Anybody had a Colonscopy before WLS?

I'm scheduled for a routine screening colonoscopy on October 1st, and I'm kinda scared of it all.  I have to eat this low fiber diet for a whole week prior to the screening and then drink the huge gallon of icky stuff the night before.  I'm hoping to have WLS in January, and I had this screening scheduled before I was sure I was going to do WLS.  I guess it's a good thing to get screened beforehand, but I'm really nervous about it.  Anybody been thru it?  I'm thinking I won't be losing any weight the week before with the whole low-fiber diet, but I bet I'll be down a few pounds after pooping out every tiny bit in my intestines!  But, will I gain it back??  Yikes.

Yes, I had my first colonoscopy the month before my WLS.

It is an inconvenient thing to do the prep, but so worth it for the doctor to be able to get a good test.

My father died with stage 4 colon cancer ..... Screening saves lives. You can do this!

I had my first colonoscopy about 6 months before my WLS.  Just a coincidence, it wasn't a requirement for me.  What they say is true, the worst part is the prep.  At one point I told the toilet, "I have nothing left to give, for the love of all that's holy!!" anywhooooo the procedure itself was a breeze.  I got twilight anesthesia, didn't feel or remember a thing.  Good luck!

I had 3, yes I said three, colonoscopies in the 4 months leading up to my WLS.  When I started the WLS journey on the second day I had a ischemic colitis attack which was clearly out of the blue.  Anyway, they tried to do a complete colonoscopy in the hospital during my 4 day stay and my colon was SO angry they couldn't do a complete one.  (FYI ischemic colitis tends to be a one and done sort of thing and probably won't come back, thank god!) 

Because I didn't have a complete colonoscopy they scheduled a second followup 8 weeks later.  The gallon of icky stuff wasn't enough to clean me out properly SOOO I had to do a two day prep instead of a one day prep the next time.  Another 6 weeks later.  After all that everything was fine with the colon, but now I know I have to do a two day prep each time I need to be rechecked.  Thankfully not for 5 more years!

Don't worry about weight gain with the colonoscopy as you will lose so much fluids it will take care of any additional weight.  Actually the three colonoscopies probably speeded up my pre-surgical weight loss.  To date, and I am 12 weeks post-surgery I lost more weight prior to surgery than after at this point.  Although very close to being even!!

It will go fine, the colonoscopy is a breeze, all of them lol.  The prep is a little annoying but you will survive.

When I have had both of my colonoscopies (neither one as soon before surgery) I told the doctor that I would NOT drink the "Go Lightly" crap.  He gave me magnesium citrate, and colace tablets instead.  I was cleaned out just fine, with no problems during or after the procedures. 

In 2012, I had a mystery GI condition that had me in and out of the hospital for 7 months. In that time, I had a colonoscopy, 3 endoscopies, and a double-balloon enteroscopy under general anesthesia. I even had to drink *2* gallons of the colonoscopy prep, 2 days in a row, because they messed up the scheduling. And I'd rather have 10 more colonoscopies than another endoscopy! It was one of the easiest and least uncomfortable medical tests I've ever had. My doc had his own system though -- he didn't use any sedation at all, and he had me on my back instead of my side (which I guess is more typical).

If you want a good laugh, you can google 'Dave Barry colonoscopy' and read his column about his prep experience!!!

Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences!  Going thru it more than once - yikes!!  It's sobering to remember that colon cancer can be deadly, and I needed to hear that.  Thank you and I'm sorry for your loss,  Kath and you're right the Dave Barry column is so funny!   ...fully loaded fire hose!  HA!! 

I had a screening colonoscopy a couple weeks ago.  Regarding the weight loss, yes I lost three pounds during the prep, and have gained two back.  Amazing to think I had three pounds of stuff in my intestines.  Yuck!

There's absolutely nothing to be nervous about.  At the center where I went, they gave me a bed, took vitals, put in an IV, etc etc while waiting for the procedure room to become available.  Then they wheeled me in, had me rest on my left side, and the next thing I knew I was waking up afterwards.  By far the hardest part was the full day beforehand of nothing but clear liquids.

Good luck!  this is a very important screen, but once you have it you're good for a lot of years.  (I was free of any polyps or other reasons for biopsy, and they told me to come back in seven years.  Other people say it's 10 years.)

I had my first colonscopy 10 months post-op.  I was given the prescription to drink a gallon of the gross stuff.  I was not sure that I could drink that much on a very tender sleeved stomach so I had a consult with one of the doctors.  The doctor recommended that I mix Miralax powder with 1/2 gallon of yellow fluid that could be bought at a typical grocery store into a container and then drink the stuff about every 10 minutes until the mixture was used up.  I drank water for the rest of the day and night until I left for the hospital.  I laid on my side during the procedure and was barely conscious throughout the procedure.  I spent about half an hour in the recovery room before being allowed to go home.

I had another colonscopy last year and drank the same mixture. 

I was not concerned about my weight for either procedure.