upcoming colonoscopy

[Karate777]

hi. I’ve suffered from i b s for years and recently had some stool tests that indicated inflammation in my bowel. Ive been referred for a colonoscopy in June and I’m very anxious about it as somebody mentioned that your bowel could be perforated. Also nervous about the preparation which sounds horrible. Any advice and reassurance would be welcome

[Bradstock]

Please don't worry. You will be offered mild sedation but you will remain awake.It is actually very interesting to watch the screen and see the journey of the scope through the bowel. I found all the staff very caring and helpful. Drinking the preparation and clearing the bowel beforehand isn't very pleasant but necessary. Do stick strictly to the times you are given.

[Karate777 in reply to Bradstock]

thanks

[Fed_well]

I had my first one 2 weeks ago and like yourself I was very anxious! Stay close to the loo and use wet wipes to clean, I also used Vaseline after each bowel movement. The procedure itself was fine and is over pretty quick and all the nurses were lovely.

[Karate777 in reply to Fed_well]

thanks

[SueCats]

I agree with the previous replies. Stay close to a toilet for the whole of the day that you take the preparation. It takes 1- 2 hours to start working, then you will be back and forth all day. Drink lots of clear fluids.The sedation means that you don't feel any discomfort during the procedure.

You will need someone to drive you home afterwards.

Good luck.

[gingertips]

I have the same procedure at the end of May - my test showed similar although only 112 when the normal is around 50 & usually around 200 is a very good indication of IBD (been suffering from IBS like symptoms for past 12 weeks & saw consultant for 1st time yesterday after being referred by my GP)

I have had a colonoscopy about 10 years ago & it was fine. The preparation is ok - I actually felt a lot better prior to the procedure, because my bowels were nice & empty!!! Best advice is stay at home the evening before/morning so that you dont have far to go!

Procedure was fine - the consultant was chatting to me whole way through, showing me the camera & explaining what was going on. Did I really want to know/see? Probably not. Did it help put me at ease? Yes, strangely enough, I would say it made me feel a lot calmer about an op that I wasn't looking forward to. I had opportunity to ask questions & get answers.

I dont want to go through the same again in a couple of weeks, but I know what to expect & the unknown is 95% of why you are feeling nervous.

As with any procedure there is always a risk, however small, of complications. Speak to your consultant and ask them the possible complications & the liklihood of each - they may have given you some literature which describes possible risks & the liklihood. Based on what the consultant laid out the risks to me, for what the person described to you, it was "a few in 1,000" & classed as "Uncommon". Always better to base facts from your medical expert & on data, than "someone who knows someone who knows someone."

I still get that awful thought, (even with the data to reassure you about how low the risk is) that "I could be that person who gets the complication". Also, with not really wanting to have the procedure, I am not prepared to let it worry me. I would rather know about any issues asap to rule out other things before I move onto a FODMAP diet for IBS (which Im not looking forward to either!)

Will update this thread once Ive been through it in 2 weeks time. In meantime, please do not worry - it literally is their day job & they know what they are doing.

[xjrs]

I've had 2 colonoscopies and the gastro conducting them was super careful. You are also sedated and you have a very kind nurse with you at all times. Also don't worry about the inflammation in the bowel. Even with inflammation, statistically your a far more likely to come back with an IBS diagnosis than anything else. This is what happened to me, even though my inflammation markers were sky high. Good luck.

[Oaks6 in reply to xjrs]

I’m interested that your inflammation markers were sky high, my ‘ faecal calprotectin ‘ levels were 589 and when I googled it ( I know I shouldn’t) it’s a good indicator of IBD rather than IBS. I see you think it’s more likely to be IBS ? My doc said before my test that from my description I’d got IBS. BTW I had a colonoscopy about 10 years ago and all was fine.

[xjrs in reply to Oaks6]

Mine was 327. There can be other reasons for having elevated calprotectin levels. I since found out that it has been scientifically proven that high protein, low carbohydrate, low fibre diets can cause inflammation in the body. The year before my calprotectin levels went high, they were perfectly normal. Between being normal and going high, I'd been put on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet by nutritional therapists to fight SIBO which they'd incorrectly diagnosed me with (there is no accurate test for it). So this all tied in with the research. That diet made me really ill and I'd lost loads of weight. Thank heavens I ended up seeing a good gastro on the NHS who properly diagnosed me with IBS-C with visceral hypersensitivity and got treatment for that.

[Oaks6 in reply to xjrs]

thanks for that info. I spoke to a pharmacist and she said the results aren’t a diagnosis. I’m still waiting for a hospital appointment to see the gastroenterologist ( thanks predictive texting ) but at the moment apparently there are huge delays in appointments. It is getting to me though having stomach gas and visits to the loo , usually at night or morning. I’m trying Busupan that a friend with IBS recommended. I don’t think it’s doing a great deal.

[xjrs in reply to Oaks6]

The thing that has been a game changer for me with my IBS, is Alflorex probiotic which has been scientifically studied for IBS. With it I have been able to eat a much wider range of foods. Many people's IBS is down to a gut bacterial imbalance. I've taken many probiotics over the years, but this has far been the best for me.

[Oaks6 in reply to xjrs]

thanks for that. I’ve found it on Amazon, it’s quite expensive, 73p per capsule 💊

[xjrs in reply to Oaks6]

Yes. It is expensive. You can get it direct from the manufacturer on their own website too. It works out cheaper to get a 3 month trial run of it:

precisionbiotics.co.uk/alfl...

OR you can subscribe and save, too:

precisionbiotics.co.uk/alfl...

They occasionally have offers on, so maybe you could try one pot of it then.

It's one thing that I would give up other things for, since it has given me my life back.

This so needs to be available on prescription such that more people could benefit. It is archaic the way that the medical profession leans on prescribing drugs (though obviously useful in their own right). This one would come out well in cost-benefit analysis for IBS sufferers (i.e. reduced repeat trips to the GP, reduced referrals to gastros, multiple colonoscopies over a life time etc.).

[Oaks6 in reply to xjrs]

thanks so much, it’s really helpful as I’ve got no contact with hospital so far. I’ll check them out.

Thanks again 😊

[running80]

Try not to worry. I had my first colonoscopy in Jan, having been urgently referred through the bowel cancer pathway, so at least I only had a 2 week wait (and which I spent 10 days of ill with covid). The waiting on the unknown is the worst. The prep is tiring and stay near the toilet, you dont gwt much warning before needing to go once it starts to work. I had picolax, which was 3 sachets 4 hours apart. Only 150mls each time, so I mixed it up, put in the fridge and then downed it and followed it by a large glass of squash. The cold seems to make it taste better and also use a straw if you can. Again, it makes it easier to drink. Drink at least 500mls every hour, as you will get dehydrated. In total I drank about 7 litres on prep day, and still felt thirsty! The procedure itself was fine, nurses were lovely and the endoscopist explained everything and you can see everything on the screen. I had sedation but you are awake through it all, and able to talk and follow instructions. You will need someone to collect you, and my hospital insisted that person came to the ward, so no chance of seeking out. We did discover that sedation drops my heart rate and blood pressure really low, so I'll be aware for next time

I got the results on the day which I didn't realise, which is also nice, although biopsy results take longer. I was super lucky that I had multiple polyps removed and all have come back as pre cancerous. Size and type have put me at very high risk of developing bowel cancer, so I have to go back in 3 years for another colonoscopy. Having had one, most of my worry has been allayed. The worst part is actually getting your bowels to work normally again. Took me about a month before it settled .

I'll keep everything crossed that it all goes well, and feel free to ask any questions.

[Gerade]

I have the perciger fine I had some relax Madison don't get anxious worst part is drinking all the stuff before hand

[bburzycki]

Prep is not amazing for sure. But it is totally doable. I have had 2 upper and 2 lower so far and I am not ever 50. No side effects from either other than some gas pain that passes and being drousey from the sedation.

In the end the answers are important and it is the best way to find out and rule out things that might be going on.

The prep they gave me this last time was better than my first time. But the secret to this is drink it cold. And chase each sip with a sip of ginger ale that is also cold while drinking the prep with a straw. It helps a lot. Just know drinking as much water as possible is key to making it much easier and not having to do it all again when your not cleaned out.

[gingertips]

Morning! So day after my colonoscopy & OGD & said I would update you how it went

Dont remember much at all about the procedure - I certainly dont remember anything about the camera down my throat, so Im assuming I was asleep throughout (not spoken to consultant after op - he was maxed out doing these!)

The colonoscopy did become painful - I think it woke me up! The nurses gave me gas and air and i was fine in less than a minute. managed to watch a bit of the camera & engage with the consultant and nurses, but cannot remember anything about the conversation.

They did say prior to giving me sedative that it was likely i wouldnt remember anything, but its weird not remembering anything - I wasnt looking forward to the camera down throat, but I simply dont recall anything - which is a good thing!

Up and dressed & discharged after a sandwich and cup of tea (something Ive not had in almost 4 months!). felt groggy last night & told not to drive or sign anything today since i may still be under influence of sedative.

Ate last night - my stomach has been gurgling heavily since 4am & Im sure thats to be expected after an empty bowel.

the preparation was ok. I wouldnt want to go through it every day, the one I had tasted really strong lemon sherbet type taste. Its a little gloopy and tastes strong & it isnt pleasant, but with the stomach/bowel pains i get, I would do anything to find out a little bit more.

The 1st glass is 100% the worst & I put the jug in the fridge, so just as bburzycki says, as it got cooler it was easier to drink. I did add a little diluted orange squash, but it did nothing to mask the taste - youre better off putting it in fridge to cool it a little.

The 6pm prep, I drank it over 3 largish glasses every 15 mins, so had drunk it all by 6.30 & also had another 0.5-1 litre of water after to help keep hydrated. I then drank a full glass of water every hour until I went to bed. It took about 2.5 hours for movements to start, but they do say it can happen anytime, so staying at home is 100% advisable! Bowel movements would come on quickly & I went to the loo about 6 times I think. Again, its not great, but it was a means to an end. Finished going to toilet around 9pm i think.

Overnight, no problems. Woke up at 5.30, needed to go straight to the (by now its all liquid!) had the 2nd preparation at 6am over 3 glasses again. This time started going to toilet almost immediately & a lot more frequently, so would advise you dont book any meetings etc for that one. Was all done by 8.30 I think. Best description for the morning is its like weeing out of your bottom (not a trickle - a gush!)

Its now 5.30am on the morning after the procedure, my movement was liquid again this morning which I expected. My tummy is doing the fandango - again, I expected something like this due to the bloating etc caused by the air, but the IBS like symptoms in the past have been MUCH worse, so I can cope easily with a rumbling stomach & some bloating. I had something else to eat after I came home & probably didnt need & probably my own fault for overeating, so I'd probably recommend you eat as light as you can after & in the evening. I never felt hungry at all yesterday until I got home. Aside from that I feel fine.

For me Im now seeing consultant in 2 weeks for results of biopsys etc and advice for next steps. He has written on my form that theres multiple diverticulum in sigmoid colon - done a bit of reading on that, so will now stick with low fibre diet as I have been for past 4 weeks until Ive seen him to get his advice.

Please dont worry - It was a lot easier than I imagined & would say you have nothing to worry about - Ive had worse surgery & tests!

[Karate777 in reply to gingertips]

thanks for help and advice

[Oaks6 in reply to gingertips]

I was just randomly reading your experience with your procedure. I had an endoscopy procedure and I don’t remember anything apart from having my throat sprayed and a plastic thing put in my mouth. A friend of mine has a member of his family who has knowledge of the sedatives that are given at the procedures and apparently it erases your memory for that period of time. Next thing I knew it was over. On my discharge notes it said “ patient was awake “ could have fooled me !