My Experience

I scheduled a colonoscopy as a routine over 50 follow-up.

Two days before the procedure I started with 3 Dulcolax tablets at 4:30 pm. The most discomfort I experienced during the prep and procedure was the short-lived stomach cramps in the middle of the night when the Dulcolax finally started working.

Next was eight ounces of clear fluid every hour beginning at 9 am one day prior to the procedure with an additional 3 Dulcolax at 3 PM. Beginning at 6 pm on the day prior I consumed 8 ounces of HalfLytely every 10 minutes until a total of 2 liters was finished. When the Dulcolax and the HalfLytely start working you will have a little difficulty remaining on a 10 minute schedule unless you don’t mind drinking while on the toilet. You are going to be very busy for the next couple of hours.

At 9:00 am I checked in and signed a few papers and after about a 15 minute wait I was taken back, weighed, answered some questions, signed some more papers and told to get naked and get in the gown. Within a very few minutes the treatment nurse came in and hooked me up to the IV and pretty quickly rolled me back to the exam room. The heart monitor was connected and they asked me to roll on to my left side. I was getting drowsy and the last thing I really remember is the nurse pulling the blanket and gown off my butt so the doctor had access to his work area.

The next thing I remember (and only very marginally) is someone telling me I could get dressed. The problem was, I couldn’t stand up on my own and I couldn’t find my clothes with a tour guide and a map much less figure out how to put them on by myself. I don’t have much concept of time after that, but my wife says that around 10:15 am they called her back to help me get dressed. When she came back, I was still on the gurney and had been given a cup of ginger ale and a straw. I don’t know why they did that because I kept dozing off and soon managed to spill the drink on myself. Fortunately I was still in the gown and not my own clothes. Around this time the doctor came up and explained to my wife that they had only discovered and removed two tiny polyps and everything else was very good. They got me cleaned off and my wife said I somehow managed to help her get my clothes on and then I found out I could not walk well enough to leave.

They brought in a wheel chair, got me on board and we headed for the elevator. I can remember some of this in only very vague short blurry snapshots. My wife told me I kept asking where my glasses were and she was very patient each time telling me they were right on my nose where they belonged. I also kept telling her how big the gown was…I mean it was really, really big. I can’t really remember getting into the car and don’t recall any of the 15 minute ride home.

I can kind of remember some of the walk under my own power to get from the car into the house. The next think I knew was I had my sweat pants on and I was stretched out on the sofa waiting for waffles. By that point I was back in full awareness and the waffles were very close to one of the best meals I have ever had. I spent most of the rest of the day catching up on the sleep I missed on Saturday night and sleeping off the rest of the drug’s effects.

I have been “twilighted” several times and this is the first time that the effects lingered as long as they did, but the sensation was not unpleasant. Physically I felt great. It was probably about 45 minutes before I started getting my wits pretty much back where they should be. Even with that I still felt great and ready to get something to eat. My recovery mostly consisted of a short nap, a light brunch, drinking plenty of fluid, taking a long nap, then continuing to drink plenty of fluids and eating a light supper.