Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had a family member pass away from sepsis caused by their colonoscopy. Anyone else have complications from theirs? I’m nervous to get my first one this year.

I had a loved one get aspiration pneumonia-but it was caught early. It's was not a walk in the park-required hospitalization, meds and a prolonged recovery, but even she agrees it is far better than stage 4 colon cancer which a friend of her had. Complications are a risk, so just don't be shy about calling the doctor and/or going to the ER if you have symptoms during recovery. Colon cancer is on the rise and I would not give up the chance to catch things early for fear of a rare complication. Now if I were over 75 or 80, I might discuss with my doctor if it's worth the risk of anesthesia and complications because all of that is much harder on the elderly and the complications are more likely to be deadly.

Routine colonoscopies typically stop by age 75.

Anonymous wrote:I had a family member pass away from sepsis caused by their colonoscopy. Anyone else have complications from theirs? I’m nervous to get my first one this year.

I had a loved one get aspiration pneumonia-but it was caught early. It's was not a walk in the park-required hospitalization, meds and a prolonged recovery, but even she agrees it is far better than stage 4 colon cancer which a friend of her had. Complications are a risk, so just don't be shy about calling the doctor and/or going to the ER if you have symptoms during recovery. Colon cancer is on the rise and I would not give up the chance to catch things early for fear of a rare complication. Now if I were over 75 or 80, I might discuss with my doctor if it's worth the risk of anesthesia and complications because all of that is much harder on the elderly and the complications are more likely to be deadly.

Had my first one 5 years ago and have another coming up due to family history. BEST sleep I had in ages. Prep was manageable. I ate low residue for 4-5 days leading up and so when I had to drink the prep there was no pain when it was all coming out. Baby wipes may have helped too, but contrary to what they say, don't put in toilet. We had an old diaper genie from years ago so I used that. The prep tasted gross, but I followed every sip or 2 with a sip of Gatorade so it was fine. Bone broth helped me not feel weak or that hungry.

I didn't want to wake up from that blissful sleep and I was so out of it I called the anesthesia nurse by my husband's name and asked him whined at him asking why he woke me up. I apologized once I realized where I was. I was so relieved. I could barely process anything the Dr said, but my husband caught it. They wanted to put me a wheel chair just in case, but I said it wasn't needed and I bounced right out because I couldn't wait to go home and eat.

I just had mine last week and it was great. They put me under for the procedure, so it was a nice little nap. FWIW, my friend had conscious sedation and said it was painless but she could feel pressure; I was happy enough to be asleep.

The prep is annoying but not as bad as I feared. There are different prep kits but you are basically drinking powder mixed into Gatorade. Typically you have to take the last dose 5 hours before your appointment, which for a morning appointment means waking up really early, so schedule midday if you can. Also, my kit had a timeline that assumed you could be a short dash to the toilet starting at 5 pm: if that's not you, maybe schedule for a Monday so you can do the prep at home. You cannot drive after the procedure: they will require you to have a ride and you should not plan to work.

It’s not as bad as you’re probably fearing. I never had any sudden urgency that had me running for the bathroom. You will go numerous times, but you’re unlikely to have any accidents. If you’re doing a Gatorade and Miralax prep, it won’t be bad at all, but you may have to fast longer. If they’re making you drink prescription prep, ask them to prescribe something for nausea. As pp have said, get some baby wipes and some petroleum jelly and google low residue diet. The low residue diet ensures that you have less to clean out. I don’t remember the actual procedure and I was dressed and out of there very quickly once the sedation wore off. They will want you to have someone else drive you home.

Anonymous wrote:I had a family member pass away from sepsis caused by their colonoscopy. Anyone else have complications from theirs? I’m nervous to get my first one this year.

If this was local (dmv) would you be willing to share the practice name to avoid?

Anonymous wrote:I had a family member pass away from sepsis caused by their colonoscopy. Anyone else have complications from theirs? I’m nervous to get my first one this year.

That is not common. Go to someone board certified, that your primary care provider recommends.

The procedure is nothing to worry about at all. It does not hurt and you might not even remember the actual procedure.

The prep is inconvenient (basically, you bring on diarrhea so that your colon is clean for the procedure ).

You are doing the right thing. Just schedule it and get it over with.

I had a family member pass away from sepsis caused by their colonoscopy. Anyone else have complications from theirs? I’m nervous to get my first one this year.

Getting the drink down is the worst part. It tastes gross. Other than that it’s truly fine.

The frequent bathroom trips are…okay, not uncomfortable. The drink does what it has to with limited cramping. It’s remarkably efficient, too.

The procedure itself is a non issue — you arrive, they hand you a johnny, there’s a bit of paperwork, the doctors introduce themselves, you get an IV, then someone wheels your bed to a room, where you turn onto your side and fall asleep. You wake up in a different room and eat cookies, knowing that you took care of business.

I did mine last week, and it’s nice to have it out of the way. They did find some small polyps…and they’re out now — that’s why we do this. This was my second time — I’m an “every 3 years” gal, so I’ll do it all again in a few.

It’s not bad, truly.

Easy peasy.
Just drinking all that liquid for prep is little hard if you dont usually drink water all day.
Other than that its all good and nothing to worry about.

I had 3 done.

So many threads on this. It’s like everyone on DCUM had their first colonoscopy in the past year. Do a search.

Use vaseline on anus after each bm. Prevents chapping. Use soft water only wipes like Huggies.

Eat low residue for 3 days before prep. Less to evacuate.

No red or purple anything.

It was fine. Is it unpleasant? Sure but it's hardly the worse thing I've ever been through or done. It's more just a hassle than anything else.

Prep, the procedure and results.

How did it go for you?

Having my first at 38 due to family history. I am terrified!