Preparing for a Sigmoidoscopy

[SpideyMom]

Hi

Please can anyone advise on how I can prepare for my procedure next Wednesday?
I know I have to have an empty bowel and have been given something to to help that. Do I need to cut back on foods? Stop supplementing? Not eat on the day etc?

Basically my bowel habits have changed. From guaranteed every day to anything ranging from every other day to up to 5 days. The latter being the majority of the time. I also pass an awful lot of mucous. I've no idea why this has happened so hopefully this procedure will give me some answers.

TIA

Hi did you not get an information booklet about what to eat on each day. I had one last month and had a day by day guide come with the bowel prep stuff

@LikeTheFruit no I haven't. Ive just had a leaflet on what the procedure is

@LikeTheFruit also did it last long and was it uncomfortable?

I think you should have had an info leaflet. I definitely couldn't eat before mine (vaguely remember being able to only eat sweets but not red ones for some reason)

Probably worth ringing the hospital and asking.

Please be absolutely explicit that you don't want trainees or students involved. I had one that was very unpleasant and only discovered afterwards when I got the report that it was a trainee doing it. I wouldn't want anyone to go through the same experience.

@WeeDangerousSpike ok thank you I will once ive finished work.

I felt ok about it but now I am getting nervous

I wasn't allowed to eat from when I woke up until after the procedure, and had an enema on arrival at the hospital.

It feels a bit weird - basically like you really need to poo at times - but it's not painful or anything, and doesn't take very long. You can watch the screen if you like - I did, until I suddenly got the spins from realising it was my insides -or talk to the nurse, or just close your eyes.

You'll feel much better once they've had a good look, OP

You can still eat and drink with a flexible sigmoidoscopy; it's a colonoscopy when you have to avoid eating and drinking.
You usually have an enema prior to the procedure so if they haven't given you off to do yourself at home, then you'll be given one once you're admitted. Good luck x

*one

I dont know how I feel about being able to watch. I think it will make me feel abit funny. But also if I see something like a lump I know my mind will go into overdrive. When I have my physical examination it wasnt too bad, but it was when I felt like I needed to go. I felt very panicked that I would.

At first when things changed I convinced myself it must be bowel cancer. My health anxiety makes me jump to my biggest fear.

Since my appointment with the consultant at the start of May I have put it to the back of my mind, but my change in bowel habits does worry me really. Especially when I havent gone for days I feel an internal panic like what the hell is wrong with my body :-(

I dont know what I will do if the say something needs further investigation

Do you have an enema to do at home or will the nurse give you one at the hospital?
I had one without any anaesthetic last year and I found it very unpleasant but it wasn’t overly painful. I just really didn’t like being able to feel it going in my colon and when they pumped me full of air. The whole thing only took 5 mins though so just breathe deeply through it and it will be over before you know it

It depends on which bowel prep you get whether you can eat or drink. If you have home bowel prep ((like picolax or kleanprep) then there will be a diet to follow. What bowel prep do you have?

Mine only took 10 mins or so. I didn't have any sedation or Entonox (gas and air) as I wanted to watch (I'm a Doctor). It was a bit uncomfortable but not as bad as I was expecting. Just felt like I urgently needed to open bowels or pass wind when they turned a corner.

I am being given an enema a few hours before the procedure.

I dont like the feeling of the urgency to go. In my examination when I was having the air pumped in I was internally screaming oh god dont go now lol

Yeah I was worried I was going to have an embarrassing moment but it's just the air - spent the rest of the day farting like no bodies business. 😂😂

When I was farting after the procedure it kept feeling like i’d followed through. I’d rush to the toilet to check but it was just all the lube they had shoved up me during the procedure coming back out

I had a sigmoidoscopy a couple of weeks ago. The home enema was interesting. There was one point at which I thought I couldn't handle it but it was over really soon.

I usually have the full colonoscopy under general. That involves a week of no food.

If it does turn out to be serious don't panic. There are loads of us on here who have had bowel cancer and are here to tell the tale. Mine was in 2011.

Yes, the urgency to go after the enema is worrying me too. Probably why I have requested the hospital to do it. Does that cause cramps? I have before had boweln issues where the cramps have been horrific and brought me to tears. Could that be the case?

thank you for that @WeaselsRising and that's reassuring to hear.

There are only 2 main concerns for me, the severe constipation and chronic fatigue. My bloods are all within normal ranges apart from raised folates. I do have other symptoms but not in any great deal of pain. I keep reading about have having runny movements but i dont read anything on struggling to go

Have you had any courses of antibiotics before your symptoms started. I had H pylori eradication therapy (2 antibiotics and an antacid) one week course and my symptoms started after that. Lasted 18 months before getting back to normal - and had normal sigmoidoscopy so all good now.
Think of the test as a positive as at least you'll know one way or the other.

Yes absolutely. I will know one way or the other.

I started to change the way I ate. I wasn't cutting out, just cutting down. But still within healthy calories. I haven't been on any medication. It basically all started with me needing to go for a wee alot. Up to 8 times an hour and waking through the night. I had no pain or infection. I was severely bloated and uncomfortable, fatigue, pain and constipation. The constant urination made me push for the ovarian marker test. All clear. However my bloods were flagged and I had to see the doctor.
She said she was really baffled why I feel like I do when the bloods weren't giving anything away other than raised folates but was concerned about the chronic fatigue and the fact my bowel movements have become so difficult. It's been since January. I was hoping things would have settled by now.

I miss my daily poo lol. I panic when I dont wondering what's going on

Hope you get the answer soon!

Low fibre diet for about five days leading up to it.

Well I thought I was fine but now I'm sat here worrying myself silly. I actually feel sick.

I'm scared that it's going to be uncomfortable. Im scared of them telling me they see something unusual.

I'm now on day three of not being able to go. So that isn't helping at all

I think it’s normal to feel really anxious the first time you have a procedure like that done. Have you decided whether to go for sedation or not? If they do find anything then just remember that it means you will then be able to get the right treatment to get you better again. When I went for mine I was certain they would find something that indicated bowel cancer. They found absolutely nothing and I was diagnosed with bad IBS. Good luck and it will be over before you know it

@Ellabella989 may I ask what youy symptoms were/are?

I had stabbing stomach pains, mixture of either bad constipation for days on end or diarrhoea other weeks, nausea, really bad bloating, very gassy, a bit of blood when passing stools (turned out to be an internal pile), exhaustion and I was losing some weight.