CT Colonography Tomorrow

Good to know things are happening.
Thanks for letting us know.
We'll be thinking of you tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.

Good Luck Jane112 - I don’t know much about colonoscopy so can’t help, but I have to say, this is the most wonderful site ever.
There’s someone always here. I have been known to offload my problems at all hours.
Let us know how you get on.

Thanks, you were right, half an hour later and all is as it should be although it's now a case of be careful what you wish for

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.

Don’t panic. Mine didn’t kick in for about six hours. Be patient - it will start to work soon.

Jane112

If you still have not had a result from the first dose of Picolax you might like to ring 111 for advice as X-ray and GP are closed. Good luck. Hope you get some reassurance.

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.

Please let us know how you got on Jane112

Don't stray too far from the toilet!

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

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

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.

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.

Wouldn’t need sedation then

Bowel 🙄

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

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

M61 A Colonography is a scan.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

Oh good luck Mick 👍🏻

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