colonoscopy

[plum]

hi
the endocrinologist is trying to book me in as an inpatient for THREE days for a colonosopy.
has anyone else had that, or do you just get the standard procedure, where you go in just for the day?.
will i have any intestine left after they have finished?
am not looking forward to this at all.
any tips on how to survive the process much appreciated.
thanks
plum

[Carl]

Gosh, 3 days! I've never had the procedure, and don't much fancy it either. I know that it is an unpleasant procedure and I did see mentioned on the Addisons site that extra Hydrocortisone is recommended (not sure if that link will work). I know Addisons patients are different to Pituitary conditions....but similarities, I just couldn't find an equivalent chart on this site, but I'm sure it is there somewhere!

https://www.addisons.org.uk/comms/publi ... nes-bw.pdf

So perhaps your Endo is concerned, assuming you are on Hydrocortisone/steroid replacement, that you need extra caution because of your condition, hence the long period of inpatient required.

Hope all goes well with it...if that is what you end up doing.

[Pat]

Hi Plum

sounds as though they are being cautious and preparing you well for this test.
Our Hydrocortisone Advice booklet says:
Colonoscopy and Barium Enema
Double your usual dose as soon as the preparatory laxatives take effect and for duration of the preparation.
For colonoscopy only: a 100mg injection 30 minutes before procedure to be given by doctor.
Take usual dose on morning of procedure.
Drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.
Tell the doctor before procedure that you take hydrocortisone.

Wish you luck and hope all goes well.
Pat

[plum]

hi Carl and Pat

Thanks for your answers and advice.
Fortunately I am not currently on hydrocortisone. (I was, then managed to get off it).

It is just that 3 days seems a long time to spend emptying out my colon...

Oh well ..... yet another of the indignities that this condition is subjecting me to...
Sigh

Plum

[stevea]

hello Plum. I guess that you will have had your day on camera by now. would you like to share your experience

[plum]

oh Hi
apologies for the delay - was trying to forget....

anyhow the first thing is that the actual colonscopy itself was completely painless. i wasn't even aware it was going on although i could see the screen in front of me. but if that had been a film of someone else's colon being travelled along i would have believed it.
the comment from the endoscopist in my clinic letter was that i have a "long and tortuous" colon.
well hey ho. glad to have provided something more interesting and out of the ordinary for him to do.

meanwhile the preparation itself was not the most pleasant.
usually, ie for 'normal' people who prepare at home, the protocol is for 2 litres of moviprep. (sounds like getting ready to go to the cinema)....
i discovered that there is a protocol for 3 litres also.
i was given 6 (six) litres over about 2.5 days.
however this did start while i was still on the lowfibre preparation diet, so i wonder if 2 of the litres were a bit unecessary.
i can recommend NOT guzzling an entire bar of chocolate the day before to comfort yourself.
i can also recommend taking along the sachets of moviprep that you are sent beforehand, in case there is none on the ward.
you are not likely to need it at home anyhow.

due to the heavy liquid loss i was attached to a saline drip for the time in the ward. and one glucose drip.
but i am wondering whether, next time (alas there is likely to be a next time), i could persuade them to allow me to stay at home if i promise to drink a couple of litres of oral rehydration solution as well.
it's just a) nicer to be at home rather than using a shared bathroom
and b) it feels like a waste of resources given that hospital beds are generally in short supply.
also, being at home would have avoided my meeting some of the new (possible trainee) endocrinologists who came out with such rubbish. one asked how i was getting on with the cabergoline which i have been newly put on. i told her that my hair had recently grown back and now, since starting on the cabergoline it was all falling out again... she said that was very rare, as if i was not telling the truth. however i don't bother putting the vacuum cleaner away any more, there is that much hair falling out.
but at least i didn't get the crowd of medical students sent by their lecturer to look at the "rare patient", which i have had on previous hospital stays!

hope this helps
Plum

[stevea]

thanks for that Plum. I have always taken the prep at home . it did make the trip to hospital for the procedure a bit risky. every thing else was the same except I asked for sedation so I was dozing most of the time.

[plum]

Hello.
Here's an update.
i have just had another one of these indignities. This time I talked to the endoscopy matron and then prepared a plan of action which I sent to the endocrinologist. This laid out the times that I would take the six sachets of Moviprep, eat low fibre food and drink Dioralyte. And he agreed that I could do this at home instead of in hospital, with the proviso that if I got too dehydrated then I would go to hospital. As a back-up I sent a copy of the emails and plans to my GP (who might be on leave at the moment so he might not have seen it. Anyhow it's the idea that counts).

So the whole preparation session was much better.
Interestingly the endoscopy report said that bowel preparation was 'fair'.
I started low fibre diet 2 days pre-colonoscopy and then took clear liquids only for the final 24 hours

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to get better clearance? My thoughts are:
Would it have been better if I started the low fibre diet a few days earlier?
Should I have been on liquids only for longer? eg 36 or 48 hours?

Thanks
Plum

[KitKat]

Hi Plum,
Thanks sharing without oversharing!
My husband (exceptionally fit, keen runner, no medical conditions other than an allergy to erythromycin) had to do the Moviprep thing for a colonoscopy last week. It was interesting to observe that even someone with his high fitness was totally knocked about by the fluid loss.
For the morning ahead of his 2pm appointment he was cold, shivery and sleepy enough to go back to bed mid morning. He fell asleep in clinic again, waiting for the radiologist who had been delayed at his previous hospital appointments. Came right quite quickly afterwards, but it made me appreciate that being wired up to a bag of fluids is not an offer to be turned down lightly.
Best
KitKat

[plum]

Hi

It's that time again. Back to preparation before colonoscopy and I'm struggling once more.

Even though I'm at the same hospital, it was a real struggle to get pharmacy and endoscopy to accept I need additional sachets of MOVIPREP beyond the standard 2 litres. Thank goodness for the intervention of the endocrinologist, but even then the pharmacy overruled his request and I had to beg and plead with them and basically make a huge fuss to get them to provide what he had requested.
Now that I have the extra sachets there is nobody to assist with deriving a safe plan to take it all and maintain electrolyte balance, hydration etc.

I'm now struggling to prepare the schedule to take 6 litres, with some low fibre food on the first day and dioralyte and of course all that additional liquid.

I started low fibre diet 4 days before the colonoscopy.
I plan to start MOVIPREP 2.5 days before the colonoscopy and will take 3 litres each day. None on the day itself because my procedure is considered to be in the 'morning'.
Final solid food will be eaten 30 hours before colonoscopy. Thereafter just clear liquids and dioralyte.

Would be interested to hear how this compares with anyone else's preparation plan?

It would be so helpful if there was some written guidance on this to help to plan this safely and especially if there was some written information which I could show to endoscopy / pharmacy to make it easier next time.

thanks

Plum