Terrified!

Hi Sonning, 

So sorry you are feeling and having all that thoughts,  let me tell you they are normal ( trust me) I had them.... but the colonoscopy is a much necessary test/scan and to my own personal experiencet sounds scary  but is not scary at all. In my own personal experience the results are the ones we fear the most in the end. Be calm and please don't be scared is a very normal procedure, not painful at all.

Wishing you all the best  

Hi Sonning and a warm welcome to the board.

Yes I’m afraid you have to have some sort of prep to clear the bowel out before they look inside it. The type of prep seems to vary from hospital to hospital. I’ve always had moviprep which involves mixing 2 sachets of powder in 2 litres of water and drinking over a period of time depending on when your appointment is eg. A morning appt would usually involve drinking the prep the afternoon before and then the evening before. It’s quite a lot of liquid and not very pleasant tasting but I used to take 4 big slurps through a wide straw then a swig of tonic water with lemon to take the taste away. You can add squash to the mix but try it in a small amount first! I’ve heard some people have been given picolax which seems to involve a much smaller volume of liquid. My mum is 86 and she said she had to administer a self enenama but didn’t go into detail.

The waiting is tough but only 1 in 10 colonoscopies results in a bowel cancer diagnosis. I’ve attached a link that another member posted to help deal with stress and anxiety which may help?

https://www.rbht.nhs.uk/our-services/clinical_support/rehabilitation-and-therapies/psychological-medicine/relaxation-exercises

Please let us know how you get on?

Take care

Karen x