The dreaded colonoscopy. A test that most don’t experience until they are over 50, but for me was a fast reality at 32. I had gotten quite ill, and my GI (gastrointestinal doctor) felt it was time to schedule a colonoscopy to see what was going on.
This sense of panic overwhelmed me, as I had heard all the horror stories about this procedure. I’m sure he was explaining the procedure, but my mind was racing with the thought of exactly where that tube was going to go.
My instructions were handed to me and I was sent on my way with a date in hand. The day before the procedure I had to follow a strict liquid diet. I could ingest no liquids or popsicles with red dye. Then at six that night I was to mix up my movi-prep solution and drink it.
Let me tell you, you want to be near a toilet at this point. The mix itself went down smooth, and it didn’t taste bad. It wasn’t like I had heard, with people drinking gallons of liquid prior to their scope. It was two little bottles and I got to mix them with a drink. Not bad at all.
I was up all night using the bathroom, but trust me you would rather be cleaned out then have them get in there and not be able to complete the procedure and have you do this process all over again.
On my way to the hospital I was so nervous about the procedure itself. I’m not a fan of being sedated, but the drug they used to sedate me was propofol. I went right to sleep and woke up feeling like I had just had a nap. I didn’t feel groggy and I knew exactly what was going on.
So, to sum it up I would have to say the worst part was the liquid diet. I do realize there are risk associated with this procedure, but they are minimal. Please do yourself a favor if you are over 50 and get this test scheduled. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosed in both women and men, and wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could raise awareness and get more people tested?