Well...I'm about to have my first laxative drink for my colonoscopy...

[First Speaker]

...in precisely twenty-three minutes. Gulp. I've heard stories as to how the next few hours are going to go... not much alternative, I guess, but to go with the flow...

[braddy]

1. It's annoying but not terrible.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

9. I found the preparation (not the procedure) terrible AND annoying. Beyond annoying.

At least the way I went about it. I had to drink a gallon of stuff. First one or two -- okay. After that -- not okay.

Everyone gets through it.

Best wishes.

[Sneederbunk]

2. Thanks for sharing. Hope everything comes out ok.

[louis-t]

3. Not fun but not horrible.

And 23 min is just about right.

[Heartstrings]

4. May the force be with you!

Ugh.......

One of those "dark necessities" of life.....

Plan a really nice dinner for tomorrow night as a reward.

[orangecrush]

5. I liveblogged my prep

People were very nice, and helped me through it.

Make sure you have reading material.

[First Speaker]

8. I have a stack of old SF/Fantasy magazines all prepared...

...that will keep me occupied, if anything will...

[orangecrush]

14. The prep

is worse than the procedure, which was nothing.

You'll be o.k., it's just a pain in the...

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. It's not nearly as bad as it used to be.

Relax, grab a crossword puzzle, and let nature take it's course.

[GentryDixon]

7. That will be the worst part of your procedure. N/t

[First Speaker]

10. OK--step one complete...thanks for the good vibes...

...see you all when I see you...

[snowybirdie]

11. Good luck

Hope everything comes out ok

[gibraltar72]

12. Salud!

[applegrove]

13. Get some barrier cream or some sort of cream so you don't get too raw

at the exit. It was pretty smooth. Nothing uncomfortable.

[orangecrush]

16. +1

[LiberalLoner]

43. Yup. Vaseline works. Keep applying throughout the preparation.

[Laffy Kat]

17. This is true.

Good advice.

[Squinch]

22. Yes. Vaseline works fine for this. Also, use Gatorade in your preparation (NOT RED!) and you'll

be fine.

I have to have them every three years since I was 32 due to family and personal history. It's really not that big a deal and here are two good things:

First: I'm not a drug user, but that minute of anesthesia-altered-consciousness before you go out is SO DAMN FUN!

Second: That cup of coffee after you are all done is the best thing ever!

Good luck. It's a life-saver.

[dchill]

15. I've had it done twice. The worst part was...

how cold it was in the procedure room.

[GP6971]

46. I can vouch for that

froze my ass off. Even the heated blankets didn't help that much.

[dchill]

49. Literally.

[TreasonousBastard]

18. And flow you will.

[FSogol]

19. Hope everything comes out ok in the end.

[LuckyCharms]

20. Make sure it is cold.

Plastic cup. Big gulps, slowly. Have each gulp hit the back of your throat and bypass your tongue. No big deal...a little salty tasting. I've been through 5 of them. Good luck!

[jodymarie aimee]

21. I have had 14 of them...

this is the bad part..the prep...the rest is a breeze....

[ooky]

23. Get it ice cold, mix it with a decent amount of Crystal light lemon.

Then hold your nose, gulp as much as you can through a straw placed into the back of your mouth and chase it with more straight crystal light. Repeat until done. Mostly all you will taste is the lemonade.

I did the same thing a month ago and it went down easy and worked great. Good luck.

[safeinOhio]

24. I have my throat done every 3 years and they

toss in the lower one every other time. Just before I pass out I always manage to ask them to do the throat first.


I have no problem with it. My brother hates it so much he spends $3K to have a full body scan instead. I always tell him if they find a polyp they will have go in anyway to nip it. One time they did find one on me and took care of it right then.

[LuckyCharms]

25. I had 9 snipped the time before last...

Got to watch them snip them because I didn't go completely out...it was actually fascinating. This last time though, I went right out.

[Ohiogal]

26. Just make sure

You're always close to a bathroom!

The prep is the worst part. The procedure is nothing.

I'm a veteran of two of these things. You'll be fine.

[Jane Austin]

27. Don't go into the bathroom

without your smartphone or iPad and a power source!

I made that mistake years ago.

I couldn't leave the loo for hours.

[Sedona]

28. Use a straw, helps it go down easier

[LuckyCharms]

34. +1. It was uncomfortable when I first inserted the straw...

but after a few hours, I couldn't even feel it.

[rzemanfl]

37. I can tell the flu had no permanent effects.

Me either, thank goodness.

[LuckyCharms]

38. Good to hear!

[LuckyCharms]

29. Don't do what a family member did.

They got hungry and went out and ate some donuts.

Doctor had a fit.

[dameatball]

30. It is worth it. I had colon cancer discovered at just stage one. Thank you colonoscopy!

[Freddie]

31. An ice cold Sprite chaser after each glass

Helped a lot. Also remember it's 8-oz glasses (at least mine was) which isn't huge.

[Motley13]

32. You won't believe how much crap is in your body

you will lose a little weight, but don't worry, it will be back in a couple of days.

you will go through the worst part tonight, stay close to the bathroom. The actual procedure is not much.

[Thunderbeast]

33. I discovered that Margarita Mix makes for a fine liquid diet for pre-op.

You will be fine.

In two of my three procedures, small polyps were removed. They were pre-cancerous. In most cases, the diagnosis is also the cure.

[Lifelong Protester]

35. You'll do fine.

I have had two of them, and besides the fact that I now can't stand lime Jell-o, it was a breeze.

[elfin]

36. Depends on the type of prep

If it is multi drinks of a mystery liquid, I had a bad gagging response on the last few.

But I persisted. Have another one coming up... glad to have the suggestions by others.

And yes, the prep is far more uncomfortable than the procedure.

However.... make sure it is done as an outpatient in a real hospital in case something is nicked.

[Leghorn21]

39. Youll be fine, First!! My only note is, if you are like out back grabbing a smoke, and you

THINK you have to “go” - you sure as hell DO!!! - Run don’t walk to yer terlit because , YEP, you gotta “GO”!!

[trixie2]

40. I refuse to do it

Nope! Not doing it. Don't care what anyone says.

[applegrove]

41. The test is nothing. You Don't feel a thing. The prep is the worst part.

[trixie2]

44. My sister had to prep 3 times she couldn't keep it down

I am not going to do it. My brother and I are absolutely not going to do it. We have never had cancer on any side of our families. My sister went through hell and everything was fine. The cost is outrageous for someone on the marketplace.

My sister loves any kind of testing and she puked so much she had to go to the ER.

NOT.GOING.TO.DO.IT.EVER.

[applegrove]

45. They changed the prep between the time my sister did it and I did. She said

the drink was awful and huge. A year later when I did it it was just a large drink and something (a pill or two) to give you the runs. I was mostly bored having to be near a bathroom. Nothing outragious. No running to the bathroom. It has much improved over the years. I would look up how the prep has changed online.

[trixie2]

55. Hers was supposed to be 2 months ago but didn't get it done until last month so that's current

Not doing it ever.

[First Speaker]

42. Just took dose #2...#1 wasn't all that bad...

...thanks to everyone who answered, especially those with experience. Looking forward to--ahem--getting this all behind me...

[Leith]

47. Gatorade Makes a Clear Drink

It got me through prep day.

Unlike everyone else, I felt my worst after the colonoscopy. I was in bed most of the afternoon after I got home. All I could eat was a little chicken soup.

[Generic Brad]

48. Bottoms up!

[First Speaker]

50. Everything went very well...

...in and out in two hours...feel good. One small polyp, which is about what I expected. Thanks to everyone who responded...

[ailsagirl]

53. Congratulations!!

[whathehell]

51. I just had mine last week..

As the other poster said, it's annoying but not terrible...The worst is the prep.

[jberryhill]

52. Jet Propulsion!

Personally, I found the experience entertaining.

It's like having Old Faithful right in your own bathroom.

Not that I'd want to do it every day, but given that it is for a good purpose, you might as well have fun with it.

I'd count down to blastoff, and fire the main booster!

[SeattleVet]

54. Dave Barry said it all, pretty well:

http://www.miamiherald.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/dave-barry/article1928847.html

[DFW]

56. Been there, done that

No fun, but survivable

Usually, anyway. Seven years ago, they told me to go off my blood thinners 10 days before the procedure. I did and an hour after waking up, I had my very first (and only) genuine U.S. certified heart attack. At the emergency room, the cardiologist went nuts, saying don't those idiots (at the colonoscopy clinic) know that the cells that clog up your arteries need exactly ten days without the thinners to completely block your arteries again?

They know now. The last time I went, in 2016, they said go off the blood thinners FIVE days before the procedure. Somebody had a few words with somebody. Happy ending though. I had no polyps and the heart attack was so mild, I suffered no discernible muscle damage at all. Mother Nature let me off with a warning that time.

[First Speaker]

57. You know, anyone who says that stories like "Catch-22" are absurd and impossible...

...have never had any experiences with the marvels of modern medicine. And medical bureaucracy. I'm glad that you survived your experience as--relatively--well as you did. I've lost family members who were the victims of similar snafus...