Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to do a post because I found it really useful to look on here before my colonoscopy and I thought it might help others to know what I experienced too.  Sorry, long post coming up, but I know, I really wanted to know as much as poss before, so I really hope this helps someone.

I'm 44, female, from an Indian Asian background.  Relatively fit and healthy, don't smoke or do drugs, drink only occasionally, have a pretty good diet, and I haven't really had too many reasons to see the docs before.  Then suddenly, out of the blue, my bowel habits changed from really regular and normal, to watery diarrhoea, and an urgency to go.  It was only once or twice a day, and I wasn't losing weight, but it was a definite change that was uncomfortable and made me feel tired and lasted a month or a bit longer, so I went to the docs.

The poo tests were pretty horrid, to be honest, because my poo was so watery and smelly (sorry, but just to let others know that this can happen!) and then they found blood in the FIT and raised calprotectin levels, and also from my blood test, raised platelets, so something was defo going on and I was put on the cancer pathway, which is scary and reassuring at the same time as there is a two-week waiting time.

So in terms of stress, I had the stress of the original symptoms, the stress of the results from the poo test, the stress of my family worrying, and then the stress of how to prepare for the colonoscopy.  I get hunger headaches, nausea and migraines, if I don't eat for a while (I'm not diabetic), but that's at the best of times, so I was freaking out about how not to eat for a whole 24 hours before the test.  And I'm a fruit bat, I can't live without fruit and veg, but for 3 days before, no fibre is allowed.

Well, let me tell you what I ate if that helps, because the hospital weren't that clear and lots of googling gave me different info from different trusts, but I ate this and it was OK. 

In terms of the 3-day prior diet, I ate poached eggs and white toast for brekkie.  Tea with a splash of milk.  Curd rice and a bit of roast tikka chicken, no skin, and I tried to get rid of the tikka bit, for lunch.  I had no idea if I was allowed spices - they don't think of including that info and you know how us Asians like our spices - but I did put the usual into the curd rice, just a little less and no mustard seeds!  Then tea, toast and honey at tea time.  Plain sponge cake.  Oykos peach yoghurt, and Jacobs crackers, a bit of Flora, and cheddar cheese at night.

24-hours before: I had the 10 tablets and citromag sachets.  The sachets were OK - I added lime cordial as I had read in previous posts that that helps, and it was fine.  Nothing happened for a bit (I was imagining having to run to the loo) but after a few hours, I had to go about 4 times that night and the same again the next morning.  You do have to drink a LOT though to make this happen I think.   

This brings me to my next question: what on earth is clear liquid?  I spent ages researching, but in the end, I drank my 1.5 litres the night before and the next day as follows:

tablets and then 1st sachet followed by one yellow or green jelly baby (not red)

250 mls x bouillion (it's veggie powder in the stock section.  I strained it to remove the herbs before drinking).

250 mls x herbal ginger tea

250 mls x lucozade original (even though it was orange, the nurse said it was OK)

a small bowl of green jelly

then 1/2 the second pack of citromag and repeat as above.

I did the same on the day of the procedure and then kept drinking lucozade until 2 hours before.  Again, this is something I read, but had no confirmation from the hospital, so no real idea if this is OK, but my bowels were clear enough.  (By the end, I was just passing water and the loo bowl was clear.)  I could then keep drinking water right up to the procedure.

My arrival time was 11.00.  I was taken in at 11.20 and had a nice pre-assessment, although my blood pressure had rocketed and my heart was beating really fast even though I was trying to practise deep breathing.

I then changed into very lovely modesty pants and a gown and waited in a female-only waiting room till about 1.30 pm, so it was a long wait.  Luckily, they had Friends showing on telly which really helped, but I recommend being ready for a long wait with cat videos on standby or a good book.

I was then called in and the doctor was nice and the nurses were so lovely.  I opted only for Entonox, but I'm not even sure if I took any in properly, because my breaths are really shallow and you have to really suck it in.  I could see everything on the screen which was magnified.  It was a bit painful, and uncomfortable, especially going round the bends, as everyone says, but it wasn't terrible by any means.  It was like cramping with really bad period pain and wind!  It was actually really interesting to watch and the doctor explained everything.  I wasn't able to have buscopan because, again my pressure and heart were crazy high, even though I didn't feel that scared, I must have been!

Anyway, the conclusion was no cancer, yay, but mild ulcerative colitis, not so yay, but I've been taken off the cancer pathway and had the biopsies sent off and will see the specialist in due course.  They tell you straight away.

I was then in recovery for about 30 mins and the nurse gave me lovely tea and 2 digestive bikkies, nothing has tasted so good.

Well, I hope that helps.  Good luck everyone.  It's so much better to get things tested early and then cross any bridges you need to when and if you do.  Try not to pre-worry.  Thank you to the wonderful NHS who really were amazing!