Any recent Colonoscopy participants here?

If you also are scheduled for an upper GI, make sure you ask the doc to do that first. That's usually good for a laugh.

The folks who do that for a living are very good at putting you at ease, especially if it's your first one. Jokes abound. "Don't worry, I'll stand behind you." "I've got your backside." "I do drain cleaning and sprinkler systems on weekends." etc . . .

The preparation is by far the worst. But no worse than having a case of the runs. The actual procedure is anti-climatic. I don't know why people make such a fuss over it.

Kairosgrammy wrote:Not sure I'd volunteer for another, LOL

Well, for me it went a lot better than I thought. The prep part wasn't so bad because I've had nasty food poisoning in India and Malaysia, nasty-nasty, and the prep was almost pleasant in comparison. So that part was OK, and I kind of like the drugs (wheeeeee) so if they said I needed another next month (instead of 10 years) I would say, "OK, no problem!".

Aferwards, the doc gave me a clean "bowel" of health.

And then there was the gastro who sent out notices to all his December scope patients that was in card form the cover of which said: "'Tis the season to look up old friends ...." Honest injun!!!!

I agree with the others--probably not an issue. When I had my colonoscopy last year, I told them about the OSA and asked they keep a special eye on my O2. They didn't do anything but that, and all was well.

Slinky wrote:And then there was the gastro who sent out notices to all his December scope patients that was in card form the cover of which said: "'Tis the season to look up old friends ...." Honest injun!!!!

LoL! Sounds like a really great guy!

I read about it at IBDsucks probably 5-6 years ago and laughed so hard I almost choked. I can just see the gastro standing there w/a fiendish face and the scope in his hands tucked behind his back.

Slartybartfast wrote:The actual procedure is anti-climatic. I don't know why people make such a fuss over it.

I have always thought that people make a fuss because they are afraid of the diagnosis. Feigning reluctance to undergoing a colostomy can be just an excuse to put off facing the prospect of having the doctor tell you that you have cancer. In part, I think that this is because most people overestimate the gravity of colorectal cancer, and even more, the consequences of treatment. I believe some people say to themselves, "At worst I die, at best I poop in bag the rest of my life. Pardon me if I'm just not ready to face that prospect today." Expressing disgust about the process is a cover for declining to face the possible outcomes.

I don't want to understate the gravity either, but most people diagnosed with colon cancer survive, and the prospects for a cure and for avoiding the worst aspects of treatment are improved by early diagnosis. Many people do not realize it, but permanent colostomies for colon cancer are rare today. In most cases, the bad chunk of bowel is removed, the ends are connected, and soon the colon is as good as new. Often the surgery can be done laparoscopically, with no long scar and a quick recovery. Occasionally, if the bowel inflamed, a temporary colostomy is done, but usually these can be reversed after a chance for healing. Only tumors in the last eight inches or so (the rectum) present major surgical challenges. And while chemotherapy is highly unpleasant, much Stage I and Stage II colon cancer is treated without chemo. The chances of avoiding chemo diminish with time. Colonoscopy offers a golden opportunity to miss the worst consequences of colon cancer, so it is paradoxical when someone puts it off out of fears for what might turn up.

Slinky wrote:And then there was the gastro who sent out notices to all his December scope patients that was in card form the cover of which said: "'Tis the season to look up old friends ...." Honest injun!!!!

Oh my, Slinky - that's priceless

I have one every year or two and they now always ask if I use CPAP. I don't bring my machine because it's a 20-minute procedure (or 30-40 if they have to remove a polyp) and they don't put me completely out -- just twilight sleep and a "memory eraser". In some centers, however, they do use knock-out drugs so best to mention it ahead of time. In our hospital they will let you hook up to your cpap if you bring it. They always give me oxygen during the procedure and I gather that's standard procedure. One of the parameters they watch is oxygen saturation.

Prep is not fun but procedure is not bad (as long as you don't think about Slinky's gastro!).

Mindy

I just make sure the doc has a good driving record.

My colonoscopy was a nightmare since the IV sedation was not in my vein. I was awake the whole procedure and only became very drowsy once I was home, sleeping six hours, only awakening to vomit.
Studies have shown that colonoscopies scheduled early in the day, the doctor is more rested and has a higher rate of polyp detection. Just make certain the IV is in the vein, not infiltrated into the surrounding skin.

I read somewhere the cure rate for cancers found by colonoscopy is nearly 100%!
Nice odds, very nice.
Pretty much can't afford NOT to do it!

I don't know why, but it seems like so many people in the medical profession I've spoken to who don't deal directly with sleep apnea are not very familiar with sleep apnea. For my next tube scrub, I'm taking the words ''I have sleep apnea" and changing them to "I stop breathing when I sleep. Perhaps 30 or 40 times every hour I just totally quit breathing altogether for up to a minute at a time with O2 desats into the low 80's. That won't be a problem with my anesthesia, will it?"

I think anesthesiologists watch the breathing of the individual and perhaps are more aware of sleep apnea. Nevertheless, I don't want to say 'sleep apnea' and get that glazed over look and hear them say "Oh?" because in their mind they I just told them that I don't sleep very well. Hell, someone may even think I'm trying to tell them I want them to increase the anesthesia to keep me asleep.

My gastroenterologist set up a specialized clinic to do these procedures. This includes an anesthesiologist to take care of drug administration. She asked me lots of questions, and when I told her I had just been diagnosed with sleep apnea, she just said that's OK, we will keep the SaO2 monitor on during your recovery phase ... a bit longer than normal. It's also worth remembering that throughout the procedure you are on your side, so the risk of severe apneas is much reduced.

My last procedure was about 2.5 yrs ago (my third one) - another 2.5 to go. My wife is going to have one next month because her mom has colon cancer. Definitely well worth the mild aggravation of the first part of the prep - after that things get better. The procedure itself is, as others have commented, no big deal. Not sure the insurance would pay for a second one within a couple of years, even if you said you enjoyed it!

chunkyfrog wrote:I read somewhere the cure rate for cancers found by colonoscopy is nearly 100%!
Nice odds, very nice.
Pretty much can't afford NOT to do it!

Alas, I wish that were the case. I think what you must have read, chunkyfrog, is that when pre-cancerous polyps are found through colonoscopy, their removal is nearly 100% effective in preventing them from developing into malignant tumors. That's way better than treating it once it's already present, and the polyps are usually removed during the colonoscopy itself using a wire loop attached to the scope with no muss, no fuss. That is also the case when cancerous cells are found on the polyp (carcinoma in situ), but no invasive tumor has developed.