Colonoscopy Tip

Triathlon Forum
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I thought that the day and a half fasting, wicked bowel prep and sedation during a colonscopy would make a dent in my training, but basically it was a non-event. Ran 10K the morning before, rested the day of, ran 10K the day after and then 4hr intense XC ski session the next day and I’m back on the saddle.

The tip: For clear fluids during the fasting period they said light coloured gatorade was OK. So I drank two bottles along with lots of water. And the minute it was over, I started to reload on the carbs.

As for the actual procedure - hey, we’re used to suffering so this was a piece of cake.

Hope this helps any of you scheduled for this rather unpleasant event.

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Tip #2: Tell your doc to forget that Fent/Versed combo… go straight for the milky white bottle. =)

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Four timer here
Here’s another tip…if offered the new pill prep that they have. its not good or easier and doesnt work well. I needed another C as the prep was not enough.
And, glad you felt ok, but even with the gatorade, a colonoscopy 3 days before a marathon is not a good idea at ALL. GOd no! I thought with all the gatorade Id feel fine but it was not good at all. But that was old school prep, 3 day fast.
As for the sedation, I was fine after, and even went for a job interview in the afternoon after a C and got the job too.

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Nice of you to provide a thread for future users.

I 've had 2 since Sept. and have unfortunately been reduced to becoming comfortable with the process :slight_smile:

Anyway ,apart from the “draino” drink that should be served in shot-glasses the day prior , the procedure is for the most part , entirely painless and untraumatic.

I constantly drink diluted lemon juice ,to the tune of about 3-5L daily ,depending upon my training load. This hydrates exceptionally well and provides a tremendous source of Vitamin C. Additionally , it is clear in the colon as is necessary for colonoscopies. It does not have any sugar / glucose or fructose unless you add it yourself.

Personally I would not train after a colonoscopy unti the following day. Training the 18 hours prior can be difficult as getting “solid” foods in for energy and recovery is not allowed. So nutrition for training as well as recovery would be strictly lmited to clear drinks or white bread.

Good luck to all.

Terry

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That old school three day fast would really suck. I’m glad the new school only calls for only a day and a half.

My doc instructed me to use a product called “Pico Silax”. It worked like dynamite (almost literally). Took the first shot at 6pm the night before and whoosh, by 9pm I was pretty much all flushed out. Took the next shot at 6am the morning of and that cleared out the remainder. By 2pm it was all over and I was back reloading.

Kudos to the poster who succeeded with a job interview the day of the procedure. I was certainly too drowsy to have pulled that off.

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I thought this thread would be about whether you prefer a mushroom shape or carrot shape. Carry on.

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you guys are lucky, of anything i have done in my life, the colonoscopy are the worst. I would prefer to do a full ironman of suffering or running my marathon on a treadmill… nothing come close to the pain of that test…

and for me, recovery might be 2-3 weeks… i guess we all have different system but i do beleive lots of people with crohn and colitis will be in the same situation…

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Actually, no, unless your disease is active, the recovery period for patients with Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis is no different than that for patients undergoing screening. When the disease is controlled, and the procedure is done electively, it should not be any more painful than it is for the average person.

On the other hand, patients with irritable bowel syndrome are more sensitive and get significant pain with even minor insufflation of the colon. It’s the IBS patients that demand general anesthesia. Unfortunately, IBS and Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis are not mutually exclusive.

Pain during colonoscopy will depend on the skill of your physician, your individual anatomy, your pain threshold and your level of anxiety prior to the procedure. Response to different preps is also individual. Some patients can slug down a gallon of PEG solution without batting an eye and others will stare at the gallon jug with dread hoping they will absorb it through osmosis while swearing it’s the worse thing they’ve ever drunk. The PEG solutions are the safest and the sodium phosphate preps like Fleets and the pill prep Osmolyte have been associated with kidney problems and now carry a black box warning.

My tips for getting through the colonoscopy are:

  1. Follow the prep to the letter.
  2. Only clear liquids the day before the procedure and drink them liberally. Hold the nuts, seeds and fiber for a day or so before the clear liquids.
  3. If you have a gallon prep, damn what the pharmacist says, do not make it cold. Drinking a large volume of cold fluid will result in mild hypothermia, nausea and vomiting. Not only will you not be able to drink it all, what you throw up can mean the difference between a good prep and a reschedule.
  4. Before the procedure, try your best relaxation techniques. Listen to music, deep breathe, whatever calms you.
  5. If you feel cramping during the exam, take deep breaths and try and relax your abdomen, similar to belly breathing on the bike. If it feels worse than the cramping associated with diarrhea, ask for more sedation.
  6. Despite how good you feel after the procedure, if it requires thought or coordination, save it for the next day.
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yep, sounds like a the tape recorder of a doctor talking to me during the past 15 year…oh yes… but they often add suggestion of living a more quiet lifesytle and light physical activity. Good that i have selective hearing!

me:Doc, i feeling really bad right now, this colonoscopy really disturbed my body or something
Doc: no, it s been 2 weeks now, you are back to normal, you should feel good now
Me: no no, i m telling, i m all fuck up…
Doc, no i m telling you, your fine now …top shape
Me: thanks doc, very usefull, maybe you should live my life instead if you know more than me how i feel!!!

So, i guess i m a wuss, no pain tolerance, but like i said, in the worst of pain of any racing i have done in triathlon, running myself to the ground and pass out, it never came close to the pain with colonoscopy…

like you said, in one of your paragraph…

''On the other hand, patients with irritable bowel syndrome **are more sensitive and get significant pain with even minor insufflation of the colon.** It's the IBS patients that demand general anesthesia. Unfortunately, IBS and Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis are not mutually exclusive. ''

that the disease is active or not, the sensitivity is still there and that is a big problem for me at least. I cant comment for others…

thanks for the advice…been relax is sure a big part of this,

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IS THiS THE STRANGEST THREAD EVER ON SLOWTWITCH?

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Not if you have a relative who’s had colon cancer :slight_smile:
.

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LittleRingMan, funny name for one so well versed in colonoscopies.

I have had a couple, they have always used general anesthesia with me, which makes it pretty easy. The worst part is the colon-blow they make you drink, but at my last one the nurse noted that vodka is a clear liquid, which I observed would significantly improve the experience of the colon-blow-witches-brew.

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17 timer here (ulcerative colitis). The only things I would add are as follows:

  1. On prep day, if you (like me) need some calories to avoid a headache, and the clear liquids don’t do it, add carbopro to either apple juice or gatorade.

  2. Every year, I play a game with my doctor. As soon as the anesthesiologist pushes the sedation meds (usually the versed combo), I pick my head off the gurney and start counting. Most years, I get into the low teens before I am out cold. Best ever was 21. Worst was 9.

  3. I always have biopsies taken, so I usually take at least a few days off after the procedure so as to avoid any potential infection or complication. Total time away from training is usually 5 days (prep day, C day, 3 days after).

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You haven’t had fun until you have had a flexible sigmoidoscopy. They don’t put you under, but it is a bit smaller. Not as much cleaning out because they don’t go as far, but you get “discomfort” as the go around the first corner.

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The real fun begins with the NON flexible kind, that, fortunately, only goes in a little way. My first GI doctor called it “the telescope”. Agree that the flexible sig is WAY worse than the colonoscopy.

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Battled Ulcerative Colitis for a good part of 8 years and every time I had the procedure there was a different bowel prep. The first was actually for a barium contrast, I had to start prep 2-3 days prior with liquids and jello, then a combination of some funky pills and a gross drink. In a barium contrast, your bowels are filled (not the traditional way) with liquid barium. You’re told to lay on a table and hold onto two handles on either side. The table starts to pitch and yaw and you feel like one of those games where you have to get the metal ball through a maze by turning knobs on the sides of a box.

Other times, for actual colonoscopies, it was Fleet Phosphosoda, or the very tolerable sodium citrate, which tastes like salty Gatorade. The worst was before bowel resection surgery, the docs brought out the big guns: liquid diet on day 1. On the day prior to the knife, I had to drink an entire gallon of GoLytely in 30 minutes. 2 hours later, I wouldn’t say I was going very lightly. Luckily I was in the hospital at the time so there was a bathroom every 12-15 feet.

A lot of these bowel prep formulas incorporate an electolyte solution, because they basically induce diarrhea which we all know can lead to dehydration. The electrolytes compensate the diuretic effect by maintaining a somewhat electrolyte balance while “safely” preparing your plumbing for whatever.

Sigmoidoscopies are like shotgun colonoscopies, but they only go through the sigmoid or last portion of the colon. No bowel prep for those sometimes. I had one in the intensive care unit. I was fortunate to have sedation, although I’ve come out of sedation to full alertness and conversation during all my tests. At that time, it’s cool to see what’s on TV.

Hope I didn’t scare anyone.

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The real fun begins with the NON flexible kind, that, fortunately, only goes in a little way. My first GI doctor called it “the telescope”. Agree that the flexible sig is WAY worse than the colonoscopy.
My wife loved my colonoscopy…well she loved how loopy I was when she brought me home. I knew the flexible wasn’t going to be fun when the doctor said I would “feel some discomfort.” That’s doctor speak for “prepare to be in pain!” Though I did get to use some line from “Fletch” since I was awake!

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I haven’t had a colonoscopy, but I can’t imagine that it’s much worse than having your bladder scoped, whatever that procedure is called. When the DR was having trouble pushing the scope in, he told me to relax. Yeah, right.

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I asked the doc if I could get less sedation last time as I hated waiting around in the recovery and not remembering anything. He asked if I wanted to skip the drugs. I did. It wasn’t bad at all. I was outta recovery and on with my normal day in 20 mins after the procedure was done. This may not be an option for everyone but it sure made the procedure a lot quicker overall and my husband wasn’t tired of having the same conversation with me 14 times in recovery.

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Hey JohnnyO,

As some on this board are aware ( I started a thread 3 months ago and you added a post to it ) , I have Chronic Ulcerative Colitis , which is presently in remission. I did have IBS as well at the time.

Due to the condition I was required to have 2 colonoscopies. I am unsure as to how they are carried out elsewhere , but where I am , you are put under anaesthesia when the procedure is performed.

Thanks very much again for providing me with the information and advice that you did previously. It is greatly appreciated.

I do hope anybody here that has Crohns or any form of Colitis or IBS manages to get their condition under control and minimise flare ups as much as possible so that we can participate in our given sport.

Terry