Referred for a colonoscopy

[KittyScratch]

I wasn't feeling well last month and the same happened again this month. The doctor feels the issues I'm experiencing is gut related because the pain was over the colon when she pressed on my tummy. She is due to get in touch with the hospital and she is referring me to the outpatients department for a colonoscopy. I don't need to worry about it yet. I'm in the public system and there will be a wait involved.

I did a search for colonoscopy. Reading about it, apparently the preparation for the procedure is supposed to be horrendous. Laxative drinks are supposed to be used followed by moving into a bathroom and sitting on the toilet for a few hours.

I'm not worried about the procedure itself. It is the preping that I'm not looking forward to.

You see I had some monthly periods where I had never ending tummy cramps for days and only a poo will ease the cramps and then it happens all over again. Basically there has been times when I was going to the toilet every hour or more for days. In the end my bum was so sore because there was nothing else to come out.
Will the prepping be like this?

Is there any way I can make this easier and quicker to pass? If I was to eat a clean and bland diet 3 or 4 days before the prepping will that help?

I want the prepping part to go smoothly and most importantly quickly. I just want it to come and go and pass within an hour or two. I don't want to loose sleep sitting on a toilet.

Just wondering if anyone here has experience of prepping and the colonoscopy procedure?

What happens if it coincides with a period? Would I have to wear a tampon? I usually wear pads. I don't like the idea of a menstrual cup.

I just went through the same procedure and honestly it wasn't too bad. The drink tastes a bit yuk so have some lemonade ready to swallow afterwards. Its also much better if you drink it from the fridge rather than at room temperature. Stay near a toilet and have some sudocrem handy in case you get sore. Good luck

Sorry just seen second post. I dont know but i doubt they would do the procedure if you were menstruating

Aww bless I have regular colonoscopy and to be honest in the days before I have a white diet so nothing with dye on or sauces. The prep is yuck and to be honest it’s the second lot of the drink that will make you go. Be prepared to spend most of your night on and off the toilet. Have some sort of Vaseline or cream handy as you’ll need it. Good luck

Oh and if your on your period it’s fine but they’ll make you use a pad. It’s happened to me on a few occasions now.

I have regular colonoscopies (family history of bowel cancer).

The hospital I attend gives you a schedule to gradually empty your bowel. It starts a few days before, with reducing fibre containing foods, then you move to foods with no bits in at all, such as yogurt, ice cream, drinks etc. Then the day before the procedure, you move to clear liquids. On the day, you can’t eat or drink anything. By the time you take the laxative there should be very little in your bowel. You certainly shouldn’t be on the toilet for hours, though the urge to go may be frequent.

This means the bowel is clean and empty at the time of the procedure, which makes it easier to see if there are any issues.

It's not nice but you'll get through it
You are supposed to go on a low residue diet for a week beforehand, then take the klean prep and fast until after the procedure.

The klean prep is foul. Absolutely foul. The diarrhoea is horrendous I'm not going to lie but only for a few hours. Do not stray more than a minute from a loo. Use some cream before it starts rather than waiting until you are sore. Wash not dry wipe and pat dry.

The procedure itself is fine. You can have either sedation or gas and air. I chose gas and air and watched the screen as the probe pipe camera thing went up. It was quite interesting.

Thank you for all of your replies. I'm not particularly worried about the procedure itself. It will be another few more weeks or months away so there's no point worrying about it.

I'm not very keen on what I'm reading on the prepping part for the day before. I'm the idea of being sore, sitting on a toilet.

I'vegotasong...

I have a high pain threshold. I think I would like to opt without sedation and look around and look at the screen too. I think I might find it fascinating. I would like to think I would be able to get back to doing normal things without sedation. I don't want to feel groggy for a few days.

The worst bit is the taste of the drink! Two days before just eat bland food, they will give you a list (white bread, white rice, chicken, weirdly Madeira cake was on the list - think children’s party food), the the day before you drink the powder. The toilet isn’t that bad, it’s very liquid, so you’ll only be sore if you wipe aggressively. You’ll only be sedated during the procedure, you’ll be aware of everything, but it won’t hurt and it wears of nearly immediately so you won’t be groggy - just starving! It’s honestly nothing to worry about.

Oh, and you can see the screen and be aware of everything that’s happening, is just like taking a painkiller.

Place marking

I have just had the same procedure and thought the pre-procedure would be awful. A friend advised me to have very light meals for two days before taking the laxative.. Clear soups, ice cream and the like. Although the stuff tastes vile , the after effects were nowhere as bad as I had feared.

It is very important to do this, as a woman waiting with me, said this was her second attempt as her bowel prep was insufficient.

The colonoscopy was also not as bad as I thought. Good luck.

I have regular colonoscopies due to my history of cancer.

The klean prep / picolax is foul. Sorry.

I have them twice yearly and you cannot be more than a few metres from the loo as you'll need to go urgently, many times through out the day. Normally over a few hours. And pardon the pun, it's quite explosive. So make sure you have plenty of loo roll. Cream for your bum as it can get sore. I had to do klean prep yesterday and I'm still feeling the effects today but I was quite blocked up! It depends how much you have in your tummy but you really need to be within reaching distance of a loo for a good few hours at least.

Make sure you put the drink in the fridge or put ice in as it's a tiny bit more palatable cold. Drink plenty of water as it can dehydrate you.

The procedure is minimal. I have sedation I've never had it awake though.

Thank you so much for all of the replies.

I hope you start feeling better soon Dandy.

Florentina1, thank you for your reply. I will definitely start a diet of bland foods in advance of the laxative and then softer foods like clear soup, jelly, ice cream before taking the medications they give me.

Would custard be allowed? I love custard.

Im not worried about it just yet and it's going to be a few more months away do I will put it to the back of my mind for now. Hopefully the prep won't be too bad.

Thanks for all the tips about having the solution cold. I will remember this. Is the solution made by adding water? Can bottle water be added? A bottle of water chilled in the freezer would be lovely.

So what happens from here by the way? Am I sent a package in the mail with an appointment along with the medication/laxative or how does it work?

Usually they’ll send you an appointment and guidance. You then get the laxative from the pharmacy.

Sorry.

I had mine two weeks ago. The worst part of the preparation was the very rigid diet. You can't have any high fibre foods (nuts, vegetables, fruits, chips, crisps etc etc etc) two or three days before the procedure and then you literally have to starve for over 24 hours and be on a liquid diet. I was ravenous.

The colonoscopy wasn't bad at all. It was a breeze. I had sedation which I don't think did anything but I guess maybe that's the point? When I did first go to get my colonoscopy, I did have a panic attack and froze, the setting felt very alien and just seeing my bum on screen was just like.....but I pulled through.

I thought the laxatives tasted ok- it's more like sweetened salt. not bad. I didn't go toilet THAT often but that was probably because I started on the restricted diet earlier than I was suppose to.

I mixed the prep with squash and drank it through a straw -barely tasted it

But my word I was hungry after

I spent 12 hours on the loo (or hovering around the loo) but I was massively constipated-which was the reason for the colonoscopy

I'd heard all the horror stories about the prep but it wasn't that bad -I needed to go lots, but it just felt like I needed to go to the loo, I didn't have lots of cramps or anything

It's a powder which you add water to. :)

I just Chuck a load of ice cubes in. Or you can buy cold bottled water in.

Just knock it back and chug it. And have something next to you to drink straight after so you don't taste it. Orange juice / lemonade or something.

The day before I just eat really bland foods. Toast, (custard would be fine)
They tell me nothing red or dark as it can look like blood. Specifically black currant juice etc.

You'll feel better the day after though. The effects don't stay too long. :)

The procedure for me was a telephone call first. They explained everything really clearly, then they sent out a pack with the laxative and an explanation leaflet.

It is clearly marked on the sachets how to mix them and I also had a covering note telling me what time to start taking them.

I’ve had regular colonoscopies - you get a pro at the prep!

Straws for if you find the drink gross
Lemonade as a chaser
Bland diet for few days before
Moist toilet tissue - and don’t wipe, just kind of dab.

If you’ve done a pre-diet you won’t spend hours on the loo. It tends to be an hour or so of going every 5 mins then massively slows down. It’s never affected my sleep.

Good to know the prep diet can lessen the trauma of all the toileting!

My stepmother said it was gawd awful. But she eats a diet of high calorie fatty crap mixed with healthy stuff.

I know there are some posters who have had a terrible time in the few days before and have been unable to leave the toilet. But I’ve had five colonoscopies now and provided I stick rigidly to the diet prep I’ve never had this. It’s also important to remember that the better your prep, the more the doctor can see and hence the more accurate the scan.

I would go for sedation. There is a bit where the tube goes round a corner and that can be pretty painful without sedation. I’ve had them with and without and would always go for sedation.

I had one last week and was also very trepidatious beforehand about the laxative thing, OP, but although the drink tasted strange (and worse as time went on) the loo experience wasn’t as bad as I feared, but another vote here for using moist wipes (Andrex and others are certified safe to flush now)
Mine came through the post with this instruction sheet. There were no instructions about limiting diet beforehand, but possibly should have been, as it didn’t clear the colon completely and I’ve got to have another one, with a different laxative
I had sedative, was able to view bits of my insides on the screen (very pink and shiny!) and the procedure itself was no problem.
Good luck with yours