First Colonoscopy with a Permanent Bag: What to Expect?

I'm having my first colonoscopy done since I've had my permanent bag. My appointment is this Friday.   Is there anything I should expect? Outside of the normal cleaning of my pipes, Thurs night and Friday morning.. Lol.  Will my bag come loose during my prep? Will my stoma hurt after the colonoscopy is done?

Hi Kathy, will they be entering through the back or do you have a Barbie butt? I have the latter and had an ileoscopy - they went through my stoma. They removed my bag and put on the extra bag and barrier ring that I brought with me before I woke up.

They'll be going through my stoma since I have no butt. Barbie butt.   Oh ok, I didn't think to bring extra supplies with me. Ty for bringing that up ....  Did your stoma hurt after your procedure?

I haven't had a colonoscopy through my stoma yet, but I did have a loopogram through my urostomy stoma. They gave me no pain meds and no anesthesia. It did not hurt at all, and the stoma did not get sore. I did need a new bag though.

I think a colonoscopy is more intense, so some mild anesthesia may be needed. But I wouldn't expect to be sore.

Ok sounds good. Thank you. I'm nervous about it since it's my first one with a permanent bag and all.

My Ostomy Journey: April | Hollister

I have them through the stoma every 3 months. No pain from the stoma afterwards.

They'll have an appliance they can put on you for after the procedure, but they might not use the same products as you normally use.

Definitely bring a complete change of your own supplies. They may remove the flange, or not so be prepared. You will have a sedative and no pain afterwards. You may also remind them of the Barbie butt as well as stoma...always advocate for yourself before going under. Just don't assume they know everything about you. Always good to make sure everyone is on the same page about what is going to be done. I've learned that from experience! Good luck!

Definitely bring a complete change of your own supplies. They may remove the flange, or not so be prepared. You will have a sedative and no pain afterwards. You may also remind them of the Barbie butt as well as stoma...always advocate for yourself before going under. Just don't assume they know everything about you. Always good to make sure everyone is on the same page about what is going to be done. I've learned that from experience! Good luck!

My stoma did not hurt in the slightest 😊

Good point ☝🏼 Remind them of the BB!  My last one, the workers were in autopilot, asking me to roll over 🤦🏼‍♂️

Thanks for the post.  I am due for a colonoscopy and have been dreading it.  Now I have the answers and can chill out.

If you don't already have a 2-piece system, I highly recommend it. That way you don't end up using up a good bag.

My last procedure went very well.  They put my pouch back on.  I did have to remind them not to dispose of it since I totally forgot to bring extra supplies in case they messed things up.

No pain whatsoever during prep or after the procedure.  I certainly don't miss the burns on the old backdoor! 😱. For those that advise others, I highly recommend using A and D diaper rash protection ointment.

I'll have to remember to bring my supplies with me. I'm glad there won't be any burning etc like before.... That really did hurt. Lol. Thank you 

Ok. Wonderful news.

Good point, I'll remind them. And bring supplies. I made myself a note about it. Thank you 

Oh blast! Now I am worried!!
My specialist was talking about having a look through the camera at what's happening in my 3.5 meters of small bowel... And I just assumed that he was talking about putting a camera down my throat!! He said I'd have to have a general anesthetic for the procedure, or at least be heavily sedated.
But I may have to ask him to clarify what he was hoping to get arranged!! As they were also wanting to get my heart murmur checked out while I was unconscious, and for that, they need to stick a camera down my throat, as it's the best way for them to get clear images.
As my husband likes to say, "Assumption is the mother of all fuck ups."
I haven't got a date, as they need to arrange for an anesthetist who's willing to try to find a vein using an ultrasound machine, as my veins are pretty much gone, having had 5 portacaths, 2 AV (arterial venous) fistulas, too many central lines to try to count, etc.
But that's what happens if over the space of 32 years they had to operate on me over 50 times...

Yep, I'd better ask.

I used to have mine under sedation, but I now have it under general so they can also look through my rectum as they have to do a dilation and it saves me from making two trips to the hospital as it is an hour and a half away.

What I would suggest, and just as the others have mentioned on here, is to take extra supplies. Take 4-5 bags as leakages can happen. Certainly, the first one I had after my surgery, I only took 2 and that was a big mistake. I don't do well with pain and they had given me sedation and also gas, but the gas made it a lot worse on top of the gas that was given through the ileoscopy. So the mistake the doctors made was instantly putting the bag on after they had finished and that was painful and with the bloating, it caused a big leakage from the bag. Luckily, I did have an extra one in which I managed to replace after letting the stoma breathe. And since then, when they do the camera test through the stoma, they let the bloating subside before putting the bag on. So every time I have one now, I take at least 4 bags with me.

Pain wise, it can be painful. But it does depend on how gentle the doctor is when they do it. Some can be quite rough, some can be gentle when they put the scope. Be mindful that you can be nauseous after the test which is normal after sedation but also from the gas.

 

Hope it all goes well for you.

Wow!  Maybe not knowing what goes on during those is best 😳

OTOH, I don't have an ileo.  Seems they didn't have experience with them either.

I get knocked out and I don't wake up with any bloating or bag of gas or anything 💩

I think colonoscopies vary a bit between the US and UK. So-called "waking sedation" is normal in the US. It is supposed to be a lighter sedation, but it knocks me out cold. In the UK, people are usually awake for the procedure and given inhaled gas (presumably similar to dentists) or a local.

Pumping gas into the colon is standard for any colonoscopy. Obviously, it is uncomfortable, and what goes in must come out. Maybe it would be good to have a vented bag for this. But these are all things that happen with every colonoscopy.

I wouldn't expect more pain with a stoma than you experienced without one.

Ok, thank you