Dreaded colonoscopy!

[Kathy McCain]

Hi all,

I will be having a (ugh) colonoscopy soon. I have spoken with my cardio, and he says the protocol is differentnow. You really don't need to have an antibiotic for this procedure. Dental yes, and maybe some others. I told him I really do not want to have the procedure without it. He understood and "if it were him, he would probably would request the meds too". He also said to discuss this with my GI Dr. which I have an appt with this Friday.

My question: What has been your experience with this? My cardio says they will probably run an IV, because you are probably unable to take anything orally. I really hate this, always have. Now I seem to be having major anxiety about the antibiotic issue! I have a tissue valve. Medtronic Mosaic.

Please help! Thanks

 

[BAVD John]

Kathy,

I am about 6 weeks post op from AVR. I'm scheduled for my next colonoscopy in about 15 months. I was given a card by my surgeons physican assistant from the American Heart Association that states how to protect yourself from edocarditis. Below is a link to a copy of that card. The card I recieved is wallet size.

http://www.americanheart.org/downloadable/heart/120835704086250-1605_PDF 041608.pdf

 

[Adrienne]

I had a colonoscopy in 2007. I had to arrive an hour earlier to be hooked up to IV antibiotics. I can assure you that it is not the antibiotics which make me hate colonoscopies - it's the preparation the day before!!

 

[hall]

I agree 100% with you Adrienne, the prep is the worst of it. I have insisted on antibiotics and then had them without. I have been told I do not need them for that procedure. So I am not much help. They did give me the antibiotics through an IV when I did have them. I ask each time I have to go get the darn thing done. Best of luck.

 

[Karlynn]

Ugh is right. I keep procrastinating on my Age 50 screening colonoscopy.

 

[Nancy]

I have some tips. I have to have them every 5 years because colon cancer runs in my family. So far everything there is OK. After several times of prepping and feeling terrible especially in the beginning before anything starts working, I decided to think the whole process through.

This time it went smoothly and except for sudden urges and purges, I wasn't uncomfortable. Here is what I did.

First, my gastro guy uses the Miralax prep. This is superior than any of the others. It takes less liquid than Nulytely or Golytely. So right away it just feels better.

Second, this time I didn't just sit around waiting for it all to happen. I felt that sitting just makes you feel uncomfortable because your body is doubled up in the middle where all the action is. So, I got up and got on the treadmill, yes, for the whole 2 or so hours of prepping. But I walked very slowly and the treadmill is right by the bathroom. The moving around made the prep stuff work its way downward instead of just filling my stomach up like a balloon.

I am sure you could accomplish the same thing just by walking around your home and keeping active instead of sitting.

You'll feel much better in the standing position for however long you can do it. And moving around jiggles the stuff down where it needs to get to.

So put on your tennis shoes and prep away It will be finished before you know it.

 

[mainframe]

I had one a couple of years ago and did'nt even think about the antibiotics. My primary doc or the doc doing the procedure didn't mention it either. Of course now I wonder if I should have though I seem no worse for wear. They didn't find anything.

The morning of the procedure I awoke with a splitting headache for some reason and they allowed me to take a couple of Tylynol and a bit of water.

 

[Nancy]

The splitting headache could have come from the fact that some preps wash a large number of electrolytes from your system. My doctor recommended that I take the Miralax prep mixed with Gatorade (non red color) which has electrolytes. I use the blue or the green color. No headache at all for me.

Gatorade has some sodium in it, so check it out with your doctor if you are sodium restricted.

 

[catwoman]

My GI doc didn't think antibiotics were necessary when I had my last one (12/1/08).

However, next time I'm to demand an IV of antibiotics (I'll tell 'em, "Humor me!"). My youngest sister gets an IV of antibiotics for her colonoscopies; she has lupus & rheumatoid arthritis, no heart problems. So, why can't doctors "humor" me and oblige? I'll demand it next time. Won't hurt.

But the prep was a breeze this time. And I was able to stay anticoagulated, too. Worst part was agonizing over starting the prep process. But since my mom & her mother had colon cancer, I need frequent c-scopes.

 

[DebbyA]

Which way are you leaning now?
I think I'd be nervous about having colonoscopy without antibiotics. For 3 out of the 4 I've had, the doctor forgot to order antibiotics (when it was still in the protocol), and I reminded them in the prep room interview. A real confidence-builder. If I don't have a polyp this year, maybe I can go back on the 10-year schedule--only two more then.

 

[Rebecca]

This week I also get to visit my gastro doctor because it is time for a colonoscopy. Two years ago I had my first colonscopy and had two polyp removed. The prep night before is the worst part. I could not drink anything after 12:00 that night and my colonscopy was in the afternoon the following day. I was so dehydrated that it was about their fifth attempt that they finally got a iv into me. The top of my hand, wrist and inter elbow was brusied. This time I will have it done it the morning. Someone told be that it easyer to drink the prep with a straw. I hate the taste of the prep. A few days before I will start drinking some smart water because it has electrolytes in it. I think I had antibiotics in my iv.

 

[csutherland]

Jerry's colonoscopy was Aug 28. It was supposed to be a 5-year interval but wound up being more like seven due to various other ailments that came up in the meantime. No antibiotics were ordered this time; the doctor's office said it was no longer part of the protocol. Due to all the prep, the 24 hours of liquid diet, and the $600 Lovenox shots, he proclaimed that he was never doing it again. Then he received the report on the two polyps they removed: "They are the type that turn into cancer, so be back in 5 years." I'm sure he'll agree to go through it again when the time comes, but 5 years will come very quickly!

 

[Kathy McCain]

Yes, I was supposed to have this last year. The Dr. found 2 polyps, with my first colonoscopy 9 yrs ago. At that time they removed them. One was totally benign, the other was precancerous. My last colonoscopy was great(4yrs ago) No polyps. My Mother however died from colon cancer at 57, so it makes me a bit more susceptible. With my heart surgery last year, it delayed the whole thing. I was supposed to have this done last year.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Thank you all for the response!! I value your opinions, and help.

I have scheduled this darn thing for Oct 5th. There was no problem with the anitbiotic! It's called Levaquin 500mg. I take one orally the day before, one on the day of the procedure, and one the day after.

He also prescribed MoviPrep, instead of the dreaded Golightly!

Hope all goes well.

 

[ponygirlmom]

I could not drink anything after 12:00 that night and my colonscopy was in the afternoon the following day. I was so dehydrated that it was about their fifth attempt that they finally got a iv into me.

Whenever there are "no eating or drinking" rules, you should always ask "how many hours before the procedure can I eat or drink?" Do not accept "nothing after blah-blah" if your procedure is in the afternoon and you know that it would be possible to have the procedure in the morning. Get the real scoop so that you can avoid severe dehydration, even if you have to wake up at 2am for your last drink!

 

[catwoman]

He also prescribed MoviPrep, instead of the dreaded Golightly!

Hope all goes well.

Our GI doc Rxes the MoviPrep. Based on the name, I expected it to come with a bag of popcorn, a liter of Dr Pepper and a video......

Seriously, I was quite surprised with the price tag on that stuff. It was NOT cheap, at least not in my book. I barked at the GI doc about the pricetag and asked if he couldn't find something just as effective but cheaper. Don't remember what it was, but it was enough to surprise me.

 

[JeffM]

I didn't get antibiotics for my colonoscopy. The worst part about the whole experience was the day/night before. No food is tough anytime. The cleanout process was not fun but not eating was worse. The actual colonoscopy was a piece of cake.

 

[Bryan B]

I had my first colonoscopy 9 months after my heart surgery back in 04. I was given IV antibiotics for that one. I was scheduled to have one July 29th of this year and he gave me a prescription for four of the Amoxicillin 500mg capsules. He said that was the protocol for someone with a prosthetic heart valve and IV antibiotics were not necessary. Unfortunately (because I was geared up to "get er done") the colonoscopy was canceled because my cardiac MRI on July 28th (early AM) showed that my aortic root was dilated to 4.4cm and my aorta was dilated to 5.2cm. He was already concerned with the fact that my echo showed that my aortic root was dilated to 4.3cm, so he called my cardio to make sure it was safe to do the procedure. She gave him the go ahead, but then I had the MRI and both my GI doc and my cardio decided to hold off on doing the procedure.