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I have also had two endoscopies but never did prep, other than stop eating after dinner the night before. The first one, the Kaiser "doctor" didn't do much of anything so no discomfort but she claimed I had Barrots. The last one few months ago done elsewhere was much better as I could feel for two days where the camera had been. That doesn't mean it was painful, just that I could tell where it had been. My husband was hungy after my procedure so we went out for Indian food as soon as I could stand on my own. The worst part for me was in the recovery room where the nurse, with her accent, was pinching my nails, slapping my face and back, and then twisting both my ears as I didn't wake up soon enough for that witch. If they won't let your "person" with you in recover, find another facility.
They can't do them at the same time. There's no way I could do the prep for that, and have an endoscopy at the same time.
I'm 64, and don't plan to have one done any time soon. And you're right - the prep sucks. I really don't want to be glued to the bathroom. I'll be 65 in October, and just signed up for Kaiser.
You know, I did mine at the same time. I would much rather it that way because I would not want to do that prep more than once!
I had severe Iron deficiency anemia so they were trying to see what was going on. I am 39.
If you have never had a colonoscopy by your age, I think you probably should.
My father never had one and passed at 73, a bit after being dx with colon cancer. Due to that fact, I have to have them much younger than I normally would have had to. Two pre-cancerous polyps for me.
I was going to wait to have it done til I was 40 but the anemia happened. So glad I had it done.
It was just as easy to have them both done at the same time. I have had only the upper endoscopy done in the past and had to be put out for both..... The prep is no fun, I agree.
i had an issue as the dr scrapped something he should not have and it was sore for a little bit and i was in the hospital for three days to make sure I was okay . But me something always happens to me the oddity is more likely in my case , yeah Im one of those people .
Yeah, it's in the morning. I have to be there at 10:30, and they're doing it at 11:00. I figured I'd stock up on ice cream, since I'm anticipating a sore throat.
The doctor also said something about doing a colonoscopy, but I'm having no part of that! I had one about 12 years ago, and once is enough for that, unless it's an emergency.
I needed to take a guts check (gross I know) which is recommended after 50 which I did this AM. Everything OK. No biggie.
Had a thought that I could use the mandatory fast to start a diet since thats what they do in hospitals to force the body to fat burn. How to ********** up. (sounds like wood screw)
So last Friday I stopped eating anything. Just want to say DON"T do it. Bad stuff happens when you fast which tho' exciting should be avoided. Anyway, I binged after my fast which also should be avoided. But I am determined to cut back. Have not weighed myself but I bet I didn't lose much if anything. Yr body has sneaky ways to deal with famine.
I did both at the same time at 65 YO. It is silly not to when insurance covers nearly all of it. (insert discussion of the painful death from colon cancer)
It is silly not to when insurance covers nearly all of it.
I have insurance through the County until September 30. It's low income insurance, and routine doctor's visits aren't covered. Every prescription and procedure that is recommended or prescribed has to be pre-approved before it can happen.
My first colonoscopy included an EGD. Since there is no prep for the EGD except not to eat that morning, it was a breeze (relatively speaking). I would rather be out once than twice.
I'm with you. The last time I had this done (both) in Tyler, Texas, it was a breeze. Prepping for the colonosocopy is no fun to say the least. The procedure itself, however, is usually uneventful although there are dangers involve if the colon is perforated. A neighbor nearby actually died from complications of this procedure at the young age of 64.
I've had two and the last one went well. No polyps found and the endoscopy was especially welcomed in that it found my pre-cancerous condition called "Barrett's Esophagus" had returned to normal. Previously the cells had shown a condition where they take on the appearance of the stomach cells. The esophagus is not designed to withstand the effects of stomach acid washing up into the lower part and this predisposes one to early cancer which as most of us know is highly dangerous and often fatal.
Now as to the original post in question, the reason I had the first one done about 9-10 years ago was because I was having trouble swallowing. On one occasion I nearly choked to death in a restaurant as the food wouldn't go down. Fortunately someone was close by to administer the Heimlich Maneuver and I survived as I obviously did writing this post. The cure for this was to go on a lifelong regimen of protein pump in inhibitors (many brands are available for this condition). I take one in the morning about 1/2 hour before eating and have for many years. So far as I know I'm doing fine at age 69.
I would recommend everyone take anything like this very seriously. The esophagus is not some "pipe" that leads to the stomach. It contracts and moves the food and liquid on down to the stomach where it is digested. If it is not working right, it needs to be checked out promptly. The color photos that are taken during this procedure are quite remarkable and the patient should be shown them. My wake-up call with the first one shook me to my boots. "Cancer" should scare anyone and it did me as well.
Oh, it helps to lose weight and in some instances to prop the bed up so the stomach acids flow downward. I used to do this but no longer have a need to do so. And I'm not taking a lot of Pepto Bismal either which is welcome.
Good luck. Get it done and get peace of mind and/or corrective medical attention. Better to catch it early on than wait until it can't be treated. I can't recall any particular side effects from either procedure.
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Old folks talk about their procedures ...
