Questions about Colonoscopy?
 

My family doctor is sending me for a screening with a colon specialist. I had a drop of blood during a bowel movement a few weks ago. I noticed a spec of blood in my stool the other day, lthough that is the first i've noticed in the stool. Having a history of cancer in my family I figure it's best to be pro-active.

The drop of blood could have been from a hemarroid. the spec is the stool scares me though.

Has anyone ver been for a colonoscopy? I've heard horror stories about them, that they are very painful. How long does it take and how bad is the pain?

Any help is really apreciated.

The thing about colonoscopy is that everybody has a different experience. And that's mainly because everybody's guts are different.

Some people's guts are like wide six-lane highways, and the doctor is able to navigate with no problems and little discomfort to the patient.

Other people's guts are more like two-lane switchbacks; it's more difficult for the MD to get the probe where it needs to go, and the patients suffer more discomfort as a result.

In my case, it took roughly a half an hour. They gave me a sedative to relax me, and let me watch what the camera was seeing on a monitor. They had to nip one polyp (not malignant, though), and I didn't feel it. The worst pains I felt were a couple of bouts of what felt lyour standard gas pains that go with an upset stomach. Not too bad.

On the other hand, I've talked to people whose colonscopies caused them much more pain than I felt. So like I said, it's going to vary with the individual.

You definitely should get checked out. While there are a lot of ways to get blood in your stool, and a lot of them aren't cancer, you don't want to mess around and take chances.

My dad got colon cancer, and while he knew something was wrong he waited too long to have it checked out (I think he had blood in his stool for a couple of years before he went in). While the docs were able to remove the cancer from his colon, it had already grown through the intestinal wall and got into the liver and eventually beyond. He was gone in three years.

So I had my first colonscopy earlier than usual, just to be on the safe side.

I have to get them done every year since I have an ulcer in my colon.

Honestly the worst thing about it is clearing the system out and gas. If you request more sedatives they may give it to you so you won't remember anything.

They always give me demoral (sp) so I don't feel anything. Supposedly I'm awake during the whole procedure and am talking but I don't really remember any of it (usually).

on a side note: last time I went, I told my doctor (good family friend) to give me extra drugs since I sometimes wake up in the middle of it and am in extreme pain. So he did, but I still woke up during the procedure and could feel the tube inside me. I yelled "GIVE ME MORE!! GIVE ME MORE!!!" and then don't remember anything after that. Now I just wonder if he knew I meant the drugs not more tube!!

Out of curiosity how old are you supposed to be when you go for these?
I dont want to wait for too long, but I am certainly in no rush... besides, so far i havent noticed anything wrong.

Have had it done once.

Taking the laxatives the day before was the worst part for me. They stuff they give you makes you s#$%t your entire intestines in like 20 minutes. Harsh.

I was only there for the 'OK, we'll talk when it's over' part of the procedure. :)

Supposed to get the test at 40, if OK, not again til 50.


"Using the whole hand there, eh doc?"

Had it once about 5 years ago (I think I'm due again, but no blood so no hurry.) Anyway, the cleaning out the system was definitely the worst. I was fairly groggy during the procedure -- but am afraid I may have embarrassed myself with what I said.;)

Good luck -- relax, and you'll do fine.

I was told that you should have them every five years starting at age 50. I started at 45, because my dad had had colon cancer.

I've recently read that some people dispute whether you really need them every five years, but nobody's disputing the start date that I heard of.

I assume the blood was red. It was, wasn't it? It's more serious if the blood is a dark purple.

If it was red you shouldn't worry too much (if you're pretty young then that also decreases the chances of it being anything serious).

I've had this problem before myself, blood in my stool, and had to get a colonoscopy (it was pretty painful for me, and the worst part was probably the air they pumped in me in order to see better, that and the freakin' fiber optic scope being shoved up my rectum).

All he found was an irritated area and he thought I was probably straining too hard. Plus I need more fiber in my diet. I was eating way to much milk and cheese, which was turning my crap to cement. And cement is hard on your insides.

So the point is do not freak out. Blood in your stool, though it can be an indicator, does not equal cancer. How's your diet? Do you ever have constipation? Or hard stool? This could be the problem.

When I had mine they said , "Don't worry - we'll give you lots of drugs and you won't remember a thing."

So there's your answer - it's a lot like college.

My wife has had two, because she has diverticulitus. Both times she was knocked out and knew nothing. She said the worst was the aggravation of cleaning out and a little getting rid of the gas after the procedure. This wasn't as much of a problem the second time, I think becuase of a better Dr.

I think there are two kinds.... one a colonoscopy and another that doesn't go all the way up. They don't sedate you for the second. The full sedation is like going to an oral surgeon with IV sedation while the type for regular surgery is when they stop your breathing with gas.

Yeah, I had this explained to me. If your crap is dense and you have to strain to get it out, it eventually creates weak spots in the intestinal wall which kind of bulge out and become little pockets where crap can get caught and cause all kinds of hell -- pockets are called diverticules, and yep, if you get too many and they get inflamed or infected, that's diverticulitis. I've got a few already, and he told me to shape up and eat right if I didn't want to get more.