Colon Health Questions Answered And Colon Cleaning Information
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Now everyone I talk to says I should have a gastro specialist to do the colonoscopy., I don’t know what to do., I am a nervous wreck and have been avoiding getting one done for years., I do not want to feel anything or know anything., I understand you must drink alot of stuff., I am scared.
Tagged with: Colonoscopy • nervous wreck
Filed under: Colonoscopy
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1. Do not go to a general surgeon. Go to a Board Certified Gastroenterologist. They are trained and certified on doing this procedure. The general surgeon is jumping on the money train. I have no problem telling my Internist that I didn’t agree with her selection of doctors. They are trying to take care of each others financial well being and your the source of income. If your insurance requires a referal, ask your FP for a referal to a Board Certified GI doc. If the doctor refused, fire him or call the State Medical Board and tell them he refused to refer you to a Board Certified GI doctor.
2. The Prep: Do not agree to the GoLytly or CoLytly or HalfLytly or any other Poly Ethylene Glycol (PEG) preparation unless you like drinking anti-freeze. The Fleet Phospho Soda is taken in 2 doses and the other liquids you drink can be any clear liquid. I chose Gatorade (to replenish the electrolytes) and diet ginger ale and diet white grape juice. It does not have to be diet I was watching calories. Get some good soft toilet paper not the John Wayne type (rough, tough and doesn’t take sh*& off anyone). In the case of the all preps, the liquid is to be sure the kidneys get plenty of fluids.
3. Decide if you want to be sedated before seeing the GI doc. If you select to be sedated avoid Versed as it is an amnesiac type sedative better known as "the date rape drug". You are aware but unable to tell them you are in pain. I have never been sedated for any of my colonoscopies and I can say there is a period of discomfort/pain while they inflate the colon with air. Being awake, I can tell the doc my level of discomfort, where it is and when it is stronger. It takes about 15 minutes to reach the cecum (appendix area) and then the discomfort is gone as the scope is withdrawn.
You are a consumer. If the doctor doesn’t offer what you desire, find another doctor.
Hey Nancy…
There is really nothing to a colonoscopy these days, it’s a very safe & routine procedure, and will be done by people who do this all day, every day, so they are very good at making patients feel "at ease". (Or at least as "at ease" as one can feel when someone is about to stick a ten foot camera up their butt!) The procedure itself is pretty much painless, and you won’t know about it anyway because you’ll either be "out" or they’ll give you a cocktail of pain-killers and a ‘memory-disrupter’ that allows you to communicate & co-operate throughout, but then remember nothing afterwards.
The only bad part is the prep. You will have to drink about a gallon of what tastes like salty Gatorade, and (very quickly) it will soon "leave your body", and not through the place where you put it in!
It’s the right thing to do though, there’s is nothing "bad" they can find during a colonoscopy that they cannot now fix…so don’t be scared, just remember to chuckle a little afterwards when you remember that everyone you meet over about 40 has had one or more of those, too!
Yeah, it’s pretty unsettling. I think general surgeons commonly do it as it is performed under anesthesia. I think that’s as good a choice as a gastroenterologist. I wouldn’t worry about it.
You have to clean yourself out the day before and can’t eat real food. I hear it’s unpleasant but not painful.
Try not to worry. It’s just a day out of your life, and if it’s clear, you’re good for 10 years. You won’t remember a thing.
Good luck. Just do it. If there’s anything there, it’s much better the sooner they find it. They can snip out any polyps that they might find, and you’ll be good as new.
Nancy there is NOTHING to be afraid or nervous about. The stuff you drink is to clear your bowel out and you will be limited to broth and liquid while you are drinking it. It is more of a hassle than anything, but it is very important, as it is the only way the doctor can exam you adequately. The procedure itself does not hurt and does not last long.
I know you do not want to know anything, but it is important that you do. I cannot tell you how many lives I have seen saved from this procedure alone. Most colon cancers start in polyps and any that are found on colonoscopy are removed (you don’t feel it). When cancer is found in these polyps it is often confined to the polyp itself and you have just been cured, with no further treatment or tests. If no cancer is found, removing the polyps helps prevent you from getting colon cancer in the future.
When colon cancer is found early the 5-year survival rate is 90-100%. However, if it is found late it is deadly with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. Clearly it should be a no brainer that the potential benefit far out weighs any apprehension you may have.
To answer your question; a general surgeon does not do colonoscopies, they do surgeries and I’m not sure why your doctor would refer you to one. It should be done by a gastroenterologist this is their specialty and they are the most qualified.