Advice from Joe Harris.....

[GAHorn]

Yep. DON"T sign any legal papers for 24 hours after taking that drug!
My daughter made the mistake of letting me out of the car on the way back home. I wanted to stop at the grocery-store (because after not eating for 24 hours and having an empty digestive tract, one is quite hungry!) She said as we strolled down the aisles at the store she had the sudden realization that there was no way she could get me to go back to the car! I was busy filling up the grocery cart with stuff.
I didn't remember that part at all. When she told me about it the next day, I was releived to finally understand why I'd awakened in bed surrounded by three half-eaten bags of tortilla-chips and a half-pound of summer sausage.

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Well thanks Joe (and George). I've been procrastinating about this appointment for no particular reason for the last 2-1/2 years. About 2 weeks ago just after this thread started I called and made the appointment. (The thought of facing George if I hadn't and not caught it soon enough was just to much to handle. )

Yesterday I didn't eat anything and the prep medications which cost about $4 at Walmart were easy. 4 pills at 2:00 pm with no real effect till about 5:30. So I got a few things done around the house I'd wanted to do when I got a moment.

Then at 6:00pm 4 more pills and 10oz of Citric of Magnesia. You wouldn't want to drink this stuff all night but 10 oz wasn't the worst thing I've ever done. Then 48 oz of clear liquid through out the evening. At about 6:30 I needed to be close to a bathroom but after that not really a big deal making visits about every 45 minutes or so till about 9:30. I was not living in the bathroom as people had warned. I got a few more computer cleaning chores out of the way I'd put off for about a year.

This morning was the exam. Besides the IV stick which I had to endure two because the first didn't work there was no pain. Well except that damn paper cut on my finger from yesterday, that hurt.

I was joking with the Doctor and felt the warm sensation of the sedative in my vein and woke up what seemed like seconds later with the procedure finished. No after effect from the drugs that I can tell in fact it's 11:30 am, the procedure was at 9 and we stopped for breakfast on the way home. And the best part is I'm encouraged to flatulate (fart for my southern friends). I'd rather do this exam than go to the Dentist.

Results are a perfectly clean colon and I don't have to do this for another 10 years. What a deal. Unfortunately I'll have to endure at least 20 Dentist visits in that time.

[170C]

Bruce, congrat's on having received a clean bill of health on the colon. Emphasis on CLEAN Not that you were losing sleep over having the procedure or what the results might be, but its good to know things are as they should be. My time is approaching for my 3rd one and the doctors I have used never did have me take the laxative you used. Were those pills real salty? I may have to ck with you as my time come up to see if I can go that route. Now on the dentist----you could just have all of your teeth removed and get some falsies and not have to go back to the dentist very often

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I'll keep my teeth as long as I can thank you.

The drugs were all over the counter meds. The pills were Dulcolax (Bisacodyl) tablets. The Citrate of Magnesia is just that. The pills of course had no taste as you were not to chew them. The Citrate of Magnesia, in this case with 'Pleasing Lemony Flavor" was, I suppose, salty but I don't remember that because I thought I'd just eaten an entire lemon with each swig from the 10 oz bottle. I downed the entire 10 oz in two big swigs which was probably a bit of a mistake as the can of Beef broth I had for dinner and the lemon Magnesia hit my empty stomach just a bit funny.

I gather the cleansing prep varies widely doctor to doctor. I had a short stay last December in the hospital for a stomach virus and the guy next to me needed to have a colonoscopy. He'd had several before and was very familiar with the gallon of miserable tasting medication they gave him. He knew there was an easier way and complained terribly to the nurses who were understanding but who's hands were tied by the doctors orders. I made a mental note that an important factor in choosing the doctor was what cleansing prep he used. I got lucky.

[cessna170bdriver]

...I'd rather do this exam than go to the Dentist...

Neither is that bad (I actually enjoy dental checkups and cleanings), but I'm just glad that proctologists don't use a dentist's tools, and that a dentist doesn't use a proctologist's hands.

...I gather the cleansing prep varies widely doctor to doctor. I had a short stay last December in the hospital for a stomach virus and the guy next to me needed to have a colonoscopy. He'd had several before and was very familiar with the gallon of miserable tasting medication they gave him. He knew there was an easier way and complained terribly to the nurses who were understanding but who's hands were tied by the doctors orders. I made a mental note that an important factor in choosing the doctor was what cleansing prep he used. I got lucky.

For the two colonoscopys I've had, the prep was a flavored citrate powder of some sort to be mixed with 3 quarts of water, and actually came in a container that looked like it was liberated directly from the plastic milk jug production line. As I recall, the dosage was about an 8-ounce glass every 15 minutes until done. The first quart wasn't too bad, then my tongue started to reject the taste. Towards the end of the 3 quarts, the effect was nearly that of pouring it down an open pipe. . I do recall being distinctly lighter on my feet... in more ways than one. BTW, clean bills of health on both scans.

Miles

[W.J.Langholz]

Way to Go Bruce!!!!!!!

I think they must have had a garage aircompresser with a 1,000 gal tank. I never farted so much in my whole life. Thank God I can't remember much until I got in the car to go home.....but my wife laughs about it every time it comes up......oh well.....cheap laughs



W.

[170C]

My first one was that powder added to what seemed like a gallon of water. Likewise the first glass or two was acceptable and after that I had to gag it down. I didn't take the last little bit because I just couldn't stomach it and the other had done its purpose. Second one I had about 27-30 tablets, the lone type, and I drank them down, 4 at a time with Gatorade. That wasn't bad at all. They did taste extremely salty when placed in the mouth. I guess we are just sissies when it comes to these medical procedures, but they are necessary.

[paulafrank1213]

That was a good thought Joe Harris.