Hi - 36yo female under 2ww

Hi PineappleSmoothi and a warm welcome to the board. Yes your post is a great idea and will be really helpful to others just starting out. You sound to be in a good state of mind and if it does turn out to be bowel cancer then there is a lot of treatment available.

The prep for the colonoscopy is often the worst part! Most people are given moviprep which involves drinking large quantities of a salty lemony liquid which will clear your bowels out. It helps to drink it cold and I used to take a couple of big slurps through a straw then have a drink of lemonade or tonic water with lemon to take the taste away. They do say that you can add cordial to the mixture (but nothing dark coloured) but I’d try it in a small amount first in case it makes it worse. Stay near the toilet and have soft toilet paper, wet wipes and soothing cream ready - eventually you’ll just be passing liquid but it’s still important to finish both doses.

You’ll be offered gas and air or mild sedation for the colonoscopy. The mild sedation is through a cannula in your hand but you’re awake and can watch what’s going on on the screen if you want. You will need someone to take you home and be with you for 24 hours after (but not necessary if you opt for the gas and air) You’ll then go to a recovery area where you’ll be given tea and biscuits or toast and then a nurse will discuss what they’ve seen with you. I was told there and then that they were 99% sure that it was bowel cancer and the biopsies that they’d taken confirmed that. 

Hope you get an appointment soon and please let us know how you get on?

Take care

Karen x

Hi Karen,

I can’t thank you enough for such a detailed response. So much great information to take on board. 

I have read a couple of people mentioning about keeping the liquid chilled as it’s easier but I didn’t know you were allowed small sips of lemonade after, that will be hugely helpful! 

I will definitely take the sedation option, I’m very nosey and will like to know what’s going on, so being aware but comfortable will be key for me I think. I’m just hoping it isn’t too painful, I get very bad periods and ovulation pelvic pain and suspicious I may have endometriosis and have read a lot of women saying it is very painful during a colonoscopy.

What type of cream do you recommend? Like a sudocrem style cream? Wet wipes are a great shout, I’m compiling a list of recommended things.

Out of interest what attire is best for the hospital the day of the colonoscopy? I assume we change into a gown anyway but didn’t know afterwards if they check down there at all is a nightie better or just change back into lounge wear or something comfortable. 

Thank you once again for your great reply, it really put my mind at ease. 

Hi PineappleSmoothi 

You’re very welcome. Yes clear liquids are fine - in fact they suggest you drink lots of fluid to keep you hydrated - I liked the tonic with lemon as it’s what I have with my gin! 

Yes a cream such as sudacream or any soothing cream suitable for a sore bottom! 

It may say on the paperwork that you get but I seem to remember being told to take a dressing gown to my last one? They give you a gown and some lovely paper rear access knickers so I think the dressing gown was just for modesty moving between rooms as I always seem to get the gown with only 2 ties - usually 1 at the top and 1 at the bottom! You’ve usually stopped going to the toilet by the time of your appointment but I wore jogging bottoms and then a panty liner/ pad in my knickers to be on the safe side. 

Although things may differ slightly hospital to hospital this is quite a good overview

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/health-information/colonoscopy

Take care

Karen x

Just wanted to wish you all the very best and say thank you for starting this thread. I’d say I’m about a couple of weeks or so behind you at the moment, just done my blood tests at the GP today and did the other 2 stool samples last week and sent my FIT test off this evening.

I’m pretty certain I’ll be going down the colonoscopy route too as I have visible blood in stool so it’s bound to come back positive, I guess it’s just a question of how high the score is but the fact I can see it tells me it’s probably high. 

Also I’m getting stomach ache before going to the toilet so I know it’s not just piles, I just want to get in there and have that colonoscopy tbh so I can get some answers and find out what I’m dealing with.

Thanks again, and thanks to Karen too for such an informative reply to your thread, it really is helpful!

I’ll keep checking back to see how you are getting on. 

Thank you and best wishes.

Dean.

Hi Dean, I’m so glad my post brought you to this community. 

It’s a daunting time but I’ve felt the NHS have been very efficient and supportive in all their communication with me so fingers crossed you won’t have to wait too long. My referral was accepted without them having my FIT result because of my anemia they moved me to IDA 2ww suspected cancer but it is effectively the same they just want to hunt for blood loss reasons. 

So I spoke with the triage team last Tuesday (2 weeks from original referral) who spent 40 minutes collating my symptoms and asking questions and going through everything with me. She suggested I need a CT Scan, endoscopy and colonoscopy. 

I actually have the CT thorax, abdo and pelvis with contrast this afternoon and my endoscopy and colonoscopy is next Friday 29th May. 

So it’s all moving fast and in the right direction.

How are you feeling? It’s incredibly worrying to look down and see blood. Hopefully your referral comes through fast once your FIT test comes back. My FIT took 5 working days but I was checking my nhs like a mad woman every hour! 

Keep in touch on your journey I’ll be thinking of you. 

Hi PineappleSmoothi 

Goid to hear that things are moving along for you. The CT scan with contrast is pretty straight forward but just in case they don’t warn you - when you’re lying on the scanning table and they tell you that they’re putting the contrast in, you will get a strange warm feeling in your groin! It feels like you’ve wee’d yourself but you won’t have! You may also get a bit of a metallic taste in your mouth! They will probably warn you but if not you know not to panic!

Take care

Karen x

Thank you so much, you've just helped me again because I'd never heard of the My NHS App so I've just signed up to it now, I need to wait a few days for my GP surgery to connect my records to the app so at least I will have it ready for future use.

I just received some text messages from the GP actually, saying my 2 stool samples and blood tests came back normal... and that they will contact me for a routine telephone conversation.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, I mean there's definitely something wrong with me, I don't know if those results make cancer more likely or less likely, I guess I'll have to wait until they call me to find out more, I imagine they will probably wait for the FIT test to come back so they have the full picture.

Best of luck with everything today, it's afternoon as I write this so hopefully it's all going well for you as we speak! :)

Hi DeanR1  and a warm welcome to you too. I’m so glad you’re finding the posts helpful - it’s always good to read 1st hand experience and know there are others who know exactly what you’re going through.

As you might have seen in previous posts, only 1 in 10 colonoscopies results in a bowel cancer diagnosis. There are several other conditions that can cause blood in the stool like colitis, crohns, diverticulitis etc. but the main thing is that you’re getting checked out.

Take care and please keep us updated?

Karen x