Talk Cancer

Question:

when i go for my monthly sigmoidoscopy,

A MONTHLY sigmoidoscopy????  Why in heck that often?? Jan…  

Response:

A MONTHLY sigmoidoscopy????  Why in heck that often??

been having some severe problems…..last resort before surgery……has been playing with my meds and keeps checking to see if the 8" of ulcerated intestines are healing (or so he says).  haven’t had one in about three months now…..seems the budesonide has finally kicked in.   nancy

Response:

You are right, when you say that we should reserve tests (in general) for those who need them,

i find this entire topic somewhat amusing.  when i go for my monthly sigmoidoscopy, i lay there while my doctor says,’ your doing good, take a deep breath, ok, it’s almost over.’ i say to him, lay here for ten minutes and tell me what you think and we both laugh and goes about his business.  if my doctor read my post where i said i would be first in line to do a scope on my doctor, he would of laughed and taken it in exactly the text it was meant. a somewhat sarcastic joke….nothing more, nothing less. i am glad i have a doctor with a sense of humor because i am finding out that there are people in this world that take everything way to seriously. nancy

Response:

disagree,    I’m an MD, not a gastroenterologist.  I had my second colonoscopy for UC a couple of months ago.

Lighten up doc…….it was meant to be funny !!!

Response:

Dr, You have a good point, however, I thought that eventually (at age 50) EVERYONE should have a colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer. I always hear that on TV. You are right, when you say that we should reserve tests (in general) for those who need them, but as a former health care professional, sometimes having the experience of a procedure can give a Dr. or another health care professional a little more insight so that they can better emphasize with a patient. But I must agree, that if someone has it in thier intrinsic personality to be a jerk (or be nice) that they will behave that way anyway. I still think that experience is the best knowledge. Philnhet

Response:

I was given an IV drip of versed while in the hospital the day AFTER I had drunk the golightly crap but directly BEFORE the colonoscopy. Is this what you are talking about? Or were you given it the night before?

It is given at the time of the test, not before.  You’re sedated but able to cooperate with instructions during the test.  If the right amount of Versed is given, you should remember nothing about it. Jan…  

Response:

actually, i think all patients who have ever had a colonoscopy or sygmoidoscopy should be able to do the same to their doctors……just so they will know how it feels !  i don’t know about anyone else, but I’d be first on line to be on the other end of the scope for a change !!  I’d love to do it !

I disagree,     I’m an MD, not a gastroenterologist.  I had my second colonoscopy for UC a couple of months ago.  This colonoscopy was worse than the first one.  They were looking for dysplasia, so they had to take random biopsies up and down the length of the colon.  To facilitate this procedure they had to blow in a LOT of air.  It hurt, and I cramped for quite awhile afterwards, despite Versed and Demerol.  This procedure was necesary, but I don’t think it gave me any additional insights or empathy that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.     Just because someone has an MD doesn’t make them impervious to disease.  I think docs are at least as likely to have medical problems as other people, and probably more likely.  I have four partners, and several of us have had serious enough medical procedures that we’ve had a hard time getting life insurance for the group.  My partners have  had brain surgery, splenectomy, and other serious conditions.     I think the docs that are going to be understanding and sympathetic are built that way.  I think that the docs who are going to be arrogant and insensitive are built that way as well, and I don’t think that a colonoscopy is going to change one into the other.  Let’s save colonoscopy and other medical procedures for people who need them.                                                           MartyBL

Response:

Annie Can you fill me in on the controversy with versed? I think I missed that post… I was given an IV drip of versed while in the hospital the day AFTER I had drunk the golightly crap but directly BEFORE the colonoscopy. Is this what you are talking about? Or were you given it the night before? Thx Paul

…i was given versed (ohoh here comes the – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -controversy on that again..lol) and demerol..

Response:

i don’t know about anyone else, but I’d be first on line to be on the other end of the scope for a change !!  I’d love to do it !

Remind me never to piss you off! He he he he! Love, Steve http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/Falls/3298 http://www.digdat.com/~psyche0/index.html

Response:

my college roommate is in medical school now and last semester she couldn’t wait to tell me that in one of her classes they were learning about radiological tests and the prof. made them all drink barium!!!  she could finally understand how nasty that stuff is, but they didn’t make them have an enema with it.. now that would really make ‘em empathetic to our plight.

actually, i think all patients who have ever had a colonoscopy or sygmoidoscopy should be able to do the same to their doctors……just so they will know how it feels !  i don’t know about anyone else, but I’d be first on line to be on the other end of the scope for a change !!  I’d love to do it ! nancy

Response:

nancy my present gi..no ..he is sooooooo nice i wouldnt wish it on him..but the last one i had..after dr banks left…oooooooooo when i saw his smug mug on channel 4 news doing their "medical special update"..and then i met him…and then he yelled at me..at the start of the colonoscopy cos he asked if i had anything at all to drink..and i said..one sip of water to take my phenobarb(so i wouldnt have a seizure..der)…well i wanted to ..well..do worse things and even worse thing… i bet that guy never had even a zit in his life..let alone an illness like ibd…good looking and smug…. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr but luckily they are not all that way ..dr zinney is simply wonderful..isnt he steve..as was dr banks… but yeah..they COULD at least have to bare their asses in front of a crowd… that would teach them a lesson in humility…<g annie in boston

Response:

Ditto on Dr. Z… a good doctor is so hard to find.  I’m one of the lucky ones. SDB – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – nancy my present gi..no ..he is sooooooo nice i wouldnt wish it on him..but the last one i had..after dr banks left…oooooooooo when i saw his smug mug on channel 4 news doing their "medical special update"..and then i met him…and then he yelled at me..at the start of the colonoscopy cos he asked if i had anything at all to drink..and i said..one sip of water to take my phenobarb(so i wouldnt have a seizure..der)…well i wanted to ..well..do worse things and even worse thing… i bet that guy never had even a zit in his life..let alone an illness like ibd…good looking and smug…. grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr but luckily they are not all that way ..dr zinney is simply wonderful..isnt he steve..as was dr banks… but yeah..they COULD at least have to bare their asses in front of a crowd… that would teach them a lesson in humility…<g annie in boston

Response:

leighann right on… why dont we all contact the ama and propose it? (yeah…right ..like THEY are gonna do something like that…<g) annie

Response:

kim rof i think it should be a med school requirement that all md’s go thru this once…

my college roommate is in medical school now and last semester she couldn’t wait to tell me that in one of her classes they were learning about radiological tests and the prof. made them all drink barium!!!  she could finally understand how nasty that stuff is, but they didn’t make them have an enema with it.. now that would really make ‘em empathetic to our plight.  i think they should go thru all those procedures.  i think a good doctor understands what its like to be a patient. -leighann

Response:

kim rof i think it should be a med school requirement that all md’s go thru this once… i was also terrified of this last colonoscopy as people on the board can attest to <g i had had 4-5 in the past..and the last one was horrific and the doctor was a cretin.. but with this new doctor…i was given versed (ohoh here comes the controversy on that again..lol) and demerol..and it made all the diff in the world to me as for the nulitely which is like golitely..they prescribed nonflavored and told me to put crystal lite in it..which i use anyway…i love (or did til now) the peach ice tea mix..so thats how i got most of it down..no ..i have never finished a whole gallon…once you are "clear" you are ..ok it never takes me a whole gallon..i never tell them i dont drink itall..and they have never said it looked like i hadnt so try for new meds for one thing my last scope this time was really mostly painless…and the prep was very minimal (it used to be 4 days on clear liquids…1 gallon of golitely and a few enemas…yucko) things have changed… take care love annie

Response:

I just recently saw a new doctor and the first time that I was there I told him that I didn’t plan on doing another colonoscopy any time soon because the first was so traumatic for me it still makes my stomach knot up and I think they will have to feed me valium just to make me willing to try that first sip…but I digress…During this conversation I asked him if he ever drank that golightly crap and he said that he had.  A few days later I got to thinking, go figure, and thought jeez I never asked him if he drank the whole damn gallon.  I went back yesterday and asked and was told no.  What a let down.  I told him in no uncertain terms that that was the hard part not just the taste of that first glass.  He says he may have to go soon, family history and such, I figure I’m not betraying a confidence by saying that…I told him that we’d talk about that again after he had experienced it for himself. -Kim

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