"The Dreaded Prep for the Scope"

As Crohn's patients, we go through a lot. Good, bad and indifferent.

Spending days, weeks and even months at a time in the hospital teaches us patience, that's a good thing. Being thankful for good days, and making the most of them, empathizing with others that suffer, and learning to listen to our own bodies are also all very good.

But the Colonoscopy, that falls under the bad category.

It's not the test itself, that's a breeze. The humiliation of having a tube inserted into your butt in front of a doctor and nurses, is greatly reduced by the medications that are given by i.v., weakening our defences and cares. Most of the time, thankfully, we don't remember much of it at all. The pain experienced during the test, thanks again to the medications, becomes part of a very distant memory.

The inhabition that the medication can create has been comical to some present in the past for me. When I was diagnosed, I was very blessed to have an extremely good looking Gastro. that I had a secret crush on. My Mom and friends knew about how I felt, but I certainly didn't want him to find out.

Under the influence of these medications during a Colonoscopy, I guess I changed my mind and told him that I was in love with him! When I woke up in Recovery the nurses told me about it and I was mortified! Then he came into the room and neither of us would look eachother in the eye. It was so embarassing! He was my doctor for close to 20 years, and I said stuff like that everytime. He was such a good sport about it and never mentioned any of it to me, but the nurses rubbed it in any chance they got! LOL!

Now for the worst part, the prep. Drinking litres of a salty based, slightly thick, clear liquid, that DOES NOT taste better cold, like they tell us it does, within a small, set period of time (... oh, it is just the worst tasting stuff created by man!) is such a horrible experience for me, that I actually have small panic attacks in the days leading up to having to drink it.

In the past when I have been in the hospital having tube feedings, they would put the prep down the tube, by-passing my mouth. That was great! I wish they could do that everytime. The stuff has such a negative effect on my gag reflex, that sometimes vomiting is inevitable, and then unfortunately I have to start all over again.

How are you with "The Dreaded Prep for the Scope"? If you have any tricks or advice on how to make this a more palatable experience, leave a message, you could help me or someone else that is reading this post. Have you had an embarassing moment too? I'd love to hear about it!