to be at home for a few days?
The prep, as others have mentioned, has improved and is not nearly as difficult (IMHO) as it has been in the past. I have to do this frequently due to family history, and I no longer find it such a big deal. The need to be near your home bathroom is limited to the day prior (and really just the late afternoon/evening prior). The Michael Jackson sleep aid is lovely indeed.
I see Roger Klein at SMG and have no complaints at all. The SMG system is very smooth and feels very safe & attentive.
georgieboy said:
Tom_Reingold said:
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
I didn't start my liquid diet on schedule. As a result, there was still sh*t in my system when they did the colonoscopy. They couldn't see well enough, and I had to do it again. I think you're safer following instructions properly.
Of course if safer to follow directions. One thing that doesn't track is the prep not being based on weight, so a 100 lb person needs the same prep as a 225 lb one. It would seem if you have a smaller area to clean out,a lesser amt would be required.I have them every year and while its not something I look forward to, other than the Michael Jackson milk, I know its for the greater good and is a lifesaver.Alternately, like a very good friend of mine had done due to severe UC, you can have your "entire"large intestines removed and never have to worry about the prep again. No colon = no prep. Wasn't being snarky just giving a different perspective.
Ah, good point. I didn't finish it. But they told me that's okay because they do the final sweep. Maybe because I am not a large person, whatever I did was enough.
muppet said:
I have not had one (yet) and the prep sounds daunting. How close do you have to stay to a restroom during the prep phase? Do you need to plan to be at home for a few days?
Had mine a couple months ago and the prep was nothing much. One bottle of Surprep mixed with water and then 16 ounces more water. Had to do that twice. No food for a day and a half before. The mixture taste like diet grape Fanta. It took hold in about 20 minutes after i finished the water and the first bottle. I wouldn't have wanted to be more than a flight of steps from the toilet during the cleansing. Fortunately we have bathrooms on all three floors. The last couple hours of the evacuation was like battery acid though. That was the worst part for me. Found out Prep H wipes were the solution but way too late. If i had known how easy it was going to be I wouldn't have worried about it at all. The Doc removed 2 precancerous pollips. Took them both cold so I was up and on my way maybe 20 minutes after I woke up. Gotta go back in 3 years instead of 5 but such is life.
georgieboy said:
Tom_Reingold said:
shoshannah said:
BTW, you can cheat a little on the prep. They vacuum you out when you get there.
I didn't start my liquid diet on schedule. As a result, there was still sh*t in my system when they did the colonoscopy. They couldn't see well enough, and I had to do it again. I think you're safer following instructions properly.
Of course if safer to follow directions. One thing that doesn't track is the prep not being based on weight, so a 100 lb person needs the same prep as a 225 lb one. It would seem if you have a smaller area to clean out,a lesser amt would be required.I have them every year and while its not something I look forward to, other than the Michael Jackson milk, I know its for the greater good and is a lifesaver.Alternately, like a very good friend of mine had done due to severe UC, you can have your "entire"large intestines removed and never have to worry about the prep again. No colon = no prep. Wasn't being snarky just giving a different perspective.
Perhaps its like aspirin or Tylenol where an average dose covers the vast majority of people?
It is best to schedule these early in the morning to minimize fasting.
Come to think of it, the fasting was much more annoying for me than the drinking of foul stuff and the sh*tting. I seem to have a high metabolic rate. I eat more than most people do, and if I don't eat three or four meals a day, it's very uncomfortable for me. But of course, this varies from person to person. If I remember right, the worst thing for my wife was the flavor of that drinking cr*p. I don't like it, but I don't find it to be totally vile.
And just to clarify, the prep doesn't involve actual fasting; it's just that all you can consume is clear liquids (broth, some Jell-o's, some juices). It's not a lot, but it's not complete deprivation.
I highly recommend Dr. William Sloan at Affiliates in Gastroenterology in W.O. He is extremely down to earth, kind, reassuring and knowledgeable. I had to have both an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy which were done at their Florham Park endoscopy center.
@conandrob - the sedation comes on so quickly there's really no time to be nervous. You're wheeled into the procedure room, you're talking to the nurse and doctor and the next thing you know you're waking up in the recovery room.
val said:
And just to clarify, the prep doesn't involve actual fasting; it's just that all you can consume is clear liquids (broth, some Jell-o's, some juices). It's not a lot, but it's not complete deprivation.
That's a fast, so far as I am concerned.
LivingLarge said:
val said:
And just to clarify, the prep doesn't involve actual fasting; it's just that all you can consume is clear liquids (broth, some Jell-o's, some juices). It's not a lot, but it's not complete deprivation.
That's a fast, so far as I am concerned.
+1. Any day without meat is a fast.
i'm starting the prep for mine tonight 
i really dont want to be doing this .........................
I don't necessarily eat meat every day, but I also consider the clear liquids restriction to be close enough to a fast. It's hard to endure.
it's only 24 hours isn't it? That part of it seems the simple part.
well the prep doesnt seem to be working for me... i drank the first packet as prescribed at 6pm and nothing yet ..........
seaweed said:
well the prep doesnt seem to be working for me... i drank the first packet as prescribed at 6pm and nothing yet ..........
Excellent. We were all hoping for a play-by-play. Are you tweeting this?
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I love the twilight sleep, but they give you less for a colonoscopy than for an endoscopy--you'd probably choke if you woke up during an endoscopy. You might be uncomfortable if you woke up during the colonoscopy, but you'd be okay. I was... The doctor and staff yelled, "don't move!" I said, "Don't worry!"
Uncomfortable but not that big of a deal.