opie's twisted balls
03-15-2010, 08:28 PM
Since Dr. Steve has taken a sabbatical from rf.net thought it would be more fitting to post this in the health & fitness forum.
I have a history of colon cancer in my family so thought it would be prudent if I started getting screened at an earlier age (I'm 37) than otherwise recommended. After talking to my family doc it was agreed that I get my name on the list and make sure that my guts are healthy.
Based on the experience of others I think the wait times I had were relatively short. Met with my family doc in July of last year, had my consult with the gastroenterologist in November and the procedure on the 3rd of March. Considering I'm still low risk and had heard horror stories of people waiting up to two years (socialized medicine isn't all that its cracked up to be) I didn't think it would be happening this quick.
During the November consult the specialist was easy to talk to. Discussed my personal and family's medical history, went through what the process entails/preparation, the potential risks, etc. Given Dr. Steve's experience of going through his last colonoscopy without drugs and since I'm a naturally curious type I asked the doc if he'd be open to me following the same path. While not enthusiastic he said he'd be OK with it thats what I wanted.
The three months went by like a flash and all of a sudden my appointment was a week away. I got out the prep instructions and went shopping. The protocol he suggested was quite a bit different then what I've read here and elsewhere and since this is my first scope-ing of the ass don't know if what I went through was better or worst.
-Step 1, nothing solid by mouth after midnight two days before the procedure
-Step 2, only clear fluids during the day before
-Step 3, starting at 5:00pm the day before take 30ml (one shot glass) of milk of magnesia every 30 minutes for a total of four doses
-Step 4, at 8:00pm take 40mg of dulcolax
-Step 5, nothing by mouth after midnight
-Step 6, the morning of the procedure give yourself a fleet enema
Despite the difference in procedure the result is the same. My body emptied liquid shit at a frantic pace. There's no twinge and feeling of "I think I need to take a dump, it can wait"....its "GET YOUR ASS ON A TOILET NOW OR YOU'LL NEED A MOP". Surprisingly the least objectionable part was the enema. By the next morning I was empty so not much was flushed out.
Since I wasn't sure if I'd chicken out and go for the dope I took a cab to the hospital with my moral support (my Mom) in tow. Admitting was straightforward and was sent to the outpatient endoscopy department. Once there saw a nurse who gave me a smock, took my stats and started an IV. Was scheduled for 9:30 and even though I was the doctor's third asshole on deck they were only running five minutes late in wheeling me off to the exam room.
Smallish room measuring about 15'x15', assortment of patient monitoring gear, equipment cabinet, big sink, PC workstation. The staff were made up of the doctor I saw in November, another doctor (who I assumed was working on his specialty) and two nurses. Once the hellos and how are you doings were exchanged I asked the two doc's if they were OK with me going through the procedure without drugs. Both were cool with it but the one nurse was fairly reluctant. No doubt since its usually their job to deal with the patient and I'm sure the last thing she wanted is to me bolt in the middle of a procedure and go running down the hall with pricey camera trailing from my rear. None the less we were all on-board with me going natural.
At this point I was doing alright but by no means relaxed. The second doctor was going to do the procedure while the first doc I had met with was going to observe and provide input. I move to my left side, put into a modified fetal position and the fun begins. Starts with a digital rectal exam (aka a lubed finger up the ass) followed quickly by the scope being introduced. Now keep in mind that the way I'm positioned the camera monitor is about a foot from my head so I'm getting a GREAT view of the proceedings and it was disturbing to see a fairly unknown part of your own body. For the first little bit all it feels like is that you have to go for a crap. However, once it reaches descending colon things get a little uncomfortable. Its OK again for a bit till they reach the transverse and again ascending colon. Each time the scope makes a turn the cramping is quite severe. They made it as far as ileocecal valve (junction of the small and large bowel) and then start backing up. I don't know if this is the protocol that always followed but they explained to me they go in fairly quick just getting a cursory look at things and when they withdraw is when they actually spend the time poking around.
Speaking of communication the doctors were amazing at keeping me informed, answering questions, etc. Once the scope was all the way in I felt sort of detached from the procedure itself and was more like I was watching Discovery Channel. During the withdrawal they stopped at the one polyp they noticed on the way in and removed it with tiny forceps. A nice touch was they doctor also suctioned out a lot of the air he had previously pumped in so kept the bloating to a minimum. Once the procedure was done I had a brief chat with the doctors re. what they saw, next steps/follow-up and then wheeled to recovery.
Since I didn't have anything in the way of pain control or anesthetics I was free to go once they took out the IV. The curiosity factor aside that was a total bonus since the quicker I could get out of there the quicker I could have a coffee.
Now, you may ask why the long winded post? One, cause I'm in a sharing mood tonight but more to the point I've become rather passionate about something I believe should be included as screening for everyone! The woman's health movement has made wonderful strides in promoting mammograms and breast self-exams. Diabetic screening is more prevalent which is great. But I think we're still ignoring our ass's. Having seen this horrible disease kill my Dad and now knowing how relatively straightforward and painless the screening is I can't stress enough how much everyone should discuss this with their doctor.
With that I leave you with a couple of visuals.....
The results of my colonoscopy (which I thought was so cool to receive 15 minutes after the procedure was over):
http://i41.tinypic.com/2n84wnm.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2jcsevq.jpg
And what I think is a hilarious video from Billy Connolly describing his experience with the prep.
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I have a history of colon cancer in my family so thought it would be prudent if I started getting screened at an earlier age (I'm 37) than otherwise recommended. After talking to my family doc it was agreed that I get my name on the list and make sure that my guts are healthy.
Based on the experience of others I think the wait times I had were relatively short. Met with my family doc in July of last year, had my consult with the gastroenterologist in November and the procedure on the 3rd of March. Considering I'm still low risk and had heard horror stories of people waiting up to two years (socialized medicine isn't all that its cracked up to be) I didn't think it would be happening this quick.
During the November consult the specialist was easy to talk to. Discussed my personal and family's medical history, went through what the process entails/preparation, the potential risks, etc. Given Dr. Steve's experience of going through his last colonoscopy without drugs and since I'm a naturally curious type I asked the doc if he'd be open to me following the same path. While not enthusiastic he said he'd be OK with it thats what I wanted.
The three months went by like a flash and all of a sudden my appointment was a week away. I got out the prep instructions and went shopping. The protocol he suggested was quite a bit different then what I've read here and elsewhere and since this is my first scope-ing of the ass don't know if what I went through was better or worst.
-Step 1, nothing solid by mouth after midnight two days before the procedure
-Step 2, only clear fluids during the day before
-Step 3, starting at 5:00pm the day before take 30ml (one shot glass) of milk of magnesia every 30 minutes for a total of four doses
-Step 4, at 8:00pm take 40mg of dulcolax
-Step 5, nothing by mouth after midnight
-Step 6, the morning of the procedure give yourself a fleet enema
Despite the difference in procedure the result is the same. My body emptied liquid shit at a frantic pace. There's no twinge and feeling of "I think I need to take a dump, it can wait"....its "GET YOUR ASS ON A TOILET NOW OR YOU'LL NEED A MOP". Surprisingly the least objectionable part was the enema. By the next morning I was empty so not much was flushed out.
Since I wasn't sure if I'd chicken out and go for the dope I took a cab to the hospital with my moral support (my Mom) in tow. Admitting was straightforward and was sent to the outpatient endoscopy department. Once there saw a nurse who gave me a smock, took my stats and started an IV. Was scheduled for 9:30 and even though I was the doctor's third asshole on deck they were only running five minutes late in wheeling me off to the exam room.
Smallish room measuring about 15'x15', assortment of patient monitoring gear, equipment cabinet, big sink, PC workstation. The staff were made up of the doctor I saw in November, another doctor (who I assumed was working on his specialty) and two nurses. Once the hellos and how are you doings were exchanged I asked the two doc's if they were OK with me going through the procedure without drugs. Both were cool with it but the one nurse was fairly reluctant. No doubt since its usually their job to deal with the patient and I'm sure the last thing she wanted is to me bolt in the middle of a procedure and go running down the hall with pricey camera trailing from my rear. None the less we were all on-board with me going natural.
At this point I was doing alright but by no means relaxed. The second doctor was going to do the procedure while the first doc I had met with was going to observe and provide input. I move to my left side, put into a modified fetal position and the fun begins. Starts with a digital rectal exam (aka a lubed finger up the ass) followed quickly by the scope being introduced. Now keep in mind that the way I'm positioned the camera monitor is about a foot from my head so I'm getting a GREAT view of the proceedings and it was disturbing to see a fairly unknown part of your own body. For the first little bit all it feels like is that you have to go for a crap. However, once it reaches descending colon things get a little uncomfortable. Its OK again for a bit till they reach the transverse and again ascending colon. Each time the scope makes a turn the cramping is quite severe. They made it as far as ileocecal valve (junction of the small and large bowel) and then start backing up. I don't know if this is the protocol that always followed but they explained to me they go in fairly quick just getting a cursory look at things and when they withdraw is when they actually spend the time poking around.
Speaking of communication the doctors were amazing at keeping me informed, answering questions, etc. Once the scope was all the way in I felt sort of detached from the procedure itself and was more like I was watching Discovery Channel. During the withdrawal they stopped at the one polyp they noticed on the way in and removed it with tiny forceps. A nice touch was they doctor also suctioned out a lot of the air he had previously pumped in so kept the bloating to a minimum. Once the procedure was done I had a brief chat with the doctors re. what they saw, next steps/follow-up and then wheeled to recovery.
Since I didn't have anything in the way of pain control or anesthetics I was free to go once they took out the IV. The curiosity factor aside that was a total bonus since the quicker I could get out of there the quicker I could have a coffee.
Now, you may ask why the long winded post? One, cause I'm in a sharing mood tonight but more to the point I've become rather passionate about something I believe should be included as screening for everyone! The woman's health movement has made wonderful strides in promoting mammograms and breast self-exams. Diabetic screening is more prevalent which is great. But I think we're still ignoring our ass's. Having seen this horrible disease kill my Dad and now knowing how relatively straightforward and painless the screening is I can't stress enough how much everyone should discuss this with their doctor.
With that I leave you with a couple of visuals.....
The results of my colonoscopy (which I thought was so cool to receive 15 minutes after the procedure was over):
http://i41.tinypic.com/2n84wnm.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2jcsevq.jpg
And what I think is a hilarious video from Billy Connolly describing his experience with the prep.
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