During my first annual physical following my fiftieth birthday, my doctor looked at me and said with a wry smile, "You already know what I'm going to say..."
"Yes, Doctor, but since colon cancer isn't that common before 55 and since I have no risk factors, can we wait five years?"
He groaned, but short of dragging me upstairs to the gastroenterology department, pinning me down and gagging my screams of protest, there wasn't anything he could do. I left the office congratulating myself on the temporary reprieve my husband hadn't been brave - or fool-hardy - enough to demand, when had turned fifty, five years before. After all, I ate a good diet and, as far as I knew, no-one in my family had the remotest problem with their colons. Then when the five years had passed, I put off the inevitable, for another three years.
My first clue that something was not quite right was when I began to regain consciousness while the gastroentrologist was still scoping me. I watched the screen, wriggling with the pain each time the scope passed the splenic flexure, that bendy bit where your colon turns south, just below your rib-cage on the right hand sign. I moaned, I tried to escape, the nurse gave me as much of the sedative as she was legally allowed, I heard the doctor sigh... I must have nodded off, because the doctor was now sitting at a computer talking what sounded like rubbish. Obviously I was not as conscious as I thought.
In a session that lasted two hours, the doctor had removed fifteen separate polyps and had done his best to remove a carpet of polyps, but he would need to repeat the scoping again, three months later, he told me. I was at one and the same time stunned and relieved in equal measure. At least it wasn't cancer, but so many polyps in someone "not at risk," whatever I had imagined that to mean.
Over the next few months, I would undergo three more colonoscopies, including one particularly difficult one for which I was referred to another doctor. If he couldn't remove it intact, I would need surgery to remove the ileocecal valve, together with a small part of my colon. Fortunately, this specialist managed to remove it all in two separate attempts and I was told I needn't return for two years.
Why had I put it off for so long? Fear, I suppose. I had watched my husband gag on the preparation fluids and if there's anything I hate, it is gagging and the only antidote I know is laughter. I found, during two pregnancies, that throwing up and laughing don't go hand-in-hand, so I called my best friend and laughed my way through what seemed like gallons of fluid going in and an endless stream coming out at the other end. I wish such a good friend for everyone! Friends who will talk to you while you are "peeing through your bottom," as I like to call it, are not easily come by. As for the liquid you have to down at some unearthly hour on the morning of the colonoscopy, not a lot that happens before 6:00 am gets through. I think I learned to drink it in my sleep. I also found it easier to sleep if wearing some sort of padding. It gave me confidence that I wouldn't soil the bed.
As for the procedure itself, I'm now given deep sedation and have no clue, from the moment they push the plunger on a syringe to when I look into my husband's smiling face, what they are doing to me.
So, the moral of my little story is not to put those colonoscopies off. It is not as bad as any man wants you to believe and, if you have been waiting out of fear, is really not as bad as your imagination tells you it will be.
All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.
Add a Comment5 Comments
The colon must be clear of stool and fluids for the colonoscopy to be accurate. Patients are normally asked to do the following during the twenty-four hours preceding the exam:
•Stop taking iron pills or medications containing iron, as iron residues produce a dark black stool, which interferes with a clear view.
•Take laxatives and sometimes enemas.
•Avoid eating solid foods; eat only soft foods.
•Fasting on exam day may be required.
•Drink only clear, non-alcoholic liquids such as black coffee, tea, water, or clear broth and juices.
•Avoid liquids that are red in color, as they can be confused with blood in the colon.
•Drink plenty of clear liquids to avoid dehydration.
Note that if you have diabetes or take blood thinners, including aspirin or other pain relievers, your preparation for colonoscopy may be slightly different.
You can find out more from this Center:
http://www.puristat.com/coloncleansing/colonoscopy.aspx
Hope it Helps!
December 6, 2011 - 7:52amKathy, Puristat Digestive Specialist
This Comment
Ha! I'm so delighted to have "met" you. Please continue sharing your stories with us.
Best,
Rosa
November 25, 2011 - 9:50amThis Comment
I'm glad I made you laugh and I hope laughter will help others to overcome any reservations they will have. I mean really, when you think about it, fasting all day, then chugging fluids that, no matter how they flavour them, are so totally revolting that you eventually either throw up or become addicted, only to spend the next few hours on the toilet is ridiculous enough. Then next day we let a total stranger go where no man has gone before... I mean, what's not to laugh at? Provided the outcome is not a bad one, that is.
I'm sorry you have had to go through the indignity of all this so young, but this way they can deal with anything before it can give you problems.
They did get everything they could see, but I think I will always grow polyps for a hobby and will need to be vigilant for life. Still, a small price to pay.
Lovely to meet you, by the way.
November 25, 2011 - 8:19amThis Comment
Martlet,
I'm sorry you found it difficult to have your first Colonoscopy-- but at least now, through your personal experience, you can advocate for Colonoscopies at 50. Were all of your Polyps finally cleared out? How are you now?
I am certainly glad that your outcome was not grim-- as it could have easily been. At 25 I had my first colonoscopy (due to family history). I have a healthy colon but believe me, despite how hard it was-- I would sooner drink that disgusting Nulytly drink and scream "WWHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY" as I drink it, than to think that I am exempt from colon diseases. I am so glad you now feel the same way and hope that others that read your story realize that it's a lot more important than we think.
Best Wishes,
Rosa
P.S. I have to admit, there were parts of your story that had me laughing. I'm going to bookmark it and read it as I sip on my drink for future Colonoscopies. I also have a friend that I know will listen to me as I pee from my behind- there is no greater gift than that. :)
November 25, 2011 - 4:56amThis Comment
And, of course, I meant LEFT-hand side, for the splenic flexure.
November 25, 2011 - 4:43amThis Comment