Hello my friends !

Yesterday morning I had a colonoscopy. I know many of you have a colonoscopy coming up so I wanted to post a detailed account of my experience....there's tons of misinformation out there, so I wanted to pass on my firsthand experience:

...FYI, I broke this into two posts since this forum doesn't seem to take really long posts...

About Me, Bio:
male, 50yo, 160 lbs, 5' 10", very healthy. I exercise a lot, run semi-competitively, and also participate in crossFit. I work in engineering in Northern California. I have no health issues (other than AF) and I don't take any medication (other than stool softeners).

Why did I have a colonoscopy ?
I've been dealing with a fissure most of the year (2015). Last summer I had a sigmoidoscopy to verify that it was only a fissure and not something more serious. They verified the fissure, but they also found a non-cancerous polyp, so they scheduled a full colonoscopy to remove the polyp.

Condition of AF at time of colonoscopy:
I've made significant progress in the last few months. Pain is less than 2. No pain during BM's, but some very minimal pain a couple hours after (search my previous posts to see how I made progress).

Preparation:
Three days before the procedure I was required to switch to a "non-bulking" diet (non fibers, no fresh vegetables, no beans, nuts, no whole wheat products, etc). One day prior to procedure I was on a clear liquid only (water, clear apple juice, clear gatoraid, etc). They prescribed 4 liters of GaviLyte-C. At 4PM on the day before procedure, I was required to drink 2 liters over the course of two hours. This was not difficult at all. The GaviLyte came with a lemon flavor packet that I mixed in, and it was not bad at all. It tasted like weak lemonade. A little over an hour after starting the gaviLyte, my BM's turned liquid. It literally had the appearance/consistency of light yellow urine.

Next, I was required to finish the remaining 2 liters of gaviLyte five hours before the procedure. I woke up at 2AM and finished the remaining over next two hours. By 6AM, my BM's were completely liquid, again, exactly like light yellow urine.

As a side note, I did not have to "camp out" next to the bathroom. I found the effect of the gaviLyte to be un-eventful. It was definitely NOT a panicky "rush to the bathroom" every few minutes. Everything was fairly calm and controlled, and I had no problem "holding it in" if I needed to. I'm adding this info because I know some of you might need to drive to the hospital and are worried about having to "hold it in". You shouldn't worry.

Also, I know some of you might be freaked out at this point, the idea of so many BM's at one time aggravating an AF. I found the exact opposite. Since it was pure liquid, I actually found the BM's somewhat soothing.....bizarre !

...continue to next post...

..contunued from above...

Hospital Check-in:
I checked in at 7:45AM. A nurse escorted me into the prep room, and there were about ten beds (they do 20-30 colonoscopies each day). The beds had curtains, so there was plenty of privacy while disrobing and changing into the gown. I was laid in a bed and they attached various monitors/sensors on my chest area, attached an IV for the sedation. During this time, I was asked routine questions (verify my identity, medications, etc).

I had a ripping headache, and I told them about it. They weren't concerned, and they said it was most likely from not having coffee in the last couple days.

The Procedure:
They rolled me into the surgical room for the procedure. There was the doctor and two nurses. The doctor was very cool and obviously quite knowledgable. I told him that my over-riding concern was damaging the AF during the procedure, and he assured me that it shouldn't be an issue. Next, they injected the sedation, and within minutes I was completely out ! They told me that it was supposed to be a "conscious sedation", but there was nothing conscious about it at all...which was perfectly fine with me ! I have absolutely no recollection of the procedure, and before I knew it I was back in the recovery room waking from the sedation.

I know you're wondering about the AF at this point. Let me just say that I felt nothing unusual, and the procedure didn't seem to have any effect on the fissure.

As I was recovering from the sedation, the surgeon came in to discuss how things went. He said everything went fine, and they removed three polyps. He also said to continue what I'm already doing (high fiber, tons and tons of water, docusate sodium in the evening).

Post Procedure:
After I recovered from the sedation (about 30 minutes after procedure), I dressed and they wheeled me in a wheel chair to the hospital entrance where my father was awaiting in the car. It was now about 10 AM, so I was in and out in less than three hours ! I ate yogurt, banana, and two granola bars (they advised eating light that day). We drove home (2 hour drive) and I slept most of the way. We got home about noon, and I jumped into bed and slept until 4PM. I had a very light dinner (cream of wheat, toast with peanut butter, and yogurt). I spent the rest of the evening watching TV. I then went to bed at about 8:30PM and slept well....oh yeah, I drank TONS of water...

The Day After...First Bowel Movement:
Today I feel perfectly normal. It's as if I never even had a procedure at all ! I know this is what people really want to hear about. I woke up at my usual time, 4 AM (I'm an early riser), drank my usual coffee, and by 5:30AM had my first BM. It was completely normal, no pain, and as of this writing (a coupe hours later) I have the usual very minimal pain, less than 1. I'm planning in taking it easy for the rest of the day, maybe get in a walk and some grocery shopping. I plan to slowly resume my normal exercise schedule tomorrow.


...Well, that's how it went. Please feel free to shoot me any questions. I guess the main thing is that the colonoscopy did not seem to have any effect on the condition of my AF, so this is really good news !

Thanks for posting this!

There is a good chance I will have to undergo one soon and this has given me a degree of comfort :)

Cheers!

Yes Thanks for sharing! I am not sure whether to have mine or wait a bit longer on the conflicting advice of Columbia's Dr. Feingold (wait to heal, but get one). I was diagnosed with celiac disease in late December after my visit with Dr. Feingold. My GI feels there would be no issue and also has examined the fissure. They believe mine is the result of my scar tissue from a fistulotomy being soft and tearing. Since going gluten free almost a month ago I have the 1st BM's I've had in years that look normal due to actually processing foods! At the same time my fissure is bothering me right this moment because I am adjusting my diet and still am having difficulties with a few other food groups the doctor said I'll get back.
Anyways, I really appreciate your story as I'd like to either get a clean bill or health or find out if there is some IBD going on as well as celiac. Ugh!

Great breakdown. Really needed!

Thank you so much for sharing. I had a flexi sig and sadly they kept me awake and aware the whole time!!

I'm sure you have given some much needed reassurance to some users on the forum.

Ff

Fissurefrustration wrote:Thank you so much for sharing. I had a flexi sig and sadly they kept me awake and aware the whole time!!

I'm sure you have given some much needed reassurance to some users on the forum.

Ff

Yeah, I also had a flex sig last summer, totally awake. At that time the fissure was very bad, so the initial insertion was painful. They applied lidocaine just before the procedure which helped immensely.

Hi Jay1975,
I don't know if you still check on this forum but my experience is similar to you as I got my fissure after a period of intense exercise and losing weight. For a while now, I don't have fissure symptoms but am left week pelvic muscle pain aggregated by sitting. I was wondering if you could charge how things went for you since 6 yrs ago! I'd appreciate it.