Today I'm having a colonoscopy...

VintageBetter

VintageBetter

Senior Member
I have not had one in many years. I feel confident they will not find anything major. I think the medical professionals should rewrite the instructions for colonoscopy prep to make it more clear:

"You're going to give yourself diarrhea for 24 hours and then we're going to stick a rubber tube up your butt and take photos for posterity."
Remember in school how they used to take our picture every year? In old age, they just want photos of your insides. :(
 

VintageBetter said:
I have not had one in many years. I feel confident they will not find anything major. I think the medical professionals should rewrite the instructions for colonoscopy prep to make it more clear:

"You're going to give yourself diarrhea for 24 hours and then we're going to stick a rubber tube up your butt and take photos for posterity."
Remember in school how they used to take our picture every year? In old age, they just want photos of your insides. :(
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I had colonoscopy about four months ago and went VERY smooth. The attending doctor was a very caring and wonderful doctor which I feel lucky to have it done.
The result showed there are 4 polyps with benign-nature and diverticulosis, both of which the doctor told me nothing worry about.
The cost of colonoscopy appears to me pretty pricey because after a month to two months later I had several different BCBS statements which I do not owe any.
 
I have to repeat the procedure this month, only this time add another day of prep and laxatives. I went in November and apparently I was still too full of s**t for them to see anything. The people at the surgery center were very sweet and I was elated when I came off the anesthesia. It went by so fast!
But (pun intended) I have to do it over later this month. That's what I get for putting it off for 10+ years!😵‍💫
 
I have to tell you how much I appreciate what you said. 👍

I just got out of the hospital because of a bowel blockage and it is amazing how far medical technology has come. A few different imaging techniques were used to discover my problem and then check the progress of treatment. This is my fourth time with a bowel blockage and the first time I experienced this newer imaging technology.

I appreciate your association with school pictures and the pictures we have today. 😂
 
I have one coming up next Tuesday, I had one about 4 years ago but I had something happen to me earlier this month so he has to go in and scope(great word) and see what is happening. I am pretty nervous about it but the problems I am having are so painful so I will be happy to find out what it is. I could use some prayers, Thank you so much in advance!
 
Amanda76 said:
I had colonoscopy about four months ago and went VERY smooth. The attending doctor was a very caring and wonderful doctor which I feel lucky to have it done.
The result showed there are 4 polyps with benign-nature and diverticulosis, both of which the doctor told me nothing worry about.
The cost of colonoscopy appears to me pretty pricey because after a month to two months later I had several different BCBS statements which I do not owe any.
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Be sure you are aware of the symptoms of a diverticulosis flare-up. If you get a sudden intense pain in your gut consider getting help. Keep gas relief pills on hand and if they do not work seek medical care. The sooner a blockage is treated the better.

The woman a few rooms down from me endured intense pain for 3 days. She thought it was indigestion. Her pancreas had ruptured and now she is dealing with an infection that could take her life!

Diverticulosis, a ruptured pancreas, or an appendix can lead to peritonitis. An infection that is deadly if untreated.

Of course, we do not want to live with fear so I have a note by my computer desk that says "Stay lucid. Focus on what I know and do not fear what I don't know." However, at this time in our lives, we are not as resilient as we once were and we do have problems that younger people do not have. I am sure your doctor meant well when he attempted to make you feel safe even though you are living with increased risk. Avoiding certain foods can reduce your risks. Use the internet for information and focus on the facts. But don't deny we are not as we were when we were young. The sooner we get help the better the outcome will be.
 
Glad to hear it went well. I having been having this test since my early 40s due to lymphocytic colitis. For me the worst part is the iv placement. I really enjoy the good nap afterwards, I look forward to it.
 
Vida May said:
I have to tell you how much I appreciate what you said. 👍

I just got out of the hospital because of a bowel blockage and it is amazing how far medical technology has come. A few different imaging techniques were used to discover my problem and then check the progress of treatment. This is my fourth time with a bowel blockage and the first time I experienced this newer imaging technology.

I appreciate your association with school pictures and the pictures we have today. 😂
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Four bowel blockages must be awful. A close relative of mine died from that, basically. He was in denial about it and his denial combined with a hospital staff and his doctors who are so incompetent I would like to see some of them go to jail, caused his death. Of course, no one will go to jail. Medical incompetence is protected by very weak malpractice laws in our state. No one cares. People are a dime a dozen here. The state sees all people as tax revenue generators here and not much more.
 
Unfortunately the colonoscopy I had a few months ago determined I have colitis. It was causing diarrhea and very unpleasant bowel irritation. I hope your discomfort is relieved. I have been give budesonide. It is a steroid. It really slows things down. Now I am having to deal with constipation. I had to use Miralax twice a day and then take 2 DucaLax pills to have a BM a while back. It is a wild ride. After the dose I am on they evaluate to see if it worked. I have about 2 weeks to go.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Unfortunately the colonoscopy I had a few months ago determined I have colitis. It was causing diarrhea and very unpleasant bowel irritation. I hope your discomfort is relieved. I have been give budesonide. It is a steroid. It really slows things down. Now I am having to deal with constipation. I had to use Miralax twice a day and then take 2 DucaLax pills to have a BM a while back. It is a wild ride. After the dose I am on they evaluate to see if it worked. I have about 2 weeks to go.
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That sounds awful. Our medicine has come so far but now it seems like doctors are experimenting with us with all the pills they can give us. A lab somewhere said the pill is good for this or that and I really don't think the doctor knows enough to decide what is good for us. They are relying on what the labs say, not actual knowledge and experience with the new meds.

VintageBetter said:
Four bowel blockages must be awful. A close relative of mine died from that, basically. He was in denial about it and his denial combined with a hospital staff and his doctors who are so incompetent I would like to see some of them go to jail, caused his death. Of course, no one will go to jail. Medical incompetence is protected by very weak malpractice laws in our state. No one cares. People are a dime a dozen here. The state sees all people as tax revenue generators here and not much more.
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I thought a person could die of a bowel blockage, but didn't know of this actually happening. The first three times I had the problem, the doctors were useless. Thank heavens I know walking is related to our ability to eliminate. I walked and walked with the IV pole and IV stuck in my arm until I finally passed the blockage because I would have had surgery instead of a bowel movement if I didn't walk to the halls. But this last time I had a doctor immediately took the right steps. Hydration is essential and she gave me a substance that causes the bowels to move. That substance plus walking meant within hours I was ready to go home. Now I know what to tell the doctors to do.

How could your relative bear the pain? I seriously want to know. Maybe the hospital didn't have the latest imaging equipment. The imaging is very important to being sure what is wrong and this time, the doctor had better imaging equipment.
 
Vida May said:
That sounds awful. Our medicine has come so far but now it seems like doctors are experimenting with us with all the pills they can give us. A lab somewhere said the pill is good for this or that and I really don't think the doctor knows enough to decide what is good for us. They are relying on what the labs say, not actual knowledge and experience with the new meds.

I thought a person could die of a bowel blockage, but didn't know of this actually happening. The first three times I had the problem, the doctors were useless. Thank heavens I know walking is related to our ability to eliminate. I walked and walked with the IV pole and IV stuck in my arm until I finally passed the blockage because I would have had surgery instead of a bowel movement if I didn't walk to the halls. But this last time I had a doctor immediately took the right steps. Hydration is essential and she gave me a substance that causes the bowels to move. That substance plus walking meant within hours I was ready to go home. Now I know what to tell the doctors to do.

How could your relative bear the pain? I seriously want to know. Maybe the hospital didn't have the latest imaging equipment. The imaging is very important to being sure what is wrong and this time, the doctor had better imaging equipment.
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His issue was specifically a stricture. I just didn't want to go into too much detail. I still don't because, the Internet. :poop: 🌋 (These symbols mean the 'net is a poop volcano, IMO.) So many lurkers. It was during the Covid time, pre-vaccine, so the hospital was understaffed, poorly staffed, and I highly doubt the nurses and CNAs were checking on him well. That hospital has a very bad online reputation. I told him not to go there, go to the one that is 45 minutes away, but he didn't listen to me. It's a killer hospital, IMO. They kill people with neglect and apathy.

Long time ago, way back in 2001, another relative had quintuple bypass surgery. In ICU her care was outstanding. Then they moved her to a regular room, too soon IMO, but we're not the doctors or the insurance companies. They call all the shots. Called to check on her and she said she was having chest pains again but when she pressed the buzzer for a nurse, no one would come for 20 minutes. Someone told me, and I don't even recall where I heard this, but that person said that in her city, overrun with the poor and homeless, if family doesn't show up to visit a loved one staffers kind of assume patients have no family and don't pay much attention to them...

The patient had family, but we had to work, of course. Her other relatives were much closer to her than me, but they were also too much in denial or too selfish to take anything like a silly quintuple bypass seriously.
So, I jumped in my car, drove 40 miles and spent the night so the *&^%#@ nurses would take her seriously when she rang the %^$# buzzer for a little thing like chest pain. I spent the night in the recliner in her room. Got up the next day at 4 or 5 a.m., drove home, took a shower, and then went to work. I was young then.

Giving attention to the patient worked. Spending the night in her room made them take her seriously. I was very nice to the nurses. Introduced myself, asked for a blanket, pleasant as could be. But why I should I have to be there, holding the nurses accountable? I had my own job to attend to - why did I have to do unpaid work at a hospital too? Because it was a bad floor, that's why. The ICU was spectacular, but the upper floors, not great.
Bad hospitals are very real. Read online reviews and post them to help others. And if you feel like a hospital is neglecting you because you're old, ask a relative to spend the night in your room.
 
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Colonoscopy is a very useful procedure after the age of 60 and especially after 70. I know a lot of people who have admitted that they have polyps in their intestines, and some of them have turned into colon cancer. However, I can't make up my mind to undergo this procedure yet.
 
Kir7 said:
Colonoscopy is a very useful procedure after the age of 60 and especially after 70. I know a lot of people who have admitted that they have polyps in their intestines, and some of them have turned into colon cancer. However, I can't make up my mind to undergo this procedure yet.
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Colonoscopies are recommended starting at age 45 now because colon cancer is increasing in younger adults. 40% of polyps turn cancerous.
 
VintageBetter said:
Giving attention to the patient worked. Spending the night in her room made them take her seriously. I was very nice to the nurses. Introduced myself, asked for a blanket, pleasant as could be. But why I should I have to be there, holding the nurses accountable? I had my own job to attend to - why did I have to do unpaid work at a hospital too? Because it was a bad floor, that's why. The ICU was spectacular, but the upper floors, not great.
Bad hospitals are very real. Read online reviews and post them to help others. And if you feel like a hospital is neglecting you because you're old, ask a relative to spend the night in your room.
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I have a granddaughter who found her boyfriend in the morgue with a tag on his toe. While she was crying over him she noticed signs of life and got someone on the medical staff to notice he was still alive. He was only in a coma. I guess he could have died if she had not realized he was still alive.

Our hospital people are on strike for better pay and better treatment. That gives me hope because I believe when the staff has power, hospitals, and nursing homes are better places. Overworking these people and suppressing their desires to do better is sure to lead to preventable pain and suffering for everyone involved. However, during pandemics and freezes as the one we just had, will push everyone to their limits.
 
Paco Dennis said:
Unfortunately the colonoscopy I had a few months ago determined I have colitis. It was causing diarrhea and very unpleasant bowel irritation. I hope your discomfort is relieved. I have been give budesonide. It is a steroid. It really slows things down. Now I am having to deal with constipation. I had to use Miralax twice a day and then take 2 DucaLax pills to have a BM a while back. It is a wild ride. After the dose I am on they evaluate to see if it worked. I have about 2 weeks to go.
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I had to look up colitis. Some causes can be cured. Have they determined the cause of your colitis?

My bowels are working differently since my stay in the hospital. I think this is an improvement.

I am trying so hard to drink plenty of fluids but this is hard because I don't feel a need for fluids and I get busy and then it is the end of the day, and not a good time to drink a lot of fluids. However, if I eat too much salt and don't have enough fluids I have leg cramps that wake me up. It is better to have to use the bathroom than to deal with the leg cramps. However, all this keeps me guessing and working really hard to eat right and drink enough fluid, on top of going to the gym and getting enough sleep. Like most my time is spent on taking care of my body.

Remember when we were young and thought old people who talk about their physical symptoms were really gross? :ROFLMAO:
 
Mine is a microscopic kind of colitis. I was taking budesonide but so constipated my last bathroom break was like having a baby. I had to stop pushing and use Lamaze breathing to calm down and push again.... They stopped the budesonide today. We'll see how this goes.

I had some intense cramping, I think it was excess gas.
 
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