Procedure prep day - blegh!!

I am getting a colonoscopy tomorrow. Before any of you look that up and throw up at the pictures because you did not heed my advice not to search things while eating, let me explain to you what it is. A colonoscopy is a half hour procedure in which the doctor uses a camera to look at the inner lining of the intestines. The purpose of it is to determine how inflamed that part of the body is - aka how active the Crohn's is. It also looks for ulcers, tumors, and polyps that could lead to cancer.

Fact: People with CD are two times more likely to get bowel cancer, and 6 times more likely to get small intestinal cancer. The risk of colon cancer depends on how much the colon is affected by CD.

So it is extremely important for me to undergo a colonoscopy every other year. Surprisingly enough, the procedure itself is not the worst part. Anyone who has gone through any procedure knows that you have to clear the area that is being examined. It is horrendous! I have to start a low fiber diet a few days before, and  the day before (today), I have to be on an all liquid diet - just wonderful for someone who is trying to gain weight - and drink this solution.

Yes, a whole bottle of Miralax with Powerade (did I mention how much I hate Powerade?) I will leave it up to the imagination how crummy this prep feels. A colonoscopy is currently the best way to examine the severity of IBD. However, many people have active disease in areas other than the colon and intestines, so we generally have to take multiple tests. Pill Cams are becoming more common, but they are not as reliable. This is why I am walking for CCFA, so that eventually there will be better testing with more accurate results as well as better treatment options.