Hermiones Mom's Journal, 08 October 2015

The actual colonoscopy is a lovely sleep. Make sure you have someone with you when the Dr talks to you after. You might be a bit too groggy to remember what he says. I'm sending very positive thoughts for a good outcome. Hugs!  

I did fine, and I AM fine as it turns out, although it's clear today that the prep process will take me a while to get past. I don't think it's a good thing to do when you already have IBS, and it feels like I'm starting all over again from where I was before I began the FODMAP diet. Thanks for the support. I really appreciated it... and I feel stupid being such a baby about this! I am so so glad this is over. 

Glad your results were positive. But boy oh boy! That prep is killer. Glad it's behind you. 

I'm a baby EVERY time. Tests are scary because we're always worrying what they may find. And, yes, it takes a while to get over the prep. Now that your gut is really clean, consider introducing a good probiotic. I also use a prebiotic, acacia fiber, but with your delicate bowel issues, you need to build up to that carefully. I used to have IBS and colitis. I don't now since I got rid of gluten and a few other foods I'm sensitive to. (Except, of course, lately, with all my food indiscretions.) I'm so happy everything looks good. I was hoping you'd post right away. 

On the FODMAP diet my IBS is under control. But I was worried about the prep and how it would affect me from the outset, which is why I delayed the test so long. I just wasn't feeling ready to go back to square one. I used a probiotic early on in this process that the doctor recommended -- can't remember the name of it, but he suggested a specific one. Within a week of starting to take it, I developed a whole range of symptoms that gave me the sense I was allergic to something. I have trouble with coatings, colors, and preservatives, and there might have been something in this capsule that was trouble for me. Almost as soon as I stopped taking it, the symptoms disappeared. I was very, very surprised.  

my mom has polyps and her Dr. said i should be tested. i really don't want to. 

Booksandcats, it's a few days of discomfort and a test you sleep through. I have one every five years. Polyps can become cancerous. Making sure you have none or removing them if you do, before they can become cancerous, is a very smart thing to do. This is one type of cancer you can now avoid, almost entirely. It's worth it. 

Booksandcats - don't overreact to my baby-ish-ness about this process. The reality is, while my Mom lived to 91, she also had 4 different cancers PLUS polyps. My sister is a breast cancer survivor, has already had cancerous polyps removed, and she is now in treatment for uterine cancer. I knew I had to get this done, and I was particularly nervous because I have been in intestinal distress almost continuously since having a food-borne infection in June 2014, as a result of which I developed IBS, which I had never had before. So now I can't tell you how relieved I am! If you're nervous you can do two things, both of which I did: Ask for SUPREP, which is an alternate prep process, and ask for anesthesia, not just sedation. By having the anesthesia, I was completely knocked out -- I have no memory of the procedure at all. The last thing I remember is my foster sister kissing me on the check as they rolled me out of the waiting area. So now I know I can do it again if I have to -- although I won't need to until 10 years from now, by which time they may have improved the process... Don't wait - seriously. That said: Check into how your insurance covers this procedure. My BC/BS coverage is 100% with no deductible or co-pay for a "screening procedure," which I believe is required by the ACA (Obamacare). But if they find ad remove polyps, apparently BC/BS reclassifies the procedure "medical/diagnostic" and they don't pay anything unless I have met my deducible (mine is $3,000) and maxed out my OOP ($6500). So I was more scared of how I was going to pay for the procedure than I was about having cancer! So I spoke to the hospital finance office in advance to make sure I could make payment arrangements if I needed to. In other words, I'm not saying don't do this for financial reasons -- but be sure you make arrangements in advance for payment. Remember -- this could save your life!