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colonscopy coming up...

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Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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Posted 3/2/2007 8:50 AM (GMT -7)
well I am not looking forward to this event.  the last time I went through it I was incontinent for several weeks.  Nobody else who I know had this problem.  Does anybody have any good ideas of how I can avoid this in the future?  Thanks
Posted 3/2/2007 10:15 AM (GMT -7)
I can't say that I've heard about that being a side affect either. Make sure you call your doctor's office and tell a nurse what happened last time and ask her what might have gone wrong, or what might could be done differently in the procedure to keep that from happening. It may also mean that the doctor needs to examine your rectum while he's there to see if it's too lax.

Did you have bad D after your last colonoscopy? Sometimes it's not the rectum but too much D which causes people to leak. If that's the case, then you can try probiotics as soon as the colonoscopy is done to replinish the bacteria that was flushed out your colon with the prep, and you may need to take some Imodium too to help control the D until you get back to regular.

The only other reason why I can think you might have been incontinent was that the prior doctor numbed you in order to perform additional tests. I don't think that's common when they snip polyps or take biopsies, but I guess it depends on the doctor, and it probably depends on where he was doing this (he might have numbed you around the rectum if he was doing a lot of work there--especially if he worked on hemmroids any).

Like I said, make sure you talk to your doctor's nurse to see if she knows why you may have experienced this and to make sure the doctor takes steps to keep it from happening again. Make sure you tell him too when you meet him the day of your procedure.
Posted 3/2/2007 11:50 AM (GMT -7)
Joan,
I haven't heard of incontinence after a scope either. That's the only time you have experienced incontinence? Maybe what Keri says is right... you just have so much D that it is too difficult to control. I can see that happening as the D is pretty much all liquid. Towards the end of my prep (maybe 60% through it) it seemed all I was doing was peeing through my anus. Gross, I know, sorry. The only thing that stopped me from going was that I had to stop drinking liquids a few hours before the procedure. At the same time of the colonoscopy, I was having an EGD too (upper GI scope)... therefore I could not have anything in my stomach.
Anyway... Maybe your body just needs to flush out all the laxatives before your rectum gets back to functioning properly.
I do agree with Keri that you should talk to a nurse or your doc about this. Ask if it's normal. I Googled it and couldn't find anything that claimed incontinence as being a side effect of a scope.
Also, the probiotics are a great idea! Even if they do nothing to help the incontinence. After flushing everything out of your GI tract your body needs the "good bacteria" in there to get back to working order.
Good luck!
Posted 3/5/2007 3:48 PM (GMT -7)
Thank you both. Yes, I spoke with the doc and he thought maybe I got an infection with the procedure. After all they are putting cameras and all that good stuff up you. I am going to get the probiotics and have them for when I get home. Maybe everything will be ok this time. It is a nasty procedure but can save your life.
Posted 3/6/2007 1:29 PM (GMT -7)
Good luck Joan!  Ah...scopes, the spice of life!
Posted 3/10/2007 9:45 AM (GMT -7)
The only thing that works for me is to quit eating a week before the procedure. And what is this "half litely" stuff? Is it colon blow under a different name? I can never keep any of them down,whether it is phosphate soda,Go litely,whatever. Anybody else barf them up too?
Posted 3/10/2007 10:49 AM (GMT -7)
Hi Scrappy,
No, no barfing here. The Phosphosoda wasn't so bad for me.
If you're barfing them up, then how do you get cleaned out enough to have the scope?
Posted 3/10/2007 12:41 PM (GMT -7)
I have had 2 Colonoscopies,never had a problem.I went out to eat after it was done.........
Posted 3/10/2007 2:31 PM (GMT -7)
Anybody remember the name of the colon cleaning product from Canada that they said tasted actually good. I am due soon for colonscopy and would like to try it if Ican find it somewhere.
Posted 3/10/2007 11:18 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Canyon, it's Pico-Salax.  Hopefully you can get your hands on some.  :-)    Good luck!
Posted 3/11/2007 3:38 PM (GMT -7)
I did best with the pills for the colonoscopy prep. Like many, I barf the colyte and phospha soda. GAG A MAGGOT! If I remember correctly, the pills are called visicol? They're big ole horse pills, and you have to swallow a ton of them with tons of water, but at least I could keep them down. Just one more option. :-)
Posted 3/11/2007 8:02 PM (GMT -7)
My Dr. would not let me use pills. Said they don't disolve sometimes. Hopefully he has changed his mind. I am pretty persuasive so maybe I will try again. I have a few months to go. Maybe I can find a Canadian that will send me some. Since it is not a prescription can't even get my dr. to write a prescription.
Posted 3/11/2007 8:22 PM (GMT -7)
I have taken the pills for my last 3 scopes and I don't think I would ever go back to the Golytly (aka sea sludge). Yes the pills are huge and at times a little hard to get down but oh so much easier to get down than the yucky stuff. Mine did disove as far as I know and if they don't disolve completely than that usually means that they are already starting to do their job by going right through you. My doc also has me take Dulcolax after the Visicol to make sure I have expelled everything. My doc actually prefers his patients to do this method over the others.
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