The thought of having another colonoscopy put me in a state of anxiety. However, it’s hard to avoid if you’re over 50. I had one 17 years ago when I hit the half-century mark. All went well, and I was determined not to have another one.
My health care provider mails me a fecal occult home test to take each year. They’re easy to do. I won’t go into detail, but once you collect your stool sample you pop it into the mail and wait for the results. Mine were always negative so a colonoscopy wasn’t necessary which I was thrilled about.
All was going well, until . . .
My stomach started giving me fits and by evening I was farting like a Tuba. Some nights entire symphonies would blast out of my butt and it was embarrassing. I couldn’t figure out what was causing it and thought it was a symptom of age.
Stress can often cause stomach issues and gas and dealing with the pandemic didn’t help.
One night it got really bad. I must have gone to the little girl’s room a dozen times and then I saw a spot of blood. ACK! My blood pressure went up, I started to sweat, and I was sure I was going to die. Hypochondria, anyone?
Low Fodmap for IBS
When I finally calmed down, I Googled irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and put myself on a Low Fodmap diet to see if it made any difference. Within 24 hours I felt completely normal and not bloated. Go figure. Maybe some type of food sensitivity was causing the problem.
Low Fodmap is an elimination diet. Certain foods can cause stomach discomfort like onions, garlic, dairy, wheat, and cruciferous vegetables. Proteins don’t normally cause bloating and gas, so you can eat all the meat and seafood you want. Foods like tomato, eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, and corn are fine also. Once you eliminate high Fodmap foods from your diet for a couple of weeks, you are supposed to add them back one by one to determine what food causes the problem.
I did fine for about a week and then we had a party. I must have eaten a trigger food and I saw blood again. It freaked me out so I made an appointment to see my doctor the next day. She recommended a colonoscopy which wasn’t a surprise. It tests for colon cancer so it’s better to go through with it before it’s too late.
The dreaded prep
Five days before my procedure I was instructed to eat only low-fiber foods. If it was white, it was safe. I had to avoid fruits and vegetables with skin like grapes, raw, unpeeled vegetables, nuts, seeds, or anything red like beets.
The day before my appointment was a fasting day and only clear liquids were allowed. I’ve never been good at fasting and I was afraid I’d faint, which happened to me twice before because of dehydration. I drank strained bone broth because it has more calories than plain broth and sipped white grape juice pretending it was wine.
At 6 pm it was time to drink the prep Glop, (my term) a 4-liter jug of electrolyte laxative. It wasn’t as thick and awful as I remembered it from my first colonoscopy. Maybe it’s been improved. I had to drink 8 oz every 15 minutes until I finished ¾ of the jug. To pass the time, I listened to comedy shows and stayed close to the bathroom.
The prep is the worst part of having a colonoscopy. The procedure itself is not so bad.
I woke up the next day at 5 am to finish off the glop and then I had to fast without even water until my procedure was over. My roommate drove me to my 9:30 am appointment because they were going to sedate me.
Countdown to blackout
When I arrived at the gastroenterology department, I felt lightheaded and thirsty but managed to stay upright. Then, I was asked to undress and lie on the gurney. My fear was waking up in the middle of my colonoscopy.
The nurses said they couldn’t promise anything because propofol would only put me in a twilight sleep. They wheeled me into a room that looked like an office, put oxygen tubes in my nose that smelled like weird ozone, and sedated me through my IV.
I blacked out but my fears came true when I woke up toward the end of the procedure and started yelling. They said, “We’re almost done!” I don’t remember the rest because they probably gave me more propofol. When I woke up again, I thought I must have had a bad dream. They wheeled me out, called my roommate, and walked me out the door to her car.
During my first colonoscopy, the nurse made me stay until I farted, which was embarrassing, but part of my prep this time was to take gas pills when I finished off the glug. I guess that took care of the problem and I was glad because there were other patients in the room waiting to have their procedures and I am not a public farter.
The outcome
Before I was discharged, the doctor told me everything inside my colon looked great. I just had some internal hemorrhoids and mild diverticulosis which is normal for people over 50. Needless to say, I was thrilled.
A colonoscopy isn’t a pleasant experience, but well worth it to find out what’s happening in your body if something doesn’t feel right.
My roommate drove me straight to Coco’s Restaurant next to the hospital where I ate a large omelet.
I don’t even want to think about the view the doctor and nurses had but I can tell you I had an audience.
Have you had a routine colonoscopy before? What was your experience? Please leave a comment below.
Good for you, Rebecca. They’re awful (although the drugs aren’t bad), but necessary.
Thanks, Laurie. Yes, thank goodness for sedation!
My husband just had his a few weeks ago, with pretty much the same results.
Great, Karen! I’m glad his turned out well.
I’ve had two, and have my third this year (I got my notice in January, but haven’t worked up to calling for an appointment). My spouse is on a 5 year schedule as he had an aunt who died from colon cancer and his is in July. I’ve slept through both of mine. He hasn’t been as fortunate. But someone I went to high school with has battled rectal cancer for several years now and I full well know I don’t want to go down his path.
I totally understand that. Colon and rectal cancer are awful.
Just went through this with Husby. His results came back negative, so he is now one year cancer-free!! So happy for these tests that are capable of finding problems early so they can be taken care of!
And so glad yours had a very positive outcome!
So glad he is doing so well Diane. That’s wonderful!
Glad you were all okay. I had a twisted colon the last time I had a colonoscopy and am now on a soft fiber diet. Ugh, hate getting old.
I hear you Judy! Sorry about the twisted colon. I am still on the elimination diet to see what was causing my stomach upset. Not fun for a foodie. LOL
I just had my second one.! First one was really ok, the Doctor I had ten years ago was as excellent as could be. He even let me watch on the camera. Everything thing turned out, or came out great. Ten years have gone by…ten years older, retired, and of course the same doctor has retired. New Doctor scary going in then I couldn’t hold that wonderful cocktail in had a mess all over the place. Doctor says if there wasn’t enough of the wonderful cocktail in my system we may have to do the procedure all over again. Oh no!
Luckily there was but before he gave me the sedation I had a full on anxiety attack. Well, found out I have IBS, diverticulitis, polyps. So grateful to the New Doctor taking care of me. All is good now but I must up my game with eating a lot more FIBER. Happy happy you are doing well, didn’t know my stomach could be so sensitive. But now instead of ten years I’m on the seven year track because the polyps can return.
So glad you were able to get it all done even with the anxiety attack, Wilma. I know the feeling. I thought I had IBS too but they didn’t see anything. I’m not sure how they tell. Glad you are working on eating well. It makes all the difference. Once you find out what foods you may be sensitive too, you can adjust your diet accordingly.
Had my first one at 50 and found out I can’t take that “glop” because I’m allergic to sulfa drugs. He had to come up with a wonderful cocktail of Gatorade and Miralax, plus some pill that I took at noon the day before which got the party started. New state now, so I’ll have a new doctor this time and my time is due although it’s the appointment I’ve been putting off scheduling.
Sounds lovely, Jennifer. LOL I like the at home test kits especially if you aren’t at high risk. But you have to do the real thing every once in a while.