Yesterday, I successfully endured my first colonoscopy!

Although I’m only 34 (most people don’t need to get one until they’re 50), my older sister had some pre-cancerous polyps removed – so her doctor said all of her siblings should get scoped… just to be safe.

So Thursday, at 2 p.m., I began drinking a 4-liter jug of Colyte, with lemon-lime flavor crystals.

I’d like to share a few tips to help anyone else getting a colonoscopy endure with ease and success!

First of all, all day Thursday I wasn’t supposed to eat any solid food. I drank some Gatorade, apple juice, and water. I could’ve had clear broth soup, but opted not to.

At 2 p.m., I chugged my first 8-ounce glass of the Colyte (which I mixed up the day before and chilled in the fridge overnight – good choice).

The Colyte tastes like salty kool-aid, which isn’t as terribly bad as most people I talked to warned me about.

Every 10 minutes, I drank a glass… and, after a couple glasses, it wasn’t as easy to chug down. After about 5 or 6 glasses, I decided to flush the salty aftertaste out of my mouth by chasing it with a sip of apple juice. Good choice!

By about 3:30 p.m., I had my first bowel movement. I’ll spare you the details, but the first BM was pretty normal.

After about glass number 4 or 5, I got cold… my feet & hands were chilled, so I put on slippers over my socks, and put a hat on my bald head to stay as warm as possible. Not sure why this happens, but my guess is all the blood rushes to your innards to help digestion or something…

After about 18 glasses, I had drank the entire 4-liter bottle. It went pretty fast. The last couple glasses seemed to be a bit more “potent” than the first, as I’m sure the contents settled a bit – so I would suggest you continue to shake well before each glass ๐Ÿ™‚

Eventually, the stools become clear liquid. It takes awhile… but after about 3 BM’s, everything is liquid.

With the final glass comes celebration! I wrapped up in a warm blanket and took a nap. For about 20 minutes…

I slept pretty good through the night, getting about 8 hours of sleep. Then, at 7 a.m., it was time to head to the doctor’s office.

After the colonoscopy prep, I was ready to get this over with. So, I wasn’t too anxious about having the scope done. I checked in, changed into a gown (lovely), and they took my blood pressure. 127/67. Not bad. (Especially since most people have “white jacket hypertension” – which is when your BP rises at the doctor’s office).

Then they stuck my right hand with an IV, and started the saline solution. (Did you know that saline solution (saltwater, basically), helps open up your blood vessels – and the reason salt is considered “bad” for high blood pressure is due to a lack of potassium, not an abundance of salt… so, some people can simply increase their intake of potassium, and lower their blood pressure without doing anything else!)

Anyway, they rolled me into the procedure room, I talked to the doctor a bit (and shared with her that my mom was more worried than I was, since when I was a baby, I had 6 or 7 operations on my intestines for Hirschsprungs Disease… which is when some of the nerves in your intestines are basically dead, and you can’t pass stools. Thankfully, they fixed me and I’ve had no problems since the age of 1.)

After our chat, they gave me some drugs… and I dozed off. My last words to the doctor were “have fun!”.

About 45 minutes later, I woke up in my recovery room without any memory of what just happened. I was sipping some apple juice (I think), and a few minutes later (I think), my wife and 2 of my boys came in. Somehow, I got dressed (I barely remember anything…) and my wife took a few pictures of me. She said I didn’t talk much… but I do vaguely remember mooning her (I won’t show you that picture).

The doctor came in and gave me the good news that everything looked great! No polyps or anything! Also, she said my colon was 70cm long, compared to 100cm for most people – so the procedure went a little quicker for me ๐Ÿ™‚

Soon we were off – I had no pain whatsoever, and we went out for lunch at Ruby Tuesday’s. I had a really good salad. I also called my parents on the way there, to let them know all was well (and I have no remembrance of that call, either…).

So, there you go!

Tips to a good colonoscopy:

1) Keep a good attitude, follow the directions, and don’t worry

2) Sip some light-colored juice after each glass, to rid the salty taste

3) Wear sweatpants for easy access (multiple trips to the bathroom)

4) Eat a healthy meal after the procedure – why introduce junk to your intestines after they’ve been detoxified?

5) Have someone video tape you in the recovery room – you might say some funny things that you won’t remember later ๐Ÿ™‚

Most importantly, I highly recommend the Ultimate Colon Cleanse from Organica Research!

Enjoy!

Joe

p.s. Visit some of my websites, listed to the right, for natural remedies for all sorts of conditions like acid reflux, hypertension, kidney stones, gout, depression and much more!

Comments

comments