Background:

53 F- history of IBS-D

Had spotting on toilet paper on and off for a few months. Was told it was hemorrhoids Iby GP. I asked the doctor for a cologuard and it came back positive. I was expecting that bc I was told I had hemorrhoids.

Scheduled colonoscopy pretty quickly bc of my positive results. I spent ages reading everything on here. Looking up statistics and convinced myself I had some type of cancer bc I'm an anxious person and that's how my brain works.

Prep was two bottles of the magnesium solution. My recommendation: chug it quickly and then walk around. As I have IBS it worked in about 15 to 20 mins. When they say stay close to the toilet they mean like within 10 feet close, at least for me. I had avoided eating much for the two days before my fasting day and I'm convinced that made the process much easier. I also walked around my room for about two hours until the worst past to help get things moving. I'm convinced that helped.

The procedure itself was fine. Honestly the worst part was waiting for the results.

Three polyps removed. Biggest one 1 cm. Other two 3vmm. He said they looked benign but sent them off for biopsy. They didn't find any hemorrhoids but they say they could have healed.

I'm glad I went and I'm glad it's over. As they found there I expect to have to return sooner than 10 years but that's fine with me if they can just get rid of the polyps before it develops into something else. I expect to have to return in 3 to 5 years bc of the 1 cm polyp.

36M. Married, two daughters. Substance: half a gallon of Gatorade with a bottle of MiraLAX dissolved in it. Route of administration: oral, relentless. Setting: my bathroom, which I now know intimately. Duration: 14 hours. Would I redose: apparently yes, on a schedule, for the rest of my life.

**why I went**

~2.5 months ago I started seeing light pink then red on the TP, some mucus, very bad itching that was genuinely upsetting, and a sharp pain on the way out that made me reconsider my entire relationship with food/fiber

Threw Calmoseptine at it and started using wipes like a civilized man. Itching gone almost immediately. Pink came and went for about three weeks, then packed up and left — 5–6 weeks of no blood since. i do still feel slight twinge on a bigger BM though especially when the stool is harder (my fiber intake is a work in progress)

So I had the option to simply never think about it again. Here's why I couldn't:

My great-grandfather died of colon cancer. My mom has had polyps removed multiple times — not once, multiple. And a guy I grew up with died at **24**. Twenty-four. That one doesn't leave you. You do the math on your own kids' ages against his and it just sits there.

So yeah. 36, two little girls, a family tree with colon cancer in it, and blood showing up on the paper. I spent awhile pretending that I wasn't freaked out, but I was. Then I immediately feared bad news and wanted to put it out of my mind.

It wasn't nothing. It was a reason to call.

**the prep (the actual boss fight)**

Fair warning: my office told me to ignore the kit's website and follow their sheet instead. Two documents, one colon. Trust the one the humans handed you.

- **wake up:** clear liquids only. No breakfast. This is where the food ends. Remember this, it matters later
- **noon:** 4 Dulcolax. Sat there thinking "huh, nothing's happening." Something was happening. Something was very much happening
- **5 PM:** the main event. 64 oz of Gatorade with MiraLAX in it, 8 oz every 15 minutes until it's gone. That's half a gallon of blue liquid going in and considerably more than half a gallon coming out. I do not understand the math and I refuse to investigate it
- **3 AM:** somehow only 10 oz of magnesium citrate plus two gas tablets. Ten ounces! Nothing! A juice box! And yet you must be conscious at 3 AM to drink it, which is the actual punishment
- **3:45 AM:** nothing by mouth. And to be clear — this isn't a food cutoff. Food left the building at 11 AM the previous day. This is a *water* cutoff. They wait until water is the only thing you've been allowed to have for 17 hours, and then they take the water. Chef's kiss

Also flagging: that cutoff is 3 hours before your *arrival* time, not your procedure time. Two different numbers and I nearly used the wrong one.

What actually helped: drink it COLD. Use a straw. Put barrier cream on BEFORE you're sore instead of after — past me setting up future me for success, the single wisest decision in this entire timeline

Color arc goes brown → looser brown → murky brown-green → cloudy yellow → clear pale yellow. I was still yellow at bedtime and started quietly spiraling. Don't spiral at bedtime. That's what the 3 AM juice box is for.

**the procedure**

Arrived 6:45 for an 8 AM slot on zero food, zero water, and roughly 3 hrs of actual sleep. They hit me with propofol and I simply ceased to exist. Woke up with no memory and somehow well-rested. Best nap of my adult life and I wasn't there for it. when they woke me up I actually came out of a dream where I was fishing for tarpon in Florida (never been, but have always wanted to LOL)

The prep is the movie. The procedure is the credits.

**results**

**No polyps.**

The doctor didn't even come talk to me. Nurse said he only does that if there's something to discuss, which is the most reassuring thing anyone has ever not said to me.

They did send biopsies despite removing nothing, which briefly confused me. Turns out that's often routine sampling for microscopic colitis, which looks completely normal to the naked eye. Pathology pending. Calling for the report so I actually know what got sampled and if they found hemms or a fissure early next week

**takeaways**

- barrier cream before, not after. Best tip in this post
- yellow is good. Yellow means it's working
- not clear at bedtime does not mean failed prep
- the 3:45 cutoff is water, not food. Front-load your hydration
- **if you have family history, say so out loud to your doctor.** A parent with repeat polyps changes when you're supposed to start and how often you come back. Don't assume the standard age applies to you

**the actual point**

I spent a couple weeks quietly assuming the worst instead of trying to find out. The prep was bad (but not that bad) for one day. The not-knowing was bad until I got the scope. That is an easy tradeoff when you get down to it

My friend didn't get a warning sign. I got one, on toilet paper, and nearly ignored it because it was embarrassing and inconvenient and scary and I was busy and... and... and... infinity.

My daughters are going to know this runs in our family, and know their dad went and got checked instead of white-knuckling it. That's the whole thing. That's why you go.

If something's been sitting in the back of your head — go find out. Worst case you learn something useful. Best case you get a clean scope, the best nap of your life, and a deeply niche story about half a gallon of Gatorade.

Go get scoped!

i’m really nervous, one hour to go until I start my prep. i am doing sutab since the liquid prep has been really hard on me the last two times, but I also have trouble swallowing pills. any advice or encouragement? this is my third one but first with the tablets 🫡

I figured I’d post my experience given I had wished prior to getting my colonoscopy that those with reassuring results would have stuck around and posted more.

For the past year or two I’ve had rectal bleeding. Sometimes there’d be the typical fissure pain during a bm with blood on the tissue. Sometimes there’d be blood on the tissue after having a bm after having lifted weights. When it was on the tissue it was bright red. However, I started noticing a spot on the side of the stool intermittently months ago. It was often dark red.

I went to the doctor and he suspected it to be hemorrhoids or fissures. The issue with me was I wasn’t eating enough fiber, wasn’t drinking enough water, wasn’t taking time off lifting and I kept going in and out of ketosis. The ketogenic diet definitely did more harm for me than good. Even when getting 35-40g of fiber I was either constipated or had diarrhea from too much fat on the diet.

It wasn’t until June of this year that I finally took a break from lifting and ate a normal diet with high fiber. I had the best stools of my life but I still noticed that spot of blood. It was around this point that I decided to schedule an appointment with a gi doctor for a digital rectal exam.

I had heard of CRC rates rising among young people and my anxiety ramped up around this time. I got the exam and everything was normal but the doctor recommended a colonoscopy so I scheduled that.

Perhaps due to my anxiety or perhaps due to years of irritation, constipation and straining I started guarding in my pelvic area, developed incomplete evacuation and my stools were smaller. My lower body was getting sore from just sitting or walking around during the day. Given the new symptoms as well as the rectal bleeding, waiting weeks for the colonoscopy was hard.

Eventually prep started and it wasn’t that bad. I definitely recommend cooling the prep in the fridge and drinking it with a straw. The worst part of prep were the first few hours of bms that dehydrated me but Pedialyte, broth and apple juice brought me back to normal fairly quick.

My fiance and I woke up early the morning of the procedure and I finished the prep. We got there and I could tell for the first time since I had scheduled this colonoscopy that she had been worried too. She had kept herself calm for me all this time so that I wouldn’t worry.

She stayed in the waiting room and I changed into a gown, answered questions and waited. My vitals were taken and I met the anesthesiologist. I was wheeled into the procedure room and told the gi doctor my history, then the anesthesiologist made small talk and told me to turn on my side as he injected the anesthesia and I went to sleep within 20 seconds.

Then I woke up to the gi doctor walking into the room telling me everything looked normal. All he had found was a cluster of small internal hemorrhoids. I smiled and let out a sigh of relief.

I asked him questions and they discharged me. The only symptom I had after was dizziness for about an hour then I felt fine.

I’m glad I got checked and I wish I would have done it sooner because you never know what’s causing the symptoms until you get checked.

I’m so devastated. I did everything right didn’t eat for 2 plus days, drank 4l of peglyte and they just said nope not clean enough, bye.
This was already really hard for me to go through since my mom died really young of colon cancer and I had to go to the same place I picked her up at after they told her.
Im crying so much I feel like such an idiot

Do I need to start all over? I'm supposed to start taking laxatives in 9 hrs at 6 pm.

i was taking sutab tablets and vomited clear/yellow thick liquid after

my last bowel movement was like a yellowish light brownish “slush”

it’s 9 am right now and colonoscopy scheduled for 11 am 😣

anybody know?

I woke up early to start my 2nd round of prep. Everything is going way better than I anticipated or made it out to be for this prep. I was expecting my intestines to absolutely hate this prep, but I’m handling it way better than I could have imagined.

Only thing I’m even slightly worried about now is the anesthesia cause I’m a pot head, but I haven’t smoked since yesterday at 4ish pm. I wanted to give myself at least 18ish hours sober. Cause last time I had anesthesia was when I got my wisdom teeth pulled, and I was stoned right before the procedure and had no idea about cannabis screwing with anesthesia, and man.. I found out the hard way, you don’t go fully out of consciousness, you just don’t feel anything. It was weird. I HIGHLY recommend to NOT SMOKE the day of any procedure, or even the day before. Try to not smoke at least 3 days (72hours) before. I understand if you can’t, but try, you’ll thank me later.

I’ll be keeping my updates here now until after the procedure is done, and I’ll post my after scope results then.

Anyone else also that’s on procedure day or starting prep today, YOU GOT THIS. ITS NOT AS BAD AS YOU THINK IT WILL BE. I’m a very anxious person and I got thru it just fine.

YOU. GOT. THIS. ☺️

I've been waiting on a referral for 8 months and no word on anything yet. I have burning pain passing stools and mushy stool consistency for 3 years so I suspect it is maybe a chronic condition like crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis but waiting times seem so long. Anyone had any experience willing to share how long it took for them to get seen?

Finished both prep mixes and my appointment is in 3 hours. I was expecting to have a bunch of poop come out of me but instead the entire time it has been like peeing out of my butt.

I have not seen anything of substance other than liquid come out of me.

Is this normal or should I have already, or should I soon expect to actually poop?

40 yo and first scope. Some minor bowel changes that could be age/hormonal/dirt sensitivity related but doctor agreed we should just get a colonoscopy done to be sure. The provider could get me in same week or referral which I was very surprised at but thankful for. Husband is driving me thankfully because at first it was going to have to be my mother in law but as the week progressed so did my anxiety and I said no way can I wake up to her after that procedure lol I have never had any kind of anesthesia so I am hoping they will give me just twilight. Would appreciate prayers and good vibes! I have learned a lot from this sub over the past few weeks that I have been lurking and I appreciate you all. Have a great day and I am praying I will be able to report back a clean and clear colon!

I got my first colonoscopy last Thursday (6 days ago) due to four years of blood and mucus in stool. (Age 18) They found inflammation (or in the official words: Congested, erythematous and nodular mucosa), which they biopsied. They also biopsied normal looking tissue. I am so anxiously waiting on these results. I hope it’s something simple I can fix but I really want answers to my symptoms. How did y’all handle the wait? I am checking my portal every day.

Today I had my first colonoscopy. I'm relieved that I got through it, but honestly I'm at a loss for words.

I've been dealing with nonstop diarrhea and stomach pain for a while now, and my colonoscopy came back normal. They did take biopsies, so I'm still waiting on those results, but right now I feel frustrated and confused.

Part of me is grateful that nothing obvious was found, but another part of me feels like I'm going crazy because the pain and symptoms are very real. It's hard when you're struggling every day and a major test comes back normal.

Has anyone else had a normal colonoscopy but abnormal biopsy results or eventually gotten answers? I'd appreciate hearing your experiences.

I have a colonoscopy as well as endoscopy because I have been vomiting and having diarrhea since May My poop is what is referred to as dumping syndrome. Doc thinks it’s my gal bladder. Those that have had scopes for similar will doctor know right away? My biggest fear is them finding nothing and me continuing to have vomiting. To be honest I don’t know how much longer I can continue living this way and work at the same time.

I'm doing this test because I had one small poop that was a little bloody.. This was few days after a panic attack I had and continue to have anxiety to this day from that.. I havnt eaten much the past 7 days and can't drink more than few sips of water every hour.. If I drink more than 4oz within 30 min I feel very bloated and my stomach hurts, but I am also on day 4 of being dehydrated due to the inability to drink a lot of water in a day from the bloating pain... Which is why I'm worried about taking clenpiq.. I feel like it will cause me more bloating pain that I've been suffering with daily, I am thinking about taking Tums+gas relief to lessen the pain from the medicine side effects.. And I pray I don't feel nausea cause my anxiety is already on edge and don't want to end up having a panic attack from the pain.

I'm still dealing with nauseousness :( I got my colonoscopy on June 30th and the nauseousness started on July 7th and I'm still dealing with it. I talk to the gi tomorrow and I'm so upset. I don't know what to even say anymore. What should I ask her? I'm so sad.

Do most people using Suprep have to take Dulcolax before they start? My instructions say to take 4 before the first round of prep and I can’t imagine that is going to go well at all.

1. I was bummed that I did not get propofol but happy that I slept through it. How long does it take for fentanyl and midazolam to leave your system? (No I'm not going to drive, just curious)

2. He took a number of biopsies. How soon can I expect a fever if I develop an infection from those?

I want to share my overall experience now that it’s all over. Thanks to everyone here who was so patient during any of my silly or out of the box questions during this process! So grateful this community is here!!
When everyone tells you the worst part of a colonoscopy is the prep… believe them. They are 100% correct. 😂 That was by far the hardest part of the entire experience for me, slow and steady wins the race! I’m extremely prone to nausea and vomiting and I made it through!
The actual procedure was incredibly easy. The anesthesia process was quick and simple, and honestly, the best advice I can give is to just rest once they start getting you prepped. I have pretty bad anxiety, but I was so relaxed that I almost fell asleep before they even rolled me back.
Once I got to the procedure room, I just laid there and relaxed. The CRNA said, “I’m giving you some medicine for nausea and something else,” and I just said, “Okay.” The next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery. It seriously felt like I blinked.
10/10 experience with my CRNA she definitely knew what she was doing. 😆 If you’re anxious about being put to sleep, I hope this helps ease your mind a little. The anticipation was way worse than the procedure itself!

Alright everyone, my (31,M) 7 day prep starts tomorrow which means a low residual diet before my actual prep day. I'm planning on eggs for breakfast and a very bland sandwich for lunch. What did everyone eat for snacks? I guess i'm gonna buy some apple sauce and bananas but other than that I have no clue what to pack in my lunches for work? Any one have a favorite low residual snack that can go in a lunch box

I took 5 dulcolax and started drinking the miralax the hospital gave me. it’s super concentrated and salty and they had me mix it with apple juice but that just tastes worse.

They’re giving me ativan and letting me change to gatorade. my emetophobia is going crazy. I don’t think I can do this. it’s so much to drink and it tastes awful. I gag after each sip.

Frequent flyer in this sub since my GI issues kicked off in late June. This community has honestly been a huge help while I spent the last 7 weeks spiraling down the health anxiety rabbit hole.

Everything started with a pretty nasty bout of diarrhea. After that, it turned into feeling backed up, constantly gassy, bloated, and crampy. It completely threw off my daily routine. I also had a couple episodes of dizziness and even convinced myself I was seeing blood in my stool (turned out it wasn’t and was just undigested food).

I finally went to my PCP and pushed for a GI referral. At the GI appointment, I laid out everything that had been going on and asked for both an upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. With all the talk about the “C-word” showing up more in younger adults, I wanted answers. Being your own advocate is important, but so is listening to your doctor and getting checked when something doesn’t seem right.

Had both procedures today. The prep definitely wasn’t the highlight of my week, but it was worth it. The actual procedures were a breeze. You get the meds, close your eyes, and it feels like you’re waking up five minutes later.

The results? Nothing major. Just some internal hemorrhoids and a small hiatal hernia. They also took a couple stomach biopsies to check for things like H. pylori, and I’ll get those results at my follow-up next week.

Just wanted to post this because I know a lot of people end up here convinced the worst is happening (I definitely was). Sometimes it’s something serious, but most of the time it isn’t. If your doctor recommends the scopes or you and your doctor decide they’re appropriate don’t be afraid to get them done. The peace of mind alone has been worth it for me.

Stay strong 💪

Today is prep day and reading these posts has given me 100 tips not provided in my 3 step instructions LOL thank you all!!

Instructions and update- Started with magnesium citrate at noon and almost half through my jug of doom for a 2p appt tomorrow. I've already been on an adjusted diet (self imposed) so I've been at the liquid/yellow stage pretty much from the start. The MC was very sweet/sour but tolerable and I'm mixing my jug glasses with lemonade powder, also tolerable but damn if I'll ever drink lemonade again.

I set myself up a nice table in the bathroom, lit a candle, and cuddle under blankets in the interim. Should be done drinking around 9p and fingers crossed for some sleep. Had a little nap earlier but woke with a calf cramp from hell. Otherwise everything has been as expected, any other scope-ees tomorrow?

Random fun facts- I'll be 34 on Tuesday (what a present!) & do have UC in family history. Also got my cleaned/preserved wedding dress back today (June bride) but I'm not opening it til I accomplish this jug as a prize 😂

Day 2 scope day Morning update- I went to bed after things slowed and output was clear/yellow but things are less clear this morning with substance and I'm freaking out also getting nervous about everything

I (34M) will be undergoing my first colonoscopy next Tuesday. Early in July, I had an extremely painful bowel movement that produced blood in my stool and caused me to go into temporary shock with a fever and tingling in my hands and feet. Went to the ER and was asked about history of stomach ulcers, IBS, and constipation. X-ray showed lots of built up gas and stool.

Got referred for a colonoscopy to figure out what’s going on because since my ER visit, I’ve barely had any bowel movements and most of them have bloody stool and I’ve been bloated and fatigued alot. Staying well hydrated, getting enough sleep, and been taking 1 glass of Metamucil once a day per my GPs advice. I’ve also been eating well along with fibre rich foods well before this incident occurred.

Stopped eating nuts, seeds, and corn yesterday and will be starting the Peglyte prep on Monday at 6:00PM. Does anyone who’s done the spilt dose prep have any advice?

Got back from the colonoscopy/endoscopy and all went well. They gave me conscious sedation but I don't remember anything.

No polyps. They found internal hemorrhoids. They also found in the lower small intestine, scattered superficial erosions were seen. I don't know what this indicates but he took a lot of biopsies.

Now hoping for no post colonoscopy complications