Had a colonoscopy today.

[Belmont31R]

Worst part was the intense gas pains after I woke up. I could barely move and even breathing I felt like someone was sticking me in the side with a knife. Recovery nurse was pissing me off wanting me to get on all 4's on the bed and rock back and forth. No...I just want to leave and go home to relax. I was fully alert and fine less than 30 minutes after waking up.


Operation... I was in the room for less than a minute before I was out. Tingles for a few seconds after they put the stuff in my IV line and then I woke up 2hrs later in the recovery room.


Last night I shit about 30 times. Ass was raw from that. I was so hungry it was hard not to cheat. Earlier in the day I helped my dad with some stuff which was basically manual labor and I was starving by late afternoon. Oddly, today, Ive only been able to eat a cliff bar and am not hungry at all.


Doc didn't find the reason for my lower abdominal pain and said everything looked fine. Took a biopsy as routine practice. No polyps, no nothing. So thats good but at square one with finding the reason why Ive been having constant abdominal pain, low grade fevers, and torso stiffness.

[Cincinnatus]

Those procedures suck. Had one a few years ago. Whatever meds they put you under with really knock you out. My wife said I said all sorts of crazy things to docs and nurse while I was fading out--crazy in conception and worse in execution because my speech was slurred.

Sorry they don't know what's causing your problems. I can't answer for the fevers or the torso problems, but I have a great deal of the other symptom. My docs think it's from stress (IBS)--which is only to be expected since I work three jobs and go to school too.

Do you have a high stress job or something that could be contributing?

[montanadave]

Glad to hear things went well with no adverse findings.

Did Mr. Lemmiwinks make it out OK? :haha:

[Cincinnatus]

Did Mr. Lemmiwinks make it out OK? :haha:

:lol: Great allusion there!!!

[Belmont31R]

Glad to hear things went well with no adverse findings.

Did Mr. Lemmiwinks make it out OK? :haha:




He was a no show today. Little bastard took the day off. :mad:

[nimdabew]

I am not looking forward to getting roto-rootered. Since every male on my dads side of the family has shown signs of colon cancer or has had/died from it, I have that to look forward to when I turn 40 :/

[Hmac]

Colonoscopy is a valuable medical test. In those people where polyps we're found and removed, there's about a 50% reduction in death rate fom colon cancer. I've had 3 colonoscopies and have done about 10,000.

-Miralax/Gatorade prep...about as easy as it gets. (it's never easy, this one is least uncomfortable.)

-propofol sedation...won't feel a thing, won't remember a thing, ready to do complex calculus in your head about 20 minutes after they shut it off.

-if they pump air into your colon, you'll have significant cramping for at least the rest of the day. If they use CO2 instead, it will be absorbed about 50 times faster and there won't be any cramping and minimal gas. The CO2 equipment is expensive, but a state of the art endoscopy program will always use it for patient comfort.

-it's a very safe procedure. The risk to your life is vastly greater on the drive to or from the hospital. The only significant risk is from colon perforation which occurs, on average, about once or twice in 1000 patients (less with some doctors than with others...choose your doctor carefully).

[austinN4]

I had one done earlier this year. The worst part was the prep. I'll never be able to drink Crystal Light again, LOL.

[Mauser KAR98K]

I had one when I was a senior in HS. Problem I was having was due to stress.

I called the penultimate up-yours, or going to have the doc play candid camera up my ass.

[rob_s]

and for some reason the women that drive you to these things always want to go somewhere on the way home. "oh, let's just stop in at the..."

OK, but don't come crying to me when I'm farting my ass off in the vegan/organic smoothie shop where everyone knows you and you're going to be all embarrassed!

[glockshooter]

I had one about 5 years ago in my late 20s. I was having lower abdominal pain. I went to my doc and I told him I thought I had a hernia. He checked said no hernia. I spent the next few weeks having various tests including about 10 different doctors and nurses sticking there fingers in my ass, blood tests, MRI, and colonoscopy. I did all of this just to have the prep nurse the day of my colonoscopy to find out I had a hernia. Now remember this whole deal started with me telling my doc I thought I had a hernia.

I have also named the camera thingy the butt snake.

[CarlosDJackal]

The proceure itself isn't toobad. It's the preparation that sucks the great big weenie!!

Some items I recommend for use during the preparation: Flushable wipes and Vseline (to coat your anus). Makes a huge difference in keeping the soreness down.

Glad they did not find anything.

[nobody knows]

I'm not sure what kind of tests they ran on you wen you where at the hospital,but your symptoms sound exactly the same as the ones my father in law had a few months ago. He has already been diagnosed with IBS, but he said this time it felt different. What happened was he was over helping his ex wife move out of her house. Well the apartments she lived at sprayed for bugs once a month,they use a slightly lower grade poison then some other companies do. But the dumb ass that was spraying that day decided it would be okay to spray along the wall where my father I'm law was sleeping(on an air mattress laying on the floor). Wen he went to the doctor about a week or so later, they found the poison in his blood. That's what they are saying caused his stomach to harden like a rock,and the constant cramps. Anyway I don't know if poison is a possibility for you, but if it is you might want to have that checked out just to be on the safe side.

Glad they didn't find anything wrong with you, and hope you get it figured out soon. Good luck

[khc3]

I had one about 5 years ago in my late 20s. I was having lower abdominal pain. I went to my doc and I told him I thought I had a hernia. He checked said no hernia. I spent the next few weeks having various tests including about 10 different doctors and nurses sticking there fingers in my ass, blood tests, MRI, and colonoscopy. I did all of this just to have the prep nurse the day of my colonoscopy to find out I had a hernia. Now remember this whole deal started with me telling my doc I thought I had a hernia.

I have also named the camera thingy the butt snake.

My mother had about 7 mos of intense abdominal pain, nausea, etc. She underwent colonscopies, endoscopies, stomach emptying tests, 5 ER visits, a live-in nurse for 3 mos, all to find she had a hernia. Had surgery, was out a couple days later, no problems since (that was 2007).

I started having chest pains about 2 years ago. Did all the recommended GIRD/heartburn stuff, things improved somewhat until acouple months later, the pain and burning just wouldn't go away. So, went to the ER and made the mistake of telling them "chest pains." Went through the whole heart attack procedure, then did the stress tests, even arterial catherization. Everything's fine, I have the heart of a 20 year-old. But I did notice a lump or tightness in my upper abdomen. Sure enough, it was a hernia. Had lapriscopic surgery a couple weeks ago.

It seems like doctors are test-bound, and if your complaint does not coincide with expected results from their tests, they're pretty much useless.

And with deductibles and copays I wasted about $10 grand on a "heart attack," when the only time anyone put a hand on my abdomen was when they were slapping all the monitor leads on me.

[sadmin]

Im glad your tests came back clear Belmont.

Friday I went in for my first EGD to locate the root cause of, what I believed to be, 2 years of silent GERD / LPR that was causing Eustachian tube irritation, constant sore throats, sinus infections, abdominal bloating, etc.. I have been on 40mg of Nexium x2 daily.

Test images came back clear, no sign of GERD, no esophageal damage, no sphincter issues. Now im off to have the camera down my nose at an ENT; the Gastro Doc thinks it all stems from allergies. He said I have signs of PND, and that its the cause for the sore throats, middle ear infections, and whatnot. Strange, I have never had allergies towards anything in my life, no food or environmental. I have lost 15 pounds due to thinking every dinner was going to cause the GERD outbreak in which I wake up with a sinus infection. I started taking a Zyrtek since Sunday and I havent had a sore throat yet, so I guess time will tell.

[Belmont31R]

Im glad your tests came back clear Belmont.

Friday I went in for my first EGD to locate the root cause of, what I believed to be, 2 years of silent GERD / LPR that was causing Eustachian tube irritation, constant sore throats, sinus infections, abdominal bloating, etc.. I have been on 40mg of Nexium x2 daily.

Test images came back clear, no sign of GERD, no esophageal damage, no sphincter issues. Now im off to have the camera down my nose at an ENT; the Gastro Doc thinks it all stems from allergies. He said I have signs of PND, and that its the cause for the sore throats, middle ear infections, and whatnot. Strange, I have never had allergies towards anything in my life, no food or environmental. I have lost 15 pounds due to thinking every dinner was going to cause the GERD outbreak in which I wake up with a sinus infection. I started taking a Zyrtek since Sunday and I havent had a sore throat yet, so I guess time will tell.


Thanks, and its definitely not fun having a malady that takes a toll on your quality of life and daily living yet you can't find an answer for.


FWIW Ive been on Zyrtec before and now take generic Claritan almost everyday. Seasonal allergy sufferer, and CenTX is horrible for that.

Good luck with your issues.

[Hmac]

Friday I went in for my first EGD to locate the root cause of, what I believed to be, 2 years of silent GERD / LPR that was causing Eustachian tube irritation, constant sore throats, sinus infections, abdominal bloating, etc.. I have been on 40mg of Nexium x2 daily.

Test images came back clear, no sign of GERD, no esophageal damage, no sphincter issues.

An ENT consult is not inappropriate, but a negative EGD doesn't rule out GERD, nor does it provide any means of assessing any functional problems with the lower esophageal sphincter. EGD will tell you what the esophagus looks like. It won't give any evidence as to how it's working unless you actually see evidence of reflux, such as erosions, stricture, or Barrett's Esophagus.

[C-grunt]

So when I had my colonoscopie at the VA they didnt put me under and gave me no medicine. Everyone else that I know was given some sort of medicine. WTF? That shit hurt like a mother ****er.

[Sensei]

So when I had my colonoscopie at the VA they didnt put me under and gave me no medicine. Everyone else that I know was given some sort of medicine. WTF? That shit hurt like a mother ****er.

Military budget cutbacks...

[thopkins22]

Military budget cutbacks...

Absolutely retarded if that's the case. There's literally billions of dollars worth of defense spending that really ought to be cut...and they pinch a few pennies on anesthesia?

Of course, servicemen don't lobby/run independent expenditures/put decision makers in cushy jobs quite like Lockheed, L3, or Raytheon do they?

[Hmac]

So when I had my colonoscopie at the VA they didnt put me under and gave me no medicine. Everyone else that I know was given some sort of medicine. WTF? That shit hurt like a mother ****er.

I've never heard of any competent doctor trying to do a full colonoscopy without any sedation. If true, that would be way outside the standard of care, even for the VA.

[Scoby]

Had one about a year ago. GTG

Did you relieve your gas pains in front of the staff like I did? :D
I don't remember doing it but my wife sure does. Said she has never been more embarrassed.

[C-grunt]

I've never heard of any competent doctor trying to do a full colonoscopy without any sedation. If true, that would be way outside the standard of care, even for the VA.

Well I dont know of any levels. My primary doc over at the VA told me I was getting one to check my intestines. In 05 I was struck by a large IED and was shitting blood for a while after. Now I have stomach/intestinal problems.

Anyways they shoved a camera snake up in me and went into my large intestine but only along the side before it hits the colon. I could feel it up around my ribcage and the intestines looked good according to the doc. It looked like the inside of a white hose to me. They also took a biopsy.

I think the followup to that proceedure is the last time I went to the VA. They told me everything was fine. It always seems like they think Im lying when I go in there so I stopped going.

[Hmac]

Well I dont know of any levels. My primary doc over at the VA told me I was getting one to check my intestines. In 05 I was struck by a large IED and was shitting blood for a while after. Now I have stomach/intestinal problems.

Anyways they shoved a camera snake up in me and went into my large intestine but only along the side before it hits the colon. I could feel it up around my ribcage and the intestines looked good according to the doc. It looked like the inside of a white hose to me. They also took a biopsy.

I think the followup to that proceedure is the last time I went to the VA. They told me everything was fine. It always seems like they think Im lying when I go in there so I stopped going.

Sometimes what a patient hears, or thinks he hears, is not the same thing as what the doctor is saying, or thinks he's saying.
"went into my large intestine but only along the side before it hits the colon"...I'm not sure what that means. The colon is the large intestine. Maybe what you're describing was actually a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a rather pointless procedure that only examines about the last 30% of the colon/large intestine. A flexible sigmoidoscopy, back in the old days years ago when they were still being done, was often done in some places without sedation. They could indeed be uncomfortable.

[C-grunt]

Sometimes what a patient hears, or thinks he hears, is not the same thing as what the doctor is saying, or thinks he's saying.
"went into my large intestine but only along the side before it hits the colon"...I'm not sure what that means. The colon is the large intestine. Maybe what you're describing was actually a flexible sigmoidoscopy, a rather pointless procedure that only examines about the last 30% of the colon/large intestine. A flexible sigmoidoscopy, back in the old days years ago when they were still being done, was often done in some places without sedation. They could indeed be uncomfortable.

The general care doc did for sure say colonoscopy. Whether or not the intestine doc did that, Im not sure. Maybe they talked and decided to go a different route, who knows.

What I meant by the large intestine part was that they put the camera up along the large intestine along the left side of my body and looked around there. They stopped where the intestine turns and runs back across the body about at the ribcage. The intestine doc (I dont know their name) wanted to check that area because he said its where any damage to my large intestine from the concussion of an explosion would most likely be.

This procedure was in 2008 or maybe 2009.

[Hmac]

. They stopped where the intestine turns and runs back across the body about at the ribcage. The intestine doc (I dont know their name) wanted to check that area because he said its where any damage to my large intestine from the concussion of an explosion would most likely be.


Ah, I get it now. It was a flexible sigmoidoscopy, not colonoscopy. Only looked at the descending and sigmoid portions of the colon. Not a complete exam. I hope your intestines are working ok these days.