I too, have not had to undergo a colonoscopy and do not look forward to it!

But I agree, from this side of the fence, a day of vomit is better than a month or year of vomit!

My husband has had several of these tests and he has not had any vomiting problems. I wonder what stuff he drank.

Lynn

Lynn, I also know a couple people who breezed right through the test. They even had pollups removed which is a great feeling to know you no longer have precancer cells growing!

There's supposed to be a blood test coming kind of like a PSA which would eliminate a lot of discomfort, but it could take years for approval. I certainly wouldn't advise waiting.
smile

I hope all you ladies are thinking about or have had a colonscopy done by age 50. It can save your life! Insurance will pay for it at age 50, or sooner if you have a parent die of colon cancer. The prep is worse than the test, and you are put under completely....you should be anyway. They do have pills you can take instead of the big jug of go-lightly. But, there are alot of pills to swallow going that route also. I drank the go-lightly AKA go-quickly. Not pleasant, but I sucked on peppermints between each glass, and that helped.

I say this because my dad died 6 years ago this month from colon cancer at the age of 73. I miss him so much! He never had a colonoscopy and we catch ourselves saying all the time, "if only..." He was so heathly, never got sick, did not take medication of any kind, had more energy than any of us, and still worked. After dad's emergency surgery, the colon-rectal surgeon told us that dad had a very strong heart and healthy lungs and he was a strong man. Again, the words, "If only". He was so strong that he lived with a perforated colon from the cancer for 36 hours before he had surgery. We brought him home from the hospital and took care of him as much as he would let us. He refused to be a burdon to his kids. We made the most of time we had left. We laughed, cryed, remembered days gone by, and left nothing unsaid. He lived for 8 weeks and died at home. I was in the room with him when he took is last breath. My dad would be here today, "if only"...

Oh Cookie, Your story is so sad but very common I am sure. Yes, I have had 2 colonoscopies so far at the age of 58. One was in my late 40's when I had a gastro problem and the other was simply because it had been 5 years after and I was over 50. You are right, the prep is worse than the test. I was "out" and it was done in the office. Got up, had my hubby drive me home and then had a wonderful late breakfast (after the day before of fasting on clear liquids). My gastro dr. is in the business because his dad died at the age of 42 from colon cancer. He became driven and is one of the finest gastroenterolgists in our town. My daughter, at the age of 28 had one last year for a history of IBS and had a horrible time with the prep. She could barely keep it down. But in the end, it worked out and we were happy to find there was nothing serious. It is so very important to have this test. If only people would realize it could happen to them or to a loved one. Thanks for re-enforcing the message.

After hearing Katie Couric speak on this and how she lost her husband, I decided it was time.

I had to have a liquid diet the day before and that afternoon, took some pills with a liquid that tasted like lime-aid. Yes, you spend most of the night in the bathroom but I've already done that with my colitis so it was nothing new and not really that bad.

They found polyps and removed them and now, I must have this procedure done every three years. I was just filling out my paper work for the upcoming one in Sept.

They put me on a drip and I slept through the entire procedure and I thank God this test is available because more women die from colon cancer than men and it kills more women than breast cancer. A night of discomfort and being hungry is nothing compared to fighting colon cancer.

I urge all of you to get this done. I'm so glad I did.

I'm so glad you ladies have had it done!! According to my dad's doctor, my dad had colon cancer for years. I believe the doctor said that it takes about 3-5 years for a polp to become pre-cancerous, 10 years to become cancer, and not long after that it can move out of the colon into other parts of the body. Therefore, a routine colonoscopy procedure could save your life. I got a little tired of eating/drinking jello, broth, and popsicles, but it was for only one day and worth it. My tests turned out good....no polps. If you are deciding upon having this procedure done, here's a little hint ladies, you might want to buy a pkg. or 2...or 3 of those wet wipes. They are easier on the.... bum.

Been there, done that and I have no regrets. Yes, I had to drink that nasty stuff, but like everyone has said, it's worth a little discomfort to have the peace of mind that you carry NO CANCER. I highly recommend having this test!

Cookie, I'm so sorry. It was so sad to hear about your sweet Daddy. I do understand!

JJ

Still trying to get up the nerve...

chatty, get on with it girlfriend!

cookie, so sorry to hear about your dad. My family went through something similar, but it was with Mom and lung cancer. Aren't you glad you had those weeks of knowing he was leaving so you could love the heck out of him?

I'm 48. I should have two years before this nice birthday present my doctor gives everyone, but due to the e.coli poisoning from Mexico which cuased the diverticulitis...I will be having one in September or October. Geez Dianne, maybe we should schedule them on the same day.