missypie

Here is a question for those who have done it: I get severe headaches when I don't eat and once I get a headache, it lasts for four days (I'm not exagerating.) I assume I'm not the only one who gets a headache when they don't eat. How have others managed it? After they put you under for the procedure, does the headache go away when you wakeup? (I've always wondered how diabetics manage.)

Hunt

The prep is annoying, but tolerable, and the procedure itself is really nothing.
And if you get a good report, it makes you happy.

marite

I do, too, but I make sure to drink gatorade and it helps.

somemom

Would the prep negatives be lessened if one just fasted for a few days?

Kei-o-lei

B and P -

truly frustrating when "they" don't do the right thing and it affects others

I guess having having teenagers is great prep for having aged parents :-)

My MIL was getting treated for ovarian cancer about 15 years ago and was doing all the right things until her daughter (my wife) left town for business: MIL quickly got on the phone and canceled chemo!!!! Luckily, we got her back on - under a different and less effective protocol with fewer side effects - and she's still with us today . . . which IS a good thing :-)

so sometimes things work out even after they go wrong!!!!

Kei

sunnyflorida

I am so sorry. It is normal to be angry about the decisions she made not to have colon screening. But you can't change her and you can't change that. They were selfish decisions on her part, certainly. She did not realize how not having screening would effect her husband and her children, the grandchildren.......

There are many stubborn folks out there who will not go and have mammograms, colonoscopies, or routine physicals. When subsequent health goes bad as a result, it does not just affect them, it effects everyone who cares about them. Try not to feel any guilt. Your MIL made a conscious decision not to have screening.

Hang in there. Once the pathology is back, and the scans are back and they stage her, you will have more info. There is no way the doc can tell the extent of the disease without the path reports. Microscopic disease is as meaningful as macroscopic disease. So when it comes to nodes, omentun, peritoneum, biopsies of other organ, the path report is what counts. And there will likely be scans, like a chest/abd/pelvic CT or MRI or a CT/PET scan. And the cell type matters. With here disease, frozen sections are not useful, and they need the final path and scans to give you answers.

And in this day and age, no one says..."6 mos" or "one year." Because it is hard to say how anyone will respond to treatment. Be patient.

Kathyc

As for preparation, the nurse the next day said "oh, we forgot to tell you to use baby wipes".
I think MissyPie's comments about cost are well taken. Total cost before insurance for me was on the order of $6000 (we paid about $700). I think the center I had the procedure at was a little more luxurious than it needed to be. I woke up in the middle of the procedure but it certainly wasn't painful.

mommusic

My mother died of a stroke but I'm sure earlier she had some sort of lower intestinal issue as well. But would she go to the doctor? Of course not. She might find out something she didn't want to know!

The colonscopy prep is a nuisance and I hate the taste of Gatorade. But I did it.

Only thing I remember about the procedure (I must have been slightly loopy already) was seeing the wall of various hoses & attachments they had to choose from. It was a pretty cool display.

missypie

I just don't think that any number of public service announcements or Katy Couric interviews are going to make an uninsured person with no symptoms pay $6000 out of pocket for a screening test...I think $1200-$1400 out of pocket is pushing it but it becomes a peer pressure thing when you turn 50.

Helenback

^^^^ Agreed Missypie--particularly in these economic times. As my dh's job security fades, I'm constantly looking for ways to cut corners. If I was 50 this year and due for this test, I would definitely put it off until next year.

Kathyc

Missypie, there was an article in the paper about the time of my procedure (early June) which said the variance in price in our area was from $700 to $7000. My husband was very upset that I went to the doctor recommended for me instead of shopping around. This thread will turn into a discussion about health costs, but Helenback's observations are right on target.

Delicate Arch

Missypie, getting a headache from no food shouldn't be a problem for you.

The prep is not like going NPO for a surgery later in the day. The day before your procedure you can pack in however many calories (empty calories to be sure) in the form of juice, broth, honey etc. that you can stand to have sloshing around in your tummy. Once you start drinking the bowel cleanser in the afternoon, late afternoon, evening your desire for food will drop, but you are still taking in calories. So, you are really just without calories from the time you go to bed till the procedure.

If you schedule enough ahead you should be able to grab one of the early morning slots. So, your headaches should be minimal. You could be done by 9 AM.

Proud Mary

missypie

I, too, get terrible headaches if I don't eat. I had a colonscopy last December and I didn't have a problem. I could eat until midnight (clear soup, jello, etc. plus the famous gatorade) and went in for the procedure at 8am. No headache.

Like others have said, it really wasn't a big deal. The prep wasn't a day at the beach, but it wasn't horrible (except the fact that H kept laughing at me as I took my endless trips to the bathroom . . . that's ok, I'll get him back next year!) The procedure itself is nothing because I was asleep and woke up feeling great! (And light!!)

I did have some polyps (family history of those) so I'm happy I had it done.

coureur

No point in getting angry because your mother-in-law neglected her colon exams. Nearly everybody neglects their health or healthcare in some way.

Some people eat an unhealthy diet.
Some people drink too much.
Some people are overweight.
Some people smoke.
Some people abuse prescription or OTC drugs.
Some people ignore their high blood pressure.
Some people ignore their high cholesterol.
Some people don't exercise.
And some people don't get regular colon exams.

And ALL of these behaviors can end up landing you in and emergency room, on an operating table, or in the morgue. You can't smack everybody with a baseball bat.

missypie

That's the other thing. I can't even finish a whole can of Coke. I can't imagine being able to drink a few liters of any liquid. The idea of being forced to drink a huge glass of of a liquid (even if it tasted good) every ten minutes really makes me want to gag right now. (Don't they do that as frat hazing?) I really truly think I would throw it up and have to call and cancel the procedure.

And if my husband laughed at me, that might well be the end of the marriage. I have a strong sense of privacy and autonomy. I will have to check into a hotel if I ever do the procedure because the idea of everyone knowing how often I was going to the bathroom just sends me over the edge. The idea of having to be taken to the procedure (so I can be driven home) sends me over the edge.

I know. I have a psychological problem and need counseling.