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Dreaded Colonoscopy

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
newbs

newbs

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
On Monday I have to have a colonoscopy. I am absolutely dreading it, having had 2 before. This one is scheduled for early afternoon whereas the 2 I had previously were both first thing in the morning so am hoping I will be ok to travel to the hospital, having to have the second prep the same morning!

Any experiences anyone?
 
I have empathy, I don't like them. Sorry I can't say anything positive. They are a necessary evil.
 
I'm a veteran of around 15 colonoscopies

If the prep you are using is Picolax, then there is no way you will get to the hospital if you take it before you go, not without a change of clothes.

If you ring the hospital and say you are a type 1 diabetic, they will shift you to a morning appointment. I've done this several times, and it always works. It's in their standard advice. You get free food after, as well. If they can't change the appointment, ask for a new date with an earlier time.

While not eating, I have found that a 30% reduction in basal insulin is about right for a day of starving, then just see what happens with any need for corrections. Get some Dextro tablets to take if your BG drops, because they dissolve completely, or some full bore 7-up (not Coke).

Hope that helps🙂

Mike
 
mikeyB said:
I'm a veteran of around 15 colonoscopies

If the prep you are using is Picolax, then there is no way you will get to the hospital if you take it before you go, not without a change of clothes.

If you ring the hospital and say you are a type 1 diabetic, they will shift you to a morning appointment. I've done this several times, and it always works. It's in their standard advice. You get free food after, as well. If they can't change the appointment, ask for a new date with an earlier time.

While not eating, I have found that a 30% reduction in basal insulin is about right for a day of starving, then just see what happens with any need for corrections. Get some Dextro tablets to take if your BG drops, because they dissolve completely, or some full bore 7-up (not Coke).

Hope that helps🙂

Mike
Click to expand...

I tried to change the appointment but they said that they now deal with type 1 diabetics as first on the afternoon list as well as mornings, and could not offer me a morning appointment, unless I waited a good while. I would rather get it over with but have roughly a 45 min car journey to get to the hospital, thankfully my husband will be driving! I hadn't thought of being able to have glucose tablets, thanks for that.
 
newbs said:
I tried to change the appointment but they said that they now deal with type 1 diabetics as first on the afternoon list as well as mornings, and could not offer me a morning appointment, unless I waited a good while. I would rather get it over with but have roughly a 45 min car journey to get to the hospital, thankfully my husband will be driving! I hadn't thought of being able to have glucose tablets, thanks for that.
Click to expand...
Take a commode
 
That's ridiculous. Nonetheless, I would still advise prep on the day before, then just live on water, 7-up or glucose tabs for the morning. Whichever way you do it, you are having no food for 24 hours. As I said, please don't take the prep in the morning, it takes about 5 hours for it to settle down to what I would call uncomplicated farting.

I've been doing all this for 20 years or more, so I've not just been there, done it and got the T shirt, I've got Platinum Frequent Flyer privileges.

Owen, in his own idiosyncratic way, has brought up my final point. If you do all the prep the day before, you shouldn't need the loo on your journey.
 
Hi newbs. I'm sorry you've had 2 bad experiences and not surprised you're dreading this next one because of it.
I've had 2 with sedation and honestly can't remember anything unpleasant. I think I snoozed through them both! I'm type 2 but was still given early morning appts. However I recall one was delayed quite awhile for some reason.
However to have picolax then travel is ridiculous. I think I'd take them both the day before and not eat on the day. But not sure that's doable for you as type 1?
 
mikeyB said:
Owen, in his own idiosyncratic way, has brought up my final point. If you do all the prep the day before, you shouldn't need the loo on your journey.
Click to expand...
That is the politest way anyone has framed me. Thank you. I am not a fan as you may have guessed. But seriously in the scheme of things they are not as bad as I make out. Reducing basal and liquid carbohydrates are a good way. Less in less out. You could always have an incontinence thingy as a precaution, the department will understand.
 
Oh dear, I think I'm dreading it even more now! I may phone the department tomorrow again but am thinking prepping the day before may be the best option ....
 
The actual colonoscopy wasn't too bad for me, it was the prep beforehand. I really struggled with that, that stuff is just plain nasty. Pickled onions were the only thing we had in the house that was a strong enough flavour to counteract the taste a bit, so I'd drink my dose, have a pickled onion and then repeat the process ad nauseam.

On the day, I decided against having a sedative and was fascinated watching what was going on on the screen, perhaps the distraction helped.

I'd do as has been suggested, take the stuff the day before and not eat on the day.
 
If you are dreading it newbs, sod the fascination and have the sedation. I've only ever done it once without and never, ever again. And prepping the day before is the way to go. Don't bother ringing the department again, they might just postpone you for another couple of months dreading it!
 
Urghh - only had to have one once and though I can't say I enjoyed it, it really wasn't that bad - apart from the absolutely disgusting taste of the Picolax.
 
What makes me laugh about colonoscopies, at least in this health area, is the dark blue breeks they give you with a Velcro'd flap at the back for the action to take place. Don't put 'em on the wrong way round, ladies:confused:
 
mikeyB said:
What makes me laugh about colonoscopies, at least in this health area, is the dark blue breeks they give you with a Velcro'd flap at the back for the action to take place. Don't put 'em on the wrong way round, ladies:confused:
Click to expand...
And we find the humour, that did make me laugh on my first one.
 
mikeyB said:
If you do all the prep the day before, you shouldn't need the loo on your journey.
Click to expand...

Yep, my one and only experience of this, the clear-out was all done the day before. But my colonoscopy was in the morning, if I remember correctly (but it was a while ago and the horror of it all has faded .... but it wasn't too bad, I think 😉 ).
 
I don't know why everyone is going on about how horrible it is, because it isn't. The prep is fairly energetic, but people used to pay a fortune for colonic irrigation. And the sedative works. I know I'm an old hand at having these, but I'd rather have a colonoscopy than an injection into my arthritic hip joint. Now that really is horrible. And I know they pump a load of gas in to get the best view, so you fart like crazy afterwards, but then so does everyone else in the recovery ward. As long as you can leave your dignity at the front door of the hospital, it's a breeze.
 
newbs said:
Any experiences anyone?
Click to expand...

I had 3 when I was 60 (one polyp removed), then 2 the year after (one benign polyp found and left because of bleeding problems) and now I have to have them every year and although it's not my favourite procedure, it doesn't hurt, the sedative works a treat and I still get to watch what they're doing, the nurses and doctors have always been brilliant, on one occasion one of the nurses was almost making me laugh telling me about her dad who just happens to be a neighbour.
At my last procedure not only did a man have to come in to fix a PC (otherwise I would have to wait 45 minutes while he did his thing) but the theatre was flooded because the taps were left running in the room next door. Maintenance were called to mop up the other side of a screen previously used for the PC man. I could actually hear my doctor and the nurses "paddling" in an inch or so of water. I think it was the sedative but I was laughing almost insanely.
The major thing going through my head is my memories of 2 of my dad's siblings who died from bowel cancer, something that these procedures should help me avoid.
As for the gas they pump in, I go to a bathroom and make as much noise as is possible, I even frightened two nurses once, but at least I got to go home almost straight away.
I don't think I'd take the stuff on the same day, preferring to do the two previous days and just starve on the day of the procedure, probably not so easy for a type I. I know this is bad but the whole thing is a bit surreal, I can't take it too seriously and if I see something funny, I just laugh. As an example at my very first procedure, the tube with the camera on the end wasn't long enough, seems I have extra long innards, so I have to go to a hospital much further away. Who would have thought the equipment wouldn't be "adequate" LOL
All the best.
 
My one experience of a colonoscopy was as a private patient (I was still married at the time and my husband had private health insurance through work). The "prep" was done 30 minutes before the procedure. The nurse inserted some kind of pessary and told me to hang on as long as possible before going to the loo - I lasted about 45 seconds before having to dash in there. Sorry to gross people out, but this method certainly cleared everything out, and shortly after that I had the actual colonoscopy. So what I'm wondering is why the NHS makes people go through unpleasant long-winded preparation with slow-acting laxatives etc, when there is a much more effective and efficient drug that could be used? Presumably it comes down to cost.

Hope you can find a good solution Newbs, it's not a pleasant procedure to look forward to. xx
 
I'm the exception to the rule... Picolax bungs me up😱
 
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