As it says in the video description this is technically a cover of the Jools Holland performance of Skinny Love (The GOAT) hence the yelling. Could only get off like 3 takes before my voice was shot so this is the one
As it says in the title, I have pretty severe anxiety (and specifically health anxiety) so I thought I'd share my experience with my colonoscopy today and all of the various things I was worried about and how it ended up turning out.
I am a 30 year old man, and the reason I was getting one in the first place was because of a bunch of stressful gastrointestinal symptoms I'd been having over the last few months, including sudden changes in bowel habits, thin "ribbon-like" stools, and rectal bleeding. I've spent the last couple months convincing myself I had colon cancer, so when I went for my checkup a couple weeks ago, my doctor had no problems referring me for a colonoscopy. I had heard multiple times that they usually have extraordinary wait times, but I was somehow able to schedule mine only 2 weeks out from my referral, which was nice.
Got all my prep stuff from the pharmacy which was GaviLyte Polyethylene glycol, ondansetron for nausea, and Dulcolax tablets which I had to just get OTC. My appointment was Tuesday at 1pm, and so I the last food I ate was at about 11:00pm on Sunday night. They told me to take 4 tablets of Dulcolax at 5:00pm and start drinking the Gavilyte at 6:00pm on Monday, but based on what I had been reading about how long it lasts, I decided to push both back by an hour (doing them at 4 and 5 respectively). They gave me some lemonade flavor powder for the Gavilyte and it honestly didn't taste too bad. I had some white grape juice as chaser but barely needed it. I found a cup in our kitchen that was exactly 8oz and just drank one of those every 10 minutes using a timer on my phone until I was done with 2 liters (8.5 glasses). I didn't have to start using the bathroom until pretty close to when I was completely done drinking it. For maybe 2 or 3 hours I had to go approximately every 15 minutes. After the first few, it was already mostly just yellow water. The frequency started tapering off, and by midnight my bowels were 100% clear, and they were infrequent enough that I felt comfortable going to bed.
I woke up at 6:00am this morning (Tuesday) for the second half. Luckily I didn't shit the bed lol. In the morning my bowels reverted back to being pretty yellow, but after a couple they were clear again. I think physically drinking the prep was harder the second time around and the flavor / consistency was getting on my nerves a bit more so I did take the ondanestron. But the bowel part of it was easier the second time around. Probably went every 15 minutes or so again, but it was just all clear liquid.
The afternoon appointment was nice for the purpose of sleeping, but annoying in that by the time of my appointment I had not eaten for a full 36 hours and was feeling quite a bit of brain fog. When I got to the doctor they had me dress in the medical gown, they put an IV in my arm, and I had to wait there for about 20 minutes for the previous appointment to be done. They walked me to a different room where I laid on the bed, they hooked up the anesthetic, asked me some disconcerting questions about if they were allowed to give me CPR and blood transfusions if necessary (to which I said yes, obviously lol), and explained that I would be under "mild" / "twilight" sedation. I might or might not fall asleep / remember any of the procedure.
Once they injected the stuff I got really relaxed, and I actually do remember parts of the procedure. There was one part in particular where I did feel a good amount of pinching / discomfort but nothing too unmanageable. I remember also feeling like I *was* pooping, but I think it's just having a whole instrument up there, applying pressure in the same places that actual poop does. I think they noticed me grimace a little and upped the dose of the drugs. Weirdly enough at some point I remember dreaming I was playing the video game Balatro (which I have been playing a lot recently). I have heard you're not supposed to dream under anesthesia but it has happened to me all three times I have gone under in my life. Who knows.
I do not remember the procedure ending or me waking up. Whole thing felt like it took 5 minutes. I woke up on a bed in a different room with my fiance there to drive us home. They told me right away that I have no polyps or cancer or anything but do have some small internal hemorrhoids which are likely the source of my bleeding and discomfort. They took a small biopsy as well which will take about 2 weeks to test. Went and got a chicken sandwich and a concrete mixer from Culvers as my first meal back.
Overall probably about the most regular colonscopy you could ask for. Definitely inconvenient and uncomfortable at times, but nothing all that bad overall.
I have lifelong anxiety / OCD, but am especially sensitive towards health anxiety stuff and I have made my life a living hell the last couple weeks entirely convincing myself I have colon cancer. It had already been on my radar the last few months that my bowels are often pretty thin / ribbon like and that I have to go more frequently than usual, but a couple weeks ago I also pooped a really small clot of blood? Not sure how to describe it, but just a small red clump of blood while I was sitting on the toilet, and nothing else.
Since then I have been hyperfixated on how my stomach feels at every second and am constantly worried because my stomach has been a little off lately, and I have to analyze every single bowel movement I have (even though there has been no blood since). I even keep noticing references to cancer and dying and illness just in TV shows and movies and commercials and stuff and my dumbass OCD brain keeps telling me they're omens or something. Not to mention how much stuff is on the internet about how young people are getting Colon Cancer at totally unprecedented rates and no one knows why.
I have a doctor appointment scheduled for 3 weeks from now which is the earliest I can get it, but I don't know how long I can keep feeling like this. Every time I relax about it, I notice some other little thing that sends me spiraling again. I was pretty much fine today, then noticed my bowel movement was a lot darker than usual (not black, just a really dark brown) and am now panicking again.
I'm gonna push for a colonoscopy as soon as I can for my own sanity, but I don't know how far out they schedule those and I'm afraid I'm just gonna be in this anxiety spiral for the next several months :(
Male, 30, 6'0, 175lbs, white, no meds no smoking
Worried about pooping blood earlier today. I didn’t feel like I actually pooped, its more like it came out when I was trying, but it appears to be an actual small clump of something. I don’t have any other symptoms but I can’t tell if it’s dark or light red? I have had some changes in my bowel schedule in the last couple months but nothing too drastic. Like going twice per day instead of once, and more in the afternoon instead of the morning. There was blood on the toilet paper, and I do wipe an unnecessary amount sometimes and there’s a slight amount of blood but nothing like this. I know it’s impossible to say without a doctor, but does this seem consistent with hemorrhoids or something more serious?