Colonoscopy

[LegalEagle]

I'm wondering if anyone has had one of these. DH is having one this Thursday (routine).

He is having it on Thurs. & he can't eat any solid food on Wednesday. Just clear liquids. I don't know how this is going to work. They are not doing the procedure until early Thurs. afternoon. This is a long, long, time to go without food, and he is already a mess just thinking about it.

I'm also wondering what to expect after when I bring him home. Will he be sleepy? I know he will be hungry.
Also, we are scheduled to take a road trip to ME on the day after (about 45 mins. from here, one way). He says he wants to do this, but will he be up for it?

Any info. would be greatly appreciated~

Thanks, buddies,
Hugs,
Dawna

[nancyny]

Dawna, I had one of these a few years ago.

The prep. was more uncomfortable than the procedure. Your dh won't be able to drive home, but should be OK later in the day and for the trip the next day unless something unexpected happens. I was glad I didn't have to go out the day before. Be careful to follow the instructions exactly (including timing).

You can get an awful lot of calories in clear liquids. He doesn't have to go totally without. Check the list. And Jello has protein. I ate a lot of Jello (with sugar) during my prep. time, and broth (but be careful it's not boullion, that's WAY too salty). The time you can't have any food or liquids isn't all that long. It's not like anybody's going to starve.

You should let him resume eating at his own pace. He'll be hungry, yes, but he may not want to try to make up for all that not eating with one meal. Don't try to push food on him, or discourage him from eating. It may take a few days for his eating to return to normal.

Hope this helps!

[LegalEagle]

Thank you for replying, Nancy.

On the list the Dr.'s office gave me, all they listed was water, Gatorade, black tea, coffee/ bouillon, jello, tonic.
None of the above can be in the colors, blue, green, or red.
I looked at the grocery store for jello in something other than these colors, and couldn't find any jello he could have, keeping in mind he will not have anything lemon flavored.

Is there some jello I am missing?

Hugs,
Dawna

[ March 29, 2004, 05:58 AM: Message edited by: LegalEagle ]

[Duchess Talks Too Much]

Will he eat orange jello, Dawna?

Lisa

...just thought of some more.... what about peach, apricot, pineapple or mango flavor? I think those are all orange or yellow in color? And I think there is a sparkling grape flavor that is clear in color?

[ March 29, 2004, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: Duchess Talks Too Much ]

[Conlet]

Both DH and I had it done a couple of months ago. They also said we could eat popsicles (not red, of course) which was good as I cannot stomach jello!
Everyone is right - the prep is worse than the actual procedure. We both felt fine (went out for a lobster omelet on the way home!) but stayed relatively quiet that day. Back to usual the following day.
Connie

[LegalEagle]

Thank you, Connie & Lisa, I'm going to go to a different supermarket tomorrow to look for the jello colors you speak of and some of those popsicles.

DH is getting very quiet about all of this. I know he is worrying about the not eating part.
He told me he is worrying about getting the shakes as he goes through the 40 hours without food, and system purging. Ugh....

Hugs,
Dawna

[healthylady]

Dawna, I also had a colonoscopy about six months ago. The procedure is non-painful as you're in twightlight zone. The liquid diet is not bad either. After going to the bathroom so many times your ... gets irritated, so make sure he buys the soft tissues they recommend.
Tell your DH we're cheering for him!
Healthylady

[LegalEagle]

Thank you, Healthylady~ I know it's something he can get through (easy to say this as I'm not having it), he's just a colossial baby, can't even handle a cold well. I'll get him through it though.

Hugs,
Dawna

[cheryl39]

This is weird but I felt really clean and light the next day odear.gif .
He'll be okay

[LegalEagle]

Thanks, Cheryl, I know he'll be fine. I did make him some jello tonight. He says he won't eat it, no matter what, but I have a feeling as the 38+ hours without food drones on, he just might change his mind.

Hugs,
Dawna

[nancyny]

Dawna, this may sound bad to some people, but I like jello as a hot drink. Maybe your dh would too. (I especially like black cherry this way. It's something leftover from late night studying at college, believe it or not -- I know, I know, black cherry isn't on the list of acceptable colors. Thank goodness I didn't have any color restrictions!)

And I know the ONLY time anyone in my house will touch Jello now is when we can't eat anything else. It's just not one of our favorites. I don't even eat the sugar free kind.

And in any case, nobody around any of us is going to starve due to 40 hours without food. So if he doesn't want what's on his list, let him grumble. tongue.gif He'll live to tell the tale.

[LegalEagle]

Hey, Nancy, You're right about the 40 hour thing. So far, he's doing OK (still won't touch the jello). No grumbling at all tonight, in fact, he says he feels pretty good, and he has even gone out to Borders tonight for a little R & R. This is much better than I expected.

and...I had one of those jello's tonight. I haven't had jello for a long time, but I thought it was pretty darn good.

Dawna