My first colonoscopy convinced me it’s a good thing I don’t have access to propofol. I’m not a talented sleeper. That perfect period of dreamless, uninterrupted sleep was a revelation and I could become hooked easily.
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I’m nine months into treatment for colorectal cancer that had spread to my liver. If everything goes perfectly, I’ve a reasonable chance of being cancer-free by the end of 2024.
Treatment so far has involved: chemotherapy and immune therapy; surgical removal of the primary tumour, which has left me with a colostomy; an embolisation procedure to reduce blood flow to the affected lobe of my liver and stimulate the good lobe to grow so the entire bad lobe can be removed.
The lesions in my liver have grown a bit in the meantime (after being dramatically shrunk by the chemo & immunotherapy) so I’m about to start another six rounds of chemo, and then it should be possible to operate on the tumours in my liver. Then more chemo and possibly reversal of the stoma.
The TL;DRs here is: check your poo for blood and/or get a FIT test. This disease is a colossal pain in the arse and is best avoided or caught early.
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Sorry to hear that!
And,
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Oh, you are not kidding! That was the best sleep of my life - during a colonoscopy! 
And zero hangover.
During the meet-and-greet with the anesthesiologist beforehand, I asked what he would be giving me. He was initially vague but did then tell me it would be propofol. He said a lot of people get freaked out by the name, thanks to the Michael Jackson death connection.
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Both my grandfather and brother had colostomies (my brother to treat his chronic ulcerative colitis), so my heart goes out to you. I sincerely hope your cancer treatments are a total success. Hang tough.
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You take care and get healthy soon!
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Hey now, no kink shaming.
I woke up from that procedure feeling more well rested than I had at any point in my life. I have joked with folks I know that I’ll sub in for their procedures just to get the rest when I hear them expressing reservations.
For those who are sensitive to aspartame, it is in the “low volume” liquid clean out (quart vs gallon of the regular) I was originally prescribed. For whatever reason, my gastroenterologist didn’t like the pill version, or maybe my insurance doesn’t cover it, or whatever, so I was stuck with the gallon jug of misery.
Comparing prep notes with friends and family, because that’s apparently what one does at a certain age, each gastroenterologist has their own prep protocol in terms of pre-prep diet 
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I forget exactly which drugs they gave me (other than the fentanyl, which, whee!) but it was basically like I imagine it is to be roofied. I guess I was awake and coherent during the whole procedure, based on comments I made to my wife afterwards. Or so she tells me. My memory disappears almost entirely between a few minutes after the drugs started to some time around exiting the clinic, and only really locks in about halfway through the drive home.
Apparently I was coherent and talkative all during this time – despite my hazy memories of the drive I remember giving my wife very specific directions for exiting the clinic parking lot and getting back onto the main road, etc. But the experience has largely been wiped from my mind. My wife told me that when I came out of the procedure room, I described things like the specific sensation of pressure, even though I have no memory of this sensation and no memory of telling my wife about it. I do have a couple random glimpses in my memory, like seeing one or two images from the heads-up monitor during the procedure, but that’s about it.
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That would be unsettling to me and leave me twitchy at the missing spaces. Like trying to remember a dream. With the propofol, I reached 6 on the “count back from 10” and then blinked and was in the recovery room being asked how I felt. I was a bit disoriented at the idea that I’d just shifted through time but when I caught up a second later, I realized I felt invigorated. My wife drove us home and I went on a long walk just enjoying the sensation of being rested and calm. There was a lingering sense of I suppose contentment for the rest of the day.
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Thanks for the kind words, everyone!
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general bowel oddness not explained by your out-of-control drinking, stress or other diseases
Good one, Rob.
I got two colonoscopies so far. This reminds me I should check in on the notes from the last one. Agreed with experiences of others. I had a liter of misery rather than a gallon, but no horse pills administered.
Oh, the first time I kept waking up during it. That was fun.
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Uh … Rob? I know you meant this to be funny, but alcohol is a carcinogen and a major cause of bowel and stomach cancer. You shouldn’t be suggesting that bowel oddness explained by out of control drinking is not a concern. Out of control drinking is always a concern, both as a cancer risk factor and for all the other problems it creates.
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I didn’t read that bit that way, and I also doubt Rob thinks out of control drinking isn’t a problem. (He might speak for himself though on these weighty matters.)
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Also, from a financial side: if you are in the US, you pay $0 out-of-pocket for a screening colonoscopy, thanks to the ACA. Don’t let them charge you for so much as an exam glove. It’s remarkably common for colonoscopy centers to try to bill it as diagnostic or therapeutic colonoscopy. Even if they remove polyps, if you went in for a screening colonoscopy, it was a screening colonoscopy.
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How do you feel about having someone stare at you while you sleep? Because propofol is wonderful, but has to be continuously adjusted within a narrow range of “wake up screaming” and “died peacefully.”
@CitizenJohnJohn Pulling for you! And Fuck Cancer!
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I mean, that’s kind of why I said I’m glad my local street pharmacist can’t hook me up! Death probably isn’t worth a refreshing nap. Or if it is, I can wait to figure that out!
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Who said anything about alcohol? I have wrecked my intestines with ribena and espresso.
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