Colonoscopy: The Details

Your Dr. schedules a colonoscopy with a surgeon or GI Guy who does a lot of those procedures. You are prescribed a strong laxative because you need a pretty clean colon so the doctor can examine the surface of the colon for polyps.

Doctors can detect and remove polyps as small as 1 CM.

So, the day before the procedure you take off work or you stay home. The laxative is usually in a gallon jug now, and you have to mix it. Many come with artificial flavoring and I recommend you choose a flavor you don't especially like but can tolerate because it will be some time before you drink that flavor again. Make it the day day before and refrigerate it so it is nice a cold when you begin to drink the laxative.

Drink it a glass at a time. The directions will every 20 minutes. You may have to slow down, I get sick if I drink it that fast. The important thing is to drink it all and you will have a very liquid diarrhea. In fact, some describe it as though they were peeing out of their butt. That means it is working and cleaning that colon.

Keep drinking water and be prepared to stay up a bit because some times the diarrhea continues for sometime after you've finished the laxative. That's OK.

You do have to fast, or just drink liquids, eat jello, or Popsicles the day you prep. However, your mind will be elsewhere.

The day of the procedure you show up, undress, put on a gown and are wheeled into a small colonscopy room. There are usually two attendants and the Dr. and you lay over on you left side to give the Dr. access to your butt. You have an I.V. in and one of the nurses gives you a little shot and it is called an amnesia drug. You don't remember anything but the Dr. can give you directions to move a little one way or another.

All of a sudden you come to as the Dr. is finishing up retracting the scope, you wonder if the test is over and are told yes. You are taken back to a recovery room.

Now one thing, the colon wants to collapse around the scope so they use air to inflate the colon so the Dr. can examine the surfaces thoroughly. So when you start to have these enormous farts, enjoy, man or woman it is the same and it feels so good to feel you tummy go down. Don't hold back. I've had so many colonoscopies I've want to record my recovery but always forget and am too far out of it anyway.

So get a colonoscopy, nothing to be afraid of unless you keep putting it off, then you are just kidding yourself. Better to know than not.