Has any one had one on this site I seem to remember a conversation about last year
I’m due one on 1st of may I’m not sure about what you have to eat before it as in the days running up to it .
Thanks all
Hi @ARCHIE67 Google is the place to look, plenty of detailed information there. Has your health care provider not given you a prep pack? I got given all the information and various laxatives required for the procedure at least a month before the dreaded event which turned out to be not as bad as expected, the prep was the worst part. Best of luck.
I had one in January in the UK. Had an interview which gave a date and things to do. A package of Enema powders and timing to take them before the clinic appointment.
The procedure was OK, i decided to not have a sedative, the last loop up under the rib cage was uncomfortable. They gave me gas and air….by the time i had worked out how to use it……the guy was pulling the camera back down and recording. It was a good result……don’t be frightened.
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Follow the specific instructions in your prep pack when it arrives, not anything generic online.
If it doesn’t then call your health care team.
Not all prep routines are the same.
Bruce
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I’ve had at least 10 colonoscopies over the last 20 years. Follow the instructions on the prep pack you should be given to the letter. Though having said that I now tend to start taking the ‘drain cleaner’ a couple of hours sooner than it says to, to ensure that it finishes working before the actual examination. Apologies if that’s too much detail 
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I hope all will be well with you……i did get some respite from the fear of the unknown from the Billy Connolly live sketch on his Enema. Wish you the best.
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Apparently the info and pack are coming in the post .
Can I ask about your diet/ food intake before you start using the drain cleaner as someone put it 
And thank you for the response so far all
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I was told to eat normally, but take some off the shelf laxatives for 3 days before you take their enema solution. It should all be explained in the pack you get.
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You should have received specific dietary instructions for the procedure along with any laxative type preparations to cleanse the bowel required to optimise the procedure in advance.
It’s possible you’ve just had the appointment and other details will follow on.
Bowel preparation instructions rarely involve anything more than 48 hours beforehand.
Contact the booking centre and see if there’s been an omission or other things are in the post.
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Very good advice. I had a pre screening appointment at the hospital. And a few days before the colonoscopy a package, they followed up with a call to make sure i had received it, and was going ahead.
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I’m sure Richard would rightly say that goes against forum rules.
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Had one recently. It’s fascinating seeing one’s insides on screen, and medic staff helped, explaining what I was looking at. Watching completely removed any trepidation I may have had about the procedure.
Admittedly, the laxative prep was less pleasant but it is amazing how much stuff is evacuated.
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A Cautionary Tale.
The first time I had a Colonoscopy was a bit surreal to say the least. I had conscious sedation. I remember the Doctor and Anaethetist explaining what they were going to do and that I had nothing to worry about and tried to put me at ease which worked up to a point. For those who have never had conscious sedation it is a strange sensation as you are drifting in and out of consciousness and you are aware of what is going on but you feel as though it is not you. Hard to explain. All I remember before they inserted the camera was the Doctor telling me that it was perfectly normal to get an erection and that there was nothing to be ashamed of which was funny because I did not have one and I told the Doctor so. His last words to me were “No, but I have…” and with that I drifted into a deep sleep.
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Halibut will be along shortly to give you a full optimistic overview of the whole process. Brace yourself.
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A hot curry the night before might not be the best idea 
Doing a colonoscopy on a halibut would be an interesting experience.
Wen we had one done there was little preparation needed as they used a phosphate enema and provided you hold it as long as you possibly can it does a good job although it is rather ‘explosive’.
Declined sedation as we have issues with anaesthetics. We didn’t need any analgesia, yes it was uncomfortable, but nothing more than that. The lower GI cramps expelling the air while we were in the recovery ward were actually more uncomfortable than the procedure itself.
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The best advice here is that given by Bruce above. Follow the instructions carefully; what you have to do when will depend on whether the procedure is done in the morning or afternoon. When you are taking the preparation to make you poo, make sure you drink loads and loads of water to keep you hydrated.
By the time it’s over you won’t have eaten for a while, and you’ll be really hungry. The cup of tea and cheese sandwich I was given after my recent one was like manna from heaven, and the care I received from the lovely NHS staff was second to none.
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After my first one I thought thank f*%k that’s over, they had removed some polyps and tattooed the area of removal. In the post about a week later was a letter advising I would need another colonoscopy twelve months later. 
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I had a conscious sedation one 3 years ago. The clinic will have their own clean out regimen. I made a point of having the day off prior because your life revolves around trips to the toilet at that stage. I was in and out of consciousness and it was only mildly uncomfortable. They found a single polyp darn it, so I gave to have another this year.
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They’ll give you a very clear list of what you need to do to prep your colon for the precedure. The prep is simple, but its also annoying and somewhat uncomfortable. That’s really the worst part of it.
I’ve had about 5 of them and was awake for the first one. Never again, it’s painful as he gets around almost every corner, and you run out of gerbal jokes, early on.
So there’s no need to put yourself thru the extra discomfort, they’ll knock you out and you wake up and don’t even know it happened.
Good advice from HH above.
Best of luck.
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