Author Topic: Colonoscopy (Read 11654 times)

Lou-ah-vull · « **on:** February 28, 2007, 11:29:30 pm »

Last Thursday I had three instances of rectal bleeding during three separate bowel movements. In all three cases, the blood was bright red and was both on the toilet tissue and in the bowl. I have never experienced this before. I called my HIV doctor who assured me this was not a side effect of my Atripla (just started in early Feb.) and encouraged me to see my internist. I saw my interist the same day. He examined me, including the sigmoidoscope (that was a first for me) but could not find any instances of bleeding. So....he set me up for an open access colonoscopy (also this will be a first for me.)

In open access colonscopy, you do not see the GI doctor ahead of time (this saves quite a bit of time) but are instead scheduled for the procedure. Today, i scheduled the procedure for March 20.

I am wondering if any of you have had experiences with colonoscopy after being diagnosed HIV+. Are there any special concerns I should be aware of? There is no history of colon cancer in my family, so I am not particularly at risk, although I am 51 and have not lived a high fiber- colon friendly diet. I have had no instances of rectal bleeding since that one day last week.

Today, the nurse described the pre-procedure day preparation process and it certainly sounds as dreadful as others have described to me. I am not recommended to use the 32 pills, so I am going the gatorade + powdered solution route.

My family will take me to the hospital that day for the outpatient procedure and bring me home afterward. I know I am not to drive the rest of the day and that I will stay at home. I am going to be fully sedated during the procedure.

Does anyone have any advice? I wonder how long it will take me to recover afterwards and I am a bit nervous about what may have caused my rectal bleeding. I understand this is the best and smartest way to find out and to do something about it.

On top of everything else (adjusting to HAART, being 51)..... ugh!

Gary $:-\$

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #1 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:34:11 pm »

I am wondering if any of you have had experiences with colonoscopy after being diagnosed HIV+. Are there any special concerns I should be aware of?

I had a colonoscopy done a few years back and there were no special precautions or concerns arising because I have AIDS. It's actually all quite straightforward.

And you get a nice cup of tea afterwards.

MtD

AlanBama · « **Reply #2 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:41:55 pm »

Hi Gary

Sorry you are having this happen, I know you are worried. The colonoscopy itself is nothing to be worried about, it's no big deal. I've had lots of them. The worst thing is the 'cleaning out' the day before. Anesthesia is different for different people, I have never had a problem (nausea or vomiting) but I am slow to wake up, and will be very sleepy the rest of the day of the procedure. But you should be fine to go to work the next day.

It could be that you have some polyps that need to be removed (they will do this during the colonoscopy) and they will take some tissue samples for biopsy.
I'm not an expert, so not sure what the bleeding could be the result of, but you are doing the right thing to have it immediately checked on.

Best of luck, and let us know how you're doing afterwards.

Hugs,
Alan

Longislander · « **Reply #3 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:52:49 pm »

I haven't had one Gary, but so far you're getting good responses, I'm sure more will follow. Good luck with it all, and I hope it's just polyps like Alan stated.

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #4 on:** February 28, 2007, 11:56:43 pm »

The worst thing is the 'cleaning out' the day before.

Oh yeah, the gastric lavage is a bit of an ordeal. Just don't stray far from the lav, Lou. On the upside your piping will be cleaner than has been for years.

MtD

lostboy · « **Reply #5 on:** March 01, 2007, 12:17:50 am »

Yeah, drinking that salty stuff before the procedure is HELL. I have never had to drink anything like it before. If you can get it down without vomiting, the shit will quite literally hit the fan.

Good luck and I hope they don't find anything.

Lost

Bucko · « **Reply #6 on:** March 01, 2007, 02:15:00 am »

Alan summed up my experience totally. You are in a twilight sleep (or at least I was) and simply go to sleep for a bit.

Remember to dilute the retched solution that you are forced to drink thoroughly. Otherwise the nausea is a horror.

You'll be fine-

Brent
(Who should have "one-way" tattooed on his ass)

BB · « **Reply #7 on:** March 01, 2007, 05:06:52 am »

There are different flavors for the gunk you'll have to drink. I didn't like it and the diarrhea only stops when you finish drinking the sludge. Otherwise ask your doctor to let you stay awake for the procedure and be sure to lie facing the TV screen. The entire thing is quite interesting and painless. And just wondering, do you eat lots of cheese? Cheese will cause bleeding like you described. Best of luck and don't sweat this procedure cause it really is nothing. BTW I was 54 and had been poz for a few years when I had my first and so far only exam.

Basquo · « **Reply #8 on:** March 01, 2007, 08:44:07 am »

Be sure to tell them EVERY medication you take, how much, how often. I told them I take ativan but evidently they didn't hear me or whatever and as a result the Versed was not very effective and I was awake for much of the procedure. Once I realized it didn't hurt, it was cool to watch it on the monitor. It's the prep that's a bitch. Have some of you favorite foods ready cause when you get done you are going to TEAR IT UP in the kitchen!

indyguy · « **Reply #9 on:** March 01, 2007, 08:50:47 am »

I had the exact same symptoms and procedure done. It was hemorrhoids and they zapped them with a laser. There is over the counter stuff you can get that is cheaper then what they offer if you are looking to save some cash. I was out the entire time and woke up in the recovery room. Just couldn't drive that day. No big deal.

David_CA · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2007, 08:55:57 am »

Hey Gary,
Make sure you get copies of photos or videos of what the 'scope sees. You can have an interesting photo collection or video to share with friends or here on the forums!

Just kidding about that... kinda! Although it's three weeks away, good luck with it and hopefully they'll be able to take care of the issue at the time of the colonoscopy. Take care.

David

GSOgymrat · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2007, 09:09:49 am »

I agree with everyone here that drinking all the liquid is the hardest part.

PeteNYNJ · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2007, 10:20:48 am »

Hi Gary

I had one done a few months ago. The clean out and liquid diet was the worst for me. I helps if you put the solution you have to drink in the fridge for a few hours before hand...it is much easier to drink cold. The procedure itself was a breeze...I slept through it and came out of it pretty easy. After it you are going to have to pass gas...a lot of gas!! dont try to hold it in to be polite - it is just air from the procedure.

Good Luck!!

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2007, 03:06:52 pm »

After it you are going to have to pass gas...a lot of gas!! dont try to hold it in to be polite - it is just air from the procedure.

Absolutely! Best fart you'll ever have and you don't have worry about PI induced follow through. I was done in a batch of 15 or so and we made the recovery ward sound like a brass marching band.

MtD

Regretsafew · « **Reply #14 on:** March 01, 2007, 03:14:05 pm »

LMAO @ the farts

pozniceguy · « **Reply #15 on:** March 01, 2007, 05:53:44 pm »

I was a little older than you for my first one, had been HIV+ for several years..really not an issue..more of an issue is the prep...arggggggg that stuff is awful....go for the drugstore stuff the things from the Hospital pharmacy are expensive and in spite of Flavors taste like crap....the idea is to get inside as clean as possible....ask for the anesthesia that only puts you in sleepy state..they also put some great "forget drug" in there so you won't remember anything , watching on the TV is cool ..just don't look at that thing before they start..it will get you a little concerned.." are you going to put that up my ass??" "all of it???" if you have any "tags" or "polyps" they will be zapped as the procedure is ongoing....you won't know unless DR tells you.

Relax ..millions have done it and survived to tell stupid stories...

Nick

poet · « **Reply #16 on:** March 01, 2007, 06:04:09 pm »

Gary, we are the same age. I have had the same symptoms every once in a while while in NYC, but it was hemorrhoids under stress. As soon as I allowed the stress to lift, especially the stress of then worrying about the blood, the hemorrhoids healed. The color is a key. Bright red blood is coming directly from a near source. Dark blood is from farther inside and is older. You went to your internist and he did a sigmoidoscopy so he should know what he is looking for, but did he mention hemorrhoids, did he look for them. Has your butt/rectum itched? (Another sign of hemorroids.) I have stalled on getting a colonoscopy in part because of the clean out, the issue of how to not eat and take meds. which need food. Best, Win

bocker3 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 01, 2007, 06:12:37 pm »

I had my colonoscopy a few months before I got diagnosed positive. The prep really was the hardest part -- absolutely the nastiest stuff I ever put in my mouth. Matty gives great advice -- stay very close to the toilet.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned is to make sure that they know about your medication -- there are some anaesthetics that you shouldn't use. They used Versed on me -- a wonderful drug, but I believe that you shouldn't use Versed if on Atripla. Bottomline -- ask very clearly that the check for interactions between whatever they plan to use and your meds.
Other than the prep -- the procedure was a breeze -- I wanted to watch the monitor, but after they started the Versed, the next thing I remember was being shaken by the nurse who said, "we're all done". If it wasn't for some leftover lube, I never would have known they were there.

Mike

Lou-ah-vull · « **Reply #18 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:23:25 pm »

This is useful information. Is there a reason why Versed should not be used with Atripla (that is my HAART regimen.) I will want to tell the doctor if that is the case (I don't even know if they use Versed.)

The prep powder I have been prescribed is Miralax. The nurse said it is odorless and tasteless and that I should mix it into a 64oz bottle of Gatorade (any flavor, except red or purple.) Nearly every person has commented on the taste of the prep mixture. The nurse says it is a new formulation... is she telling the truth? If it really is odorless and tasteless, wouldn't the Gatorade just taste like Gatorade? Somehow I guess I won't be that lucky!

Since I am going to assume the GI doctor has little, if any experience with Atripla (or HIV medication of any kind for that matter), I will be particularly interested in any documentation regarding potentially dangerous interactions with the sedatives or the prep material.

Thanks to all of you for your help! I know this is a fairly common procedure, but it sure helps to be reassured from the veterans. As I read some of your responses (especially David NC), i could not help but remember the old Saturday Night Live skit about the product "Colon Blow." I guess I can take some comfort (especially after reading last weeks titilating Top/Bottom thread) in knowing I will have had my first industrial cleaning in 51 years!

Gary

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #19 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:27:45 pm »

The prep powder I have been prescribed is Miralax. The nurse said it is odorless and tasteless and that I should mix it into a 64oz bottle of Gatorade (any flavor, except red or purple.) Nearly every person has commented on the taste of the prep mixture. The nurse says it is a new formulation... is she telling the truth? If it really is odorless and tasteless, wouldn't the Gatorade just taste like Gatorade? Somehow I guess I won't be that lucky!

Yours may well be tasteless doll. Down here they use this salty lemon flavoured shit called "glyco-prep." You have to mix it with 3 litres of water. THREE FRIGGING LITRES! Then you drink it over a couple of hours.

It really not too bad tastewise. Like I said before, just don't stray far from your toilet.

When it happens, you'll know.

MtD

Lou-ah-vull · « **Reply #20 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:30:34 pm »

Well, I live alone (that is a Godsend!) and I am never more than 10 seconds from either of the two toilets I have in the house. I would hate if someone was in here with me during the prep process. I think I will move my library into the bathroom for that day!

Gary

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #21 on:** March 01, 2007, 11:31:46 pm »

Think of it as a douche you drink.

MtD

Lou-ah-vull · « **Reply #22 on:** March 05, 2007, 01:23:04 am »

I am going to bump this in the hopes that someone can tell me if the Versed which they use in this procedure poses a problem with the Atripla I am taking. I read a reference to that in one of the posts, but no further explanation or elaboration.

Gary

Matty the Damned · « **Reply #23 on:** March 05, 2007, 01:26:08 am »

Hey Gary,

AIDSMEDS has a pretty nifty drug interactions tool. Click here https://www.aidsmeds.com/cmm/ to see if it can help you out.

MtD

penguin · « **Reply #24 on:** March 05, 2007, 06:19:06 am »

gary -

versed (midazolam) & halcion (triazolam) need to be avoided, because the sustiva in atripla is metabolised via the same enzyme pathway (CYP3A4). This can mean that versed/halcion isn't able to be broken down properly, causing higher drug levels - this can lead to serious respiratory depression, greater sedative action etc. There should be details of this in the prescribing info.

hope that helps , & everything is ok on the 20th

kate

Lou-ah-vull · « **Reply #25 on:** March 05, 2007, 10:48:27 pm »

I did check with the interaction tool and it was a big red light. Should I call the GI doctor's office and tell them? I don't even know if they intended to use versed, but it seems that many people get that when they undergo a colonoscopy.

AlanBama · « **Reply #26 on:** March 05, 2007, 10:56:31 pm »

Gary,

the anesthesiologist will speak with you and take a history immediately before the procedure. Raise your concerns at that point. You could phone the doctor's office, but the anesthesiologist is the one to speak to.

Good luck!

Alan

bocker3 · « **Reply #27 on:** March 06, 2007, 08:57:05 am »

Hi Gary,

I did not see an anesthesiologist before my colonoscopy -- not sure why, but perhaps because Versed is not a general anesthetic (some people are "awake" enough to watch the procedure -- I remember nothing of it). There is an easy way to feel better about what will happen; contact your doctor and find out what they plan to give you for the procedure and let him know about your HIV drugs and question him about possible interactions. Doing this in advance might help eliminate a risk of them sending you home after your prep for the procedure if they have not taken interactions into account and don't feel prepared to give you something (I'm sure this isn't likely to happen, but having done the prep, you dont' want to have to repeat it).

My 2 cents

poet · « **Reply #28 on:** March 06, 2007, 01:54:58 pm »

I would absolutely second this approach, asking all the questions, searching for all the interactions, etc. long before the day. We all would want anyone doing a procedure to be clear about how we are, perhaps, different than another patient being seen that day, that the drugs needed for us would be there on hand and not leading to a last minute scramble. Best, Win

Cerrid · « **Reply #29 on:** July 03, 2007, 12:14:48 pm »

I'm glad reading your colonoscopy stories, very enlightening. I'm scheduled for tomorrow morning, my first encounter with an endoscope and the movie from within. Right now, I force myself to drink 4 liters of nasty prep stuff... absolutely horrible. Why don't they make beer flavoured ones? 1 liter is already in, 3 more waiting in the fridge. Yucky-dee-yuck...

I asked my HIV doc about taking meds during the prep procedure. She said I should just skip the evening dose because it would better not to take any but risking a malabsorption due to the pipe cleaning. I have no idea whether I'll get anaesthetics but I assume so. Don't know what type. My butt doc knows my meds and I'm not his first poz patient. I hope everything's working out fine... just a preventive measure. Still...

Man, I'm already hungry...

milker · « **Reply #30 on:** July 03, 2007, 12:22:12 pm »

Wait until you sit on the toilet and yell OH MY GOD!

This nasty stuff is nasty, but.. powerful...

Milker.

Queen Tokelove · « **Reply #31 on:** July 03, 2007, 03:37:47 pm »

Geez! I am overdue for colonoscopy but am nervous about getting it done..Also, I am one of the few who is not keen on someone sticking something up my ass and playing peek-a-boo...Cerrid, let me know how it goes. I need to know what I got to look forward to.

Cerrid · « **Reply #32 on:** July 03, 2007, 03:56:17 pm »

Ok, I'll keep you up-to-date. Right now, 3 (out of 4) liters are in and I guesstimate half of them are already out again. Drinking, running, drinking, running. Reminds me on my first weeks on Kaletra.

I put the prep-drink in the freezer. It's more tolerable when ice-cold. I also added a splash of lemon for the taste and a little paper umbrella on the glass for the summer feeling.

camille07 · « **Reply #33 on:** July 03, 2007, 05:32:14 pm »

I had a colon blow a few years back. The procedure was elementary. However, the preparation was really a pain in the ass...at least for this girl. At first I thought the "draino" wasn't working but later that hour all hell broke loose. Stay near the porcelain and perhaps the cooling effect will be more tolerant getting it down.

Good luck and definitely keep us abreast to the outcome:)

milker · « **Reply #34 on:** July 03, 2007, 05:43:13 pm »

Quote from: Cerrid on July 03, 2007, 03:56:17 pm

I also added a splash of lemon for the taste and a little paper umbrella on the glass for the summer feeling.

Cerrid · « **Reply #35 on:** July 04, 2007, 07:19:43 am »

I'm back from my butt doc. It was nothing to worry about. I had forgotten to bring my latest blood work with me, so my HIV doc had to fax it to them. Especially the numbers on blood clotting. In the exam room, they gave me a sedating injection which made me a bit stoned and I didn't really follow the procedure. From time to time, I had a look at the monitor but it was rather unspectular. I'm not a big fan of hospital series anyway (apart from Dr Bob at the Muppet Show). The good news: The doc didn't find anything, no polyps, no inflammation, no forgotten toys, no warts, nada. All in all, it was over in 20 minutes. Afterwards I was given coffee and biscuits in the recovery room. Now I'm back at home, hungry like a wolf and farting like a hurricane.

Oceanbeach · « **Reply #36 on:** July 04, 2007, 07:29:30 am »

My ID doc and his Nurse have been buggin me for a couple of years to have one done. They promise that I will be out cold during the procedure, not remember any of it and I won't be able to drive that day. They say everyone should have it done once every 10 years and my family has a history of colon cancer, I should be first in line.

I'm having it done next month. Have the best day
Michael

scud44 · « **Reply #37 on:** July 04, 2007, 02:43:50 pm »

As has mentioned here before by others, stay near the toilet when having the powdered preparation - it will keep you on the move. as for after effects - you might feel the need for a nice meal and a good sleep when you get home - no driving after procedure.
The whole thing takes about 5 minues - I have had 3 colonoscopes done in the past couple of years and I must say it certainly clears out the plumbing - its not uncomfortable.
Make sure you ask the doctor for some photos - they are a wonderful conversation piece at a party!

Good luck and don't worry.

Regards
Scud44

emeraldize · « **Reply #38 on:** July 04, 2007, 07:02:40 pm »

So, I guess if you're the type who likes to watch, then you're anal attentive? When I had mine done, I told them I didn't want to be out of it and that I wanted to watch the monitor throughout the process. The nurse, who was in charge, said they would simply not use one of the four-drug combo they typically use so I would be alert and able to remember what I experienced. We also made a pact that if it became too uncomfortable as she navigated the hairpin turns, I could opt to have the 4th drug added back in. She told me when to deep breathe in advance of the turns and it was a breeze, so to speak. My time in the recovery room was also minimized with fewer drugs. We don't get tea, coffee or biscuits here afterward--how uncivilized.

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Author Topic: Colonoscopy (Read 11654 times)