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My First Colonoscopy
Nov. 5th, 2012 05:39 pmToday was the first time in my life I've ever worn a hospital gown.
My first colonoscopy was today. Given the loss of my older brothers in the last couple of years to cancer, my doctor wanted a precautionary look-see to make sure things were [edit: NOT] going wrong inside.
Yesterday's prep was not fun. You never miss eating solid food until you're told you can't have it. So after a day long diet of beef broth, popsicles, and apple juice, I started drinking the "GoLytley" solution -- 8 oz every 15 minutes for four hours. It doesn't necessarily taste bad, but it has an odd viscosity and a weird after-taste. You get sick of it quickly. The effects are fairly immediate, but not as bad as I had been told. I expected needing a toilet with seat belts and a roll bar, but I managed without them. By the end of the night, I'd evacuated everything I'd eaten since 1973 and my colon was pretty much back to its showroom specifications.
This morning, Brian (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cincycub) picked me up and drove me to the doctor's office. After some paperwork, the nurses took me to the back to change and get my IV put in. After 20 minutes, they wheeled me back to the exam room. It wasn't as technical as I expected, but I admit I freaked a bit when I saw the long tube with graduated lines on it -- it was six feet long. I didn't ask because I figured I knew where THAT was going.
The nurse put me on my side, injected something into the IV and I was out in seconds. I woke up in what felt like five minutes. All done. I remember asking a few questions, but I don't recall what they were. I don't remember being wheeled back into the staging area, but I remember being there and having the hiccups (one of the other side-effects of the medication). I don't recall getting dressed. I do remember being told that things were fine, nothing unusual found. I don't recall walking out of the building, but remember getting into Brian's car. I have a hazy memory of us driving to T.G.I.Friday's for lunch and from there my memory seems pretty solid.
The drug they use is called Versed, which is a sedative with a side-effect of some memory loss. I got home and took a nap, then woke up and ate cheesecake.
The best news is that nothing was wrong. And the cheesecake was fantastic. Big hugs to Brian, I really appreciate everything. :)
My first colonoscopy was today. Given the loss of my older brothers in the last couple of years to cancer, my doctor wanted a precautionary look-see to make sure things were [edit: NOT] going wrong inside.
Yesterday's prep was not fun. You never miss eating solid food until you're told you can't have it. So after a day long diet of beef broth, popsicles, and apple juice, I started drinking the "GoLytley" solution -- 8 oz every 15 minutes for four hours. It doesn't necessarily taste bad, but it has an odd viscosity and a weird after-taste. You get sick of it quickly. The effects are fairly immediate, but not as bad as I had been told. I expected needing a toilet with seat belts and a roll bar, but I managed without them. By the end of the night, I'd evacuated everything I'd eaten since 1973 and my colon was pretty much back to its showroom specifications.
This morning, Brian (
cincycub) picked me up and drove me to the doctor's office. After some paperwork, the nurses took me to the back to change and get my IV put in. After 20 minutes, they wheeled me back to the exam room. It wasn't as technical as I expected, but I admit I freaked a bit when I saw the long tube with graduated lines on it -- it was six feet long. I didn't ask because I figured I knew where THAT was going.The nurse put me on my side, injected something into the IV and I was out in seconds. I woke up in what felt like five minutes. All done. I remember asking a few questions, but I don't recall what they were. I don't remember being wheeled back into the staging area, but I remember being there and having the hiccups (one of the other side-effects of the medication). I don't recall getting dressed. I do remember being told that things were fine, nothing unusual found. I don't recall walking out of the building, but remember getting into Brian's car. I have a hazy memory of us driving to T.G.I.Friday's for lunch and from there my memory seems pretty solid.
The drug they use is called Versed, which is a sedative with a side-effect of some memory loss. I got home and took a nap, then woke up and ate cheesecake.
The best news is that nothing was wrong. And the cheesecake was fantastic. Big hugs to Brian, I really appreciate everything. :)
