CT Colonography Tomorrow

Someone I know well recently had a colonoscopy and they were very anxious. As you probably know, you can choose whether to have sedation or not. Their advice is to have sedation especially if you are nervous.

The bowel prep works very well if you follow the instructions to the letter. My friend was complemented on how clear their bowel was.

I went with them and took a book with me which was just as well as we were there for ages.

The staff were very kind and reassuring and explained exactly what was happening. I believe the actual procedure was uncomfortable rather than painful. The findings were discussed at the time and clear follow up advice was given.

It is not a pleasant thing to have done but the staff made it as
easy as they possibly could. Good luck for tomorrow.

Hi I had one of these in April. There's absolutely nothing to worry about with regard to the actual procedure, mine was painless, the staff were kind and it's all very quick. It does feel a little odd for literally a minute or two when the x ray dye is injected and some people experience discomfort with the carbon dioxide used to inflate you but I didn't. Best advice is stick to the diet absolutely or it may not be possible to get good images. Drink some lucozade sport as it contains electrolytes , take some with you. I felt tired and light headed because I'd kept hydrated but needed electrolytes! This was recommended by the radiologist but not on the instruction sheet.
Tbh I think you get results quickly if there's a problem. I got a letter Two weeks later telling me all was ok so don't worry if you're waiting, no news is often good news. The really good news is the scan looks at the whole abdomen so a clear scan is extra good! Best wishes for a positive outcome.

Easy to say, but try not to worry about the procedure.
DH used to have annual colonoscopies, took the sedation and was even known to fall asleep during them.
He used to say the 2 days “cleaning out”;preparation (Moviprep) was worse than the actual procedure. But also joked that some people paid a lot of money for a “detox” like that.
Good luck- hopefully you will come back tomorrow or Friday and say all went smoothly.
CT colonography has a much lower risk of perforating the colon than conventional colonoscopy. Most people who undergo CT colonography do not have polyps and can be spared having to undergo a full colonoscopy which typically requires sedation.

Mick who opens the GM thread every day is having a colonography today. He was out and about as usual yesterday. I expect he’ll post tomorrow.

I’m not sure if he gets PMs, but you could try.

Take the sedation. It’s not all that bad.

Oh good luck Mick 👍🏻

You do not need sedation for a colonography as you do not have a camera inserted. It is different to a colonoscopy.

CT colonoscopy is completely different to the usual colonoscopy, it's not as invasive and the prep is different, restricted diet two days before, clear fluids on the day before and on the actual day until after the procedure Plus different laxatives for the clear out. The reason for being given the CT colonoscopy is often medical, I have a heart condition.

Primrose53

You do not need sedation for a colonography as you do not have a camera inserted. It is different to a colonoscopy.

Oh what’s the difference please? Primrose53

Thank you all for your advice, that is helpful, I just can't get myself calmed down! The sheet of instructions says I can eat low residue foods up to 6pm today then liquid only, my procedure is at 2.30pm. Taking Picolax at 2pm and 6pm and Visipaque drink at 9pm. Does anyone know is Visipaque hard to take? Good luck to Mick today.

I didn't find anything difficult to take, none of it was particularly unpleasant. I had a complete day of clear fluids only and then nothing the following day until after the colonoscopy which was at 15.00 the following day. Your prep seems different to mine but just make sure that you follow the instructions to the letter. Good luck.

I had a colonoscopy last week, which I know is different, but I imagine the prep drinks are similar. Mine were fruit flavoured and quite pleasant to take. I sipped them over 30 minutes, as I imagine all at once might make a re-appearance! I think your last one will contain some sort of dye.
Good luck for your procedure, hope you have a good result, as I did.

M61 A Colonography is a scan.

I had a CT Colonoscopy last Friday. I was supposed to have a regular colonoscopy a few months ago. I did all the prep but they wouldn't do it as my blood pressure was too high. I am now on BP meds.

The prep for the CT Colonoscopy is not as 'rough' (for want of a better word) as the regular colonoscopy.

The restricted diet is the same. I couldn't eat anything the day before and had to eat the bland diet the day before that.

I had two 150ml of the bowel cleansing drink about four hours apart the day before and the contrast dye before I went to bed. My appointment was at 9.40am. The timing obviously depends on the time of the appointment. I kept drinking water to keep hydrated and this helped a lot.

The procedure wasn't too bad. When they put the air into my bowel I felt (briefly) like I was going to poo myself but the feeling wore off. I had a mild feeling like wind but it was nothing really. The dye they inject (in your arm) when you are having the scan can make you feel like you are suddenly wetting yourself but you are not. This last for a second. You cannot have sedation. You would not need it anyway. The buscopan they give you to relax your bowel can make your mouth feel really dry. I had two scans which took less than 30 seconds. Hope this isn't too much information.

The whole procedure took about half an hour. I felt fine and went back to work straight after.

I have been drinking kefir (Biolyte?) to help to replace the good bacteria in my gut which may have been washed out by the prep. My bowels still feel a bit loose but I was told this is normal for a few days after the procedure.

Hope this helps

Aldom

M61 A Colonography is a scan.

Oh so they don’t go into the internally, but obviously need the bowel empty, oh I see

Bowel 🙄

Wouldn’t need sedation then

M61 yes that's right. The bowel needs to be empty and clean in order to get good pictures of the inside of the bowel.

Jane112

Thank you all for your advice, that is helpful, I just can't get myself calmed down! The sheet of instructions says I can eat low residue foods up to 6pm today then liquid only, my procedure is at 2.30pm. Taking Picolax at 2pm and 6pm and Visipaque drink at 9pm. Does anyone know is Visipaque hard to take? Good luck to Mick today.

I didn't find any of the drinks hard to take as it is only 150ml. The Picolax tasted OK. I drank it in two mouthfuls rather than sipping it. The Visipaque didn't taste great but it wasn't unbearable. Again only a small amount.

It's not like the regular colonscopy where you have to drink 250ml of the prep and 250ml of water. I have to say, I felt quite ill after taking that amount of fluid.

Thank you that's all very encouraging, about to take the first drink shortly 🤞

Just had first dose of Picolax, it tastes ok, a bit like a love heart sweet! Hope it does the job.

Don't stray too far from the toilet!

Please let us know how you got on Jane112

Panicking now, 4 hours since first dose of Picolax and it's not working, I'm drinking plenty but no reaction. I can't ring the X ray department as they're closed now.