Talk:Colonoscopy

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This article contains material from the public domain NIH Publication No. 02-4331, dated February 2002, URL http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/colonoscopy/

I removed the pictures because they were grossing out my buddies

The pictures were :obscene:and:did:not:add:anything:to:the:article —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.183.198 (talk) 23:26, 5 January 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Removed for now

A 4 liter polyethylene glycol solution (Colyte, Golytely) remains the gold standard colonic prep with the best clearance of particulate stool. Due to the large volume and unpalatble taste, alternative regimens may be considered in the appropriate patient population.

I'm not a doctor (just somebody who's had to do this on several occasions and thus has read a good deal of info on the procedure) what I've read some studies suggest that some of the other methods work just as well or better than polyethylene glycol, and are more tolerable by patients. If you've got something to back the removed statement up, please add a reference to it, and put the statement back in. --Robert Merkel 01:46, 23 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, there exists a colyte solution that is fruit flavoured; it is actually adequately tasty and palatable, having the flavour of an over-sweet Kool-aid combined with a slick texture. With a little vodka, it'd be a pretty neat drink! Seriously, though: Most patietns find that drinking 4 litres by way of 250 ml glasses every ten minutes is quite difficult. Usually, the patient finds the fourth to seventh drinks to be the hardest to get down and keep down, but by then the mental powers are fully focused on finding the water closet, finding it in a hurry! Victims (I mean patients) should remember the following points: 1) it's hard to drink four litres (goodness, that's the size of an anti-freeze cannister!) in any day, letalone in 3-4 hours, but you will be able to do it; 2) don't make any plans to do anything outside the home for the rest of the day; 3) you will sit and read your favourite book about 10 - 20 times interspersed with drinking more of that antifreeze; 4) don't bother being obsessed about cleaning the tailpipe - it will hurt like heck the more you wipe; 5) it seems to never end - the drinking stops but all that fluid is in the fast lane to your city's sewage treatment facility - the product works as advertised, fully expelling everything that's in your bowels; 6) the thought of never drinking more water in your life is powerful, but make sure to have a drink of water around midnight - it's the last fluid allowed before the procedure; 7) this lavage prepartion is far worse than getting goosed by the doctor with scope.DocEss 18:45, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

My colonoscopy & endoscopy experience (with tips)

I recently underwent a colonoscopy and endoscopy (sedated) for the first time at the age of 34 (female). My GE has been trying to diagnose why I have chronic diarrhea and lower abdominal cramping (1.5 years). And yes, I tried all sorts of elimination diets prior!

The doctor's office (pre-visit) and later the hospital (for the actual procedure) were amazing. I was slightly worried about being sedated as I've never been through that before but it all went very smoothly. Everyone explained everything in detail and gave me information sheets. There was nothing left to "guess" and I felt very comfortable during the whole procedure and also about asking questions. I gathered information from the internet, including Wikipedia, to better inform myself about what would happen and why. I will briefly tell you what happened (along with helpful pointers):

→ The day before the procedure I started the Halflytley Bowel Prep Kit I had obtained from the pharmacy the week before. For the clear liquid diet I stuck with Sprite all the way. Right about 2 hours after taking the 2 tablets at noon, the first BM came along. From there, and all throughout drinking the solution every 10 minutes as others have mentioned, I had dozens of pure watery BMs. I vomited once, which can be expected, and also felt quite gassy throughout. This is where I want people to take note: your bum is not used to this many BMs, nor wiping all the time. Even the wet bathroom tissues were painful. I would suggest asking for advice and using a diaper/nappy cream if possible...you really do need a barrier as I was literally in tears due to pain on the outside. It took til 2 days after for me to recover just from this. I was never further than 10 steps from a toilet because the BMs come on suddenly and exit quickly. Plan on being stuck in and getting through this in once piece. This was by far the worst part of the colonoscopy. By the next morning I had only 1-2 small watery BMs just before the procedure.

→ For women: I suggest take a urine sample container home with you before you start the above preparation. The morning of the procedure I had to give a urine sample and was just about fresh out of anything remotely resembling urine as I had emptied myself all too well with the above. I wasn't allowed anything to drink at all after midnight and nothing on the morning of the procedure and apparently you give the urine sample as they take a pregnancy test minutes before.

→ Upon arrival at the hospital clinic, I checked in and had a short wait before a nurse did the prep work. She got me into a gown (complete with sockies and a warm blanket) and inserted an I.V. with electrolytes. I had never had an I.V. and I was surprised at how painless it was. Another short wait and I walked into the colonoscopy room.

→ For the procedure my GE doctor came from his office to the hospital, and in the room with him was a colonoscopy tech and a nurse. I was introduced to everyone, they explained what they were doing, I signed some paperwork and moments later I was sedated. I felt nothing and never stirred during. Upon waking (I believe it was about 40 minutes later), my doctor greeted me and told me that everything looked fine, but he did take 4-5 biopsies to send off for further analysis. I was wheeled into the recovery room where I was given fruit juice. The nurse was very good to me and explained to my husband and I about the follow up---what to eat and when and when to go back in for the results. She was there to make sure I could sit up properly and had me sit for a while before standing. Though I was a little bit groggy within the hour I felt just fine and had my first meal in 2 days.

→ When I left the hospital I had a follow up sheet to take home with all the instructions and appointment information and also 10 color images on a sheet of paper from the colonoscopy and 6 from the EGD (esphagogastroduodenoscopy) or endoscopy exam. They are absolutely fascinating and this whole experience has helped educate me in how my entire digestive system works.

→ I just found out today that my biopsies came back normal so I'm going back in 2 weeks for the Pillcam (especially for small intestine viewing). I will write about this after the procedure and results are back.

Whatever your reason for needing/wanting/being referred for a colonoscopy and endoscopy (and I'm well aware there are risks in this type and many other types of procedures), please be aware that the procedure can go very smoothly and you can gain vital information in diagnosing.

Lisametcalf 05:02, 7 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Gettin scoped

The anxiety and insecurity created by patients prior to procedures like this are nearly always powerful and seemingly uncontrollable --- and nearly always unwarranted. Note that, compared to the lavage preparation, the procedure itself is hardly bothersome at all; indeed, some patients find that watching there own insides is fascinating [there is a tv monitor for you to watch]. They also find the doctor's adeptness with the scope and all the little tools on the end of it to be fascinating and admirable - what skill! The sedative seems to provide the required amount of placation so that time passes really quickly and the experience is hardly traumatizing; before you know it, it's all over and you realize fretted for nuttin. Relax, joke around with the doctors and nurses, watch your own insides get probed and poked, sleep for an hour when it's done and go eat when you get home.DocEss 19:03, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Withdrawal times

I don't think that Wiki should be making recommendations about how to conduct a procedure, especially not when there is no evidence to back up the assertion. The only evidence for withdrawal times states a cut off of 6 minutes, not the 20 to 25 minutes stated in the article.

Barclay RL, Vicari JJ, Doughty AS; et al. (2006). "Colonoscopic withdrawal times and adenoma detection during screening colonoscopy". 355 (24): 2533–41. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Explicit use of et al. in: |author= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Gak 19:51, 16 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Eat Whole Grains

I recently turned 50 and got a colonoscopy, inspired by Katie Couric who had one. They found a polyp and got rid of it. (My doctor told me one in four people my age have a polyp, with the number increasing as a person gets older). Instead of having the next examination in 10 years, (which would be the case if there was no polyp), my next examination is in five years. He advised me to eat whole grain breads, which I do. I also eat rice bran, freshly ground flax seed power, and drink green tea, which some people have suggested is also helpful to prevent certain types of cancers.204.80.61.10 18:23, 4 January 2007 (UTC)Bennett Turk[reply]

Phospho Soda

As no articles link to phospho soda, I was thinking it would be appropriate to put some reference in this article. Is anyone knowledgeable as to whether phospho soda is the same as trisodium phosphate or where it could be best referenced? -- MacAddct1984  21:16, 7 February 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The chemical is Sodium Phosphate. trisodium phosphate is not the same. Kd4ttc (talk) 04:44, 18 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Colonoscopy Really Can Be Easy

Having tried each method of preparation I can say without reservation that the Fleet Phosphoprep is by far the easiest.

All but my first colonoscopy were done without sedative, although men apparently tolerate it better then women (they are built differently, after all). While I experienced some minor cramping, it was no worse than the prep the night before. Best of all, there is no recovery period aftewards. You're awake and alert...and eager for something to eat!

My poor Mom endured the gallon of water approach (and threw up long before she drank it all), and my wife enjoyed (sic) the 32 horse pills and 8 glasses of water. Never again in either case, you can be sure.

Without doubt, the biggest obstacle to a low stress colonoscopy is the idea that it will be embarassing and someone is going to stick a really long thing up your butt. Get over that and the whole thing really isn't bad, and can be very interesting to watch. Think of it as a new way to inner enlightment and self knowledge? ;-) —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 76.176.169.212 (talk) 16:58, 13 February 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Time factor

It actually takes a long time getting a colonoscopy done, most of which not spent with an endoscope inside - rather having prep, waiting, recovery time etc etc. doi:10.1111/j.1572-0241.2007.01387.x looks at how this will influence screening programmes. JFW | T@lk 21:39, 2 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Video record

Is it standard practice to record the video? If so, is it standard practice to keep the video records? For how long? Do any places make this record available to the patient? Do any places send home the patient that day with a DVD/CD video record, if they want it, as standard practice?-69.87.204.35 11:41, 14 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Taking a video is not standard practice. Photographs are routinely made. Kd4ttc (talk) 04:43, 18 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Reading Level of Text is way too advanced

Articles like this that are of interest to the general population need to be written at a bit lower of a reading level. Use of simpler language and some bullet points here and there would make this article accessible to everyone.

I don't know—or even understand—all the details enough to make edits. I hope someone else does. Denn333 23:01, 20 July 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Pictures of Polypectomy

The pictures were grosss so I removed them. ^yeah —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.19.183.198 (talk) 00:36, 19 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You keep removing them, but them being "gross" is not sufficient. Articles are not be edited based on a perception that things are offensive. Stop removing the images, especially since you only removed them, without editing the article to reflect your removal. I am going to replace the images. If you want to actually discuss this, with sufficient reason for removing them, then please do so here, but since you are the one making the change based on insufficient criteria, I will continue restoring the article to its original state, until you provide just cause. Thank you. Nik-renshaw (talk) 22:03, 22 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for keeping in the images. I took the images while doing a colonoscopy. The EMR in this example went very well, and I'm rather pleased with the result. For those who think this is gross, you should see how ugly a cancer looks. Better have the polyp out than end up with what looks like a rotten mushroom in the colon, or worse - a spread cancer. Kd4ttc (talk) 04:48, 18 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, thanks for images...very helpful with such an important topic ````