Colonoscopy

Around a 15 minute read.

So three weeks ago I got the dreaded call, for me, it is one of the worst calls I can get, Chlöe you have to have a colonoscopy! I hate them! For me, it is the worse test/examination I have to have. I got the call on a Friday and then two weeks later I was having my appointment.

This one was slightly different from previous ones due to Covid 19. When I got the call to say that there was an appointment available they also informed me that I would need to go for a Covid 19 tests on the Tuesday (the day after I got the call). I am lucky that my work is understanding and let me have the time off.

The next afternoon I went for the test, I was worrying as I’m not great with throat swabs but I didn’t find it too bad. It was quick and pain-free. I pulled up in the designated spaces and the nurses came out with the swabs. First of all, they swabbed the back of my throat and then they swabbed up my nose. It tickled and was uncomfortable but wasn’t painful.

The next day I got a call from the endoscopy department just asking some routine questions, like if I take blood thinners. While I was on the call I asked and they confirmed that my test was negative.

Although my colonoscopy wasn’t until the Friday, the preparation started on the Thursday afternoon. It starts with low fiber foods for the day before and as my appointment was a morning one, no food after 1 pm. I also wasn’t allowed fizzy drinks or any milk. I decided to stick with chicken and had a chicken breast at 11 and another one at 12 to make sure I was full.

At 5 pm I had to start drinking my Moviprep, this a laxative they give you to make sure your system is completely clear. If you don’t follow the guidelines and you are not completely cleared out they might not be able to perform the colonoscopy. Moviprep is two sachets, an A and a B, you mix the sachets into two a litres of water and drink over 1-2 hours. It does say that it normally starts working around the two-hour mark but my body is nowhere near normal and let’s just say its a good job my journey home from work that day didn’t take longer than 45 minutes! You also have to drink at least 500ml of water during/after drinking the Moviprep. At 8 pm I had to drink the second litre of Moviprep, again over 1-2 hours. I hate Moviprep, it tastes horrible, and you have to drink so much you feel bloated and sick. For the first time ever it made me throw up! I did panic that they wouldn’t be able to do the test correctly but I know my body and after having so many colonoscopies I know what should happen when the Moviprep has worked. As awful as it sounds, what is coming out of you should just look like what you are putting into you. So basically your stool should be the same consistency and a similar colour to what your urine is.

While I was drinking the Moviprep I went to the toilet over 20 times, you can imagine how that makes you feel! You feel so drained by the end of it and your bum feels so sore from it all which just makes you feel uncomfortable in general.

On the day of the procedure, you can only have water up until 2 hours before, so at 8:15 I had my last drink until after it was all done.

I arrived at the hospital for my appointment, again slightly different as I had to have my mask on, this was kept on all the way up until I was on gas and air. As I have already mentioned I hate these tests, so my husband normally comes in right up until the last minute but they told me he wasn’t allowed this time due to restrictions on numbers (I hate the test that much that before I was married I made my dad fly back from Spain just to come to the test with me!). So I went up to the department on my own, I checked in and then went to sit in the waiting room, the chairs were all separated so there was no worrying that you were too close to anyone.

After a while they came to get me for me pre-check. When you get all your drink preparation there is an admission form and a consent form in the pack for you to complete as much as possible before you get there. So in the pre-check they run through the forms with you and ask you any other questions they may need to know. They also ask you what you want given to you to make the procedure more comfortable. Apparently, there are people that have the test on just gas and air but I can’t do that, I find it too painful. So I have the gas and air, the pain relief and the sedation, basically everything on offer, and trust me if they let you get put to sleep I would 100% go for that option! (They used to offer this in Spain when I had them and it was much more bearable!) They did say to me this time that it’s probably so painful for me because of how my intestine is and the inflammation I have in it. I guess the pain of the test is different for each person, but for me its the most painful test I have ever had.

Once I had run through the pre-checks a nurse came to put a canular in, for them to administer the sedation and pain relief during the examination. She then took me to get changed into my gown. Normally you would get changed and then wait in another waiting room, however the nurse wasn’t happy me waiting in the other waiting room as there were already three people waiting in it. We had all had a negative Covid test but she said she didn’t want to risk me being in the same room due to my health, so took me to a single disabled changing room and told me to wait in there once I was ready. I honestly can’t complain about the service I got and the thoughtfulness of the staff.

Once it was my turn they came to get me and we went to the room where the examination takes place. Once they had checked my wrist band and made sure I was the correct person I got onto the bed, they talked me through what they were going to do. Gave me my pain relief and sedation and handed me the gas and air. Told me to lie on to my left and knees up and in it goes.

A colonoscopy is a tube with a camera on the end, they push it in through your anus and then around the intestine to see what is going on in the inside. As much as I hate it I do know that for me living with Crohn’s it is the best examination and pretty much the only examination, for them to see exactly what is going on inside and to give us a better understanding of whereabouts my Crohn’s is currently active and how severe it is. While the tube is in they can pump air into your bowel to make the process easier and to distend the intestine.

Every single colonoscopy has hurt, but this one was the worst. At one point I had to ask how long was left as I thought I was going to have to ask them to stop due to the pain. With sedation, you are still awake, you are just a bit drowsy and a bit more relaxed. They told me it was nearly over so I carried on.

Once the procedure is finished you go to a recovery room to come round and before you leave have to have a drink and a biscuit. The biscuit was amazing as by this time it was gone half one and I hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours! As I had had sedation I was unable to drive (or sign legal documents!) for at least 24 hours. So they had to call my husband to come to collect me from the waiting room.

When you leave they give you a discharge letter, it gives you a little bit of information but isn’t as in detail as the report they send to your specialist. Mine confirmed that they had taken 15 biopsies on this occasion. So they let me know that there might be a bit of bleeding of a few days. They also let you know that you may be in discomfort and have cramps for a couple of days. I had both of the above and the cramps lasted longer than normal. I would say that my stomach is still agitated from it all and it’s over a week ago now. The day of the test all I was able to eat was the biscuit and a shake due to the pain I was in.

On the discharge letter, it also confirms where they have taken the biopsies from, that I have polyps (which are quite normal for someone with Crohn’s), that they have taken some photos and unfortunately it also confirms that my Crohn’s is currently active in my sigmoid, rectum and anal canal.

I have heard from my specialist and thankfully my biopsies don’t show anything other than my Crohn’s being active. I am now awaiting an appointment with my specialist Doctor to discuss the next steps and plan for how we move forward.

Although all of the above may seem negative and don’t get me wrong, of cause there were tears after the examination due to the pain I was in, you have to look at the positives as well, at least the test is over until next time (I generally have to have 1 every year) and at least now me and my specialists have an up to date examination and know what we are working with to get the correct next steps into place.

What test do you dread the most!? Next time you have it done just try to think of the positives you will get from it and not just the negative part of it.

Much Love
Chlöe x