Colonoscopy & Health Stuff

As it's the 70th birthday of the NHS I thought I would do a post of something health related where the NHS has been such a massive help. The NHS is an amazing thing that we have here across the UK and it is so underappreciated and so underfunded but it has my appreciation and I'm sure many other's too. It was them who helped me into this world when my mum needed blood for her c-section, it's them that have helped me throughout my life with little things, my psoriasis and most recently whatever the hell is going on with me now. So thank you NHS and Happy 70th!!

So now onto recent events. A couple of weeks ago I had to go for a colonoscopy. The joys eh? Beforehand I read up as much as I could about it by reading other people's blog posts and I just wanted to know what to expect. Everyone though has such a different experience. Some people don't feel anything and some people do but the most reoccurring statement was that the prep was the worst. So I went into it believing that the prep would be the worst part. Just a bit of warning here... this might get gross. 

The Prep

So I got my letter less than a week before the procedure and I was a little freaked out. The Klean-prep was sent with the letter and I did a little investigation to see other people's experiences of this were. I was not comforted in the slightest. It's safe to say it was an awful day. The prep had this vanilla taste to it but it was just very salty. If you've ever had Andrews salts it's a bit like that but 10 times worse. You have to drink about 4 litres (what the hell?) of this in one day so that it cleans out your bowels. It worked a tad quickly for me. About 15 minutes after taking the first mouthfuls. I had to make sure that my mum knew I would need absolute access to the toilet because trust me that part is not pretty at all. It was like pissing out of the wrong bit after the first 2 litres. I did really struggle and threw up all over myself a couple of times (this was a bit of a pain in the arse) but I found a technique that started to work. So if you ever have to do this you can give it a try. First, have some Sprite or 7Up. Get a straw and hold your nose as you drink the prep, keep holding your nose and drink the Sprite or 7Up and it kind of tricks your mouth that you were drinking that the whole time. You're also not allowed to eat the entire time and I was bloody starving and as I had to stay near a toilet I was pretty much in front of the telly the whole day. Food adverts everywhere... so I suggest maybe some dvds to escape that torture.

The Procedure

So... after reading people's experiences I wasn't too worried about the procedure, I was just looking forward to getting something to eat afterwards. I was taken into the ward and had the loveliest nurse attending to me. Got changed into my gown and I was allowed to keep my bra on which is somewhat good because those gowns are pretty uncomfortable. The nurse wheeled me into the room fairly quickly and all the other nurses and staff were so lovely and they made sure everything was as dignified and professional as possible. It was going fine until the scope was going through my intestines like a jaggy piece of rope. Part of me thinks that I may not have been sedated enough and I should have said something as it was very painful, especially when it was going round the bends and twists. Once it was over though I was just relieved. I was praised on my prep as I managed the majority of it which meant they got a good clear view. If you're not squeamish you can watch on the screen next to you which is kind of cool. Getting to see the inside of your own body. Pretty cool. 

Afterwards

Once I was back in the ward I was allowed to get dressed back into my clothes and then have something to eat and a cup of tea. My dad was then allowed in whilst we waited for the doctor to come and have a little word with us and then I was allowed to go home. I thought I would be eager to eat something but all I really wanted to do was go home and have a lie down. I also again didn't want to be anywhere far from a toilet even though there is nothing there after the prep it is just air but it's best to let that air go in the privacy of a bathroom or at home. I did eventually get some food and I savoured every single bite. 

I was still a bit sore for a couple of days afterwards and was getting pain in the parts where the scope hurt me and when I did eat I was not slow in having to run to the toilet. It did just take a couple of days for my stomach and bowels to settle.

I had my results and they are clear. Which is not massively comforting as I still don't know what is going on. So being given medication for a month and if that doesn't help it's back to the doctors. Woohoo.

Have you ever had a colonoscopy? Are you going for one? If you need some advice or just want to chat let me know. Thanks for reading :)

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