My family on my mom’s side has a history of aggressive colon cancer, striking some relatives very young. Yet I’d managed to avoid the dreaded colonoscopy until this year. I’m 35, which is early for a colonoscopy but late considering the risk in my family.
I didn’t find the drink to taste really bad – it was more my body’s immediate THIS-GONNA-MAKE-YOU-SICK-BRO response that was miserable. We flavored it with lemon juice and sugar, so it was kind of a margarita gone horribly wrong taste. I chased it with apple juice.
Every time I had to drink though it was just WRONG, and I imagine it some lizard instinct saying ‘DON’T DO IT!’. Possibly with hissing. Do lizards hiss?
The worst part was the IV – it only took three tries, thankfully. I warned him that I was a hard case, and he was confident he could do it, which immediately doomed him.
Points for me, I didn’t cry. I loathe IVs and blood draws but shots don’t bother me at all, oddly enough. Well, maybe it’s because you only get stuck once for a shot and I’ve had a blood draw take 12 times so…
Then it was a sort of waking sedation. I was floaty and distant. I could tell things were going on but just didn’t care.
I was awake and sitting up as they wheeled me to the room, awake for the close out summary, and walked on my own to the car.
So, success! I didn’t do anything embarrassing while sedated so my husband doesn’t have any funny stories to share.
One polyp that we’re waiting on biopsy, but they weren’t worried, so otherwise looks good! Don’t have to go back for five years.
Win!
That’s great news! My grandfather had aggressive colon cancer, so I need to schedule one of these for myself – thanks for the reminder and the report that it wasn’t so bad!