Survived my prep- colonoscopy over

[DebE13]

The Miralax/Dolcolax prep was by far the least offensive way to clean out. I still wasn't able to finish all of the mixture but things ran clear relatively quick so I wasn't too concerned.
I reminded the nurse of my request for a tryptase stain for mast cells. I got a blank look but she contacted the lab the lab they use and got the ok. She mentioned they would follow a slightly different procedure but it was taken care of. My GI stepped in and said he would test for it but I fall into the category of an MCer who does not do well off of med and there's currently no data out there to offer an explanation why. That's obvious but I think it may have been his way of telling me he was just humoring my request. Any way you interpret it is being done and I'm glad.

In retrospect I wonder how accurate it will be. I was given a dose of Benadryl before the sedation meds. The nurse said it was part of their protocol to help with the sleepiness and that it enhanced the sedation meds. Didn't think of it at the time but could that effect the mast cells? I'm not sure what the dose was but as soon as it was injected into the IV I started coughing because there was an odd sensation at the back of my throat and became dizzy. Oddly enough, now that I am finally awake, my nose will not stop running.

I do have a couple questions about the findings. The take home instructions included the following summary of my procedure:

Erythema and congestion in the terminal ileum. (Biopsy). Please perform tryptase stain for mast cells.
Normal mucosa in the whole colon. (Biopsy). Please perform tryptase stain for mast cells.
Polyps (5-6 mm) in the descending colon. (Polypectomy).
Polyp (6mm) in the sigmoid colon.
Polyp (7mm) in the mid rectum.
Further recommendation ending pathology report.

I was offered a switch to Asocol or similar drugs instead of entocort. I declined and said I would eventually like to be off of it but it is effective so would prefer to continue.

I was wondering what the first comment meant. I googled it and it popped up within the UC and chrons forums. Would this be related to the clean out or possibly mean my MC is bringing it's other IBS friends on board?

I don't believe my visits will be prolonged any further than my current three year plan.

Possible dumb question, but will a GI know how to read the results from the tryptase stain?

[tex]

Hi Deb,

Hmmm. I've never heard of a doctor using Benedryl prior to such a procedure. While the Benedryl might have blocked your H1 receptors, it shouldn't prevent mast cell degranulation, and it shouldn't have any significant affect on mast cell numbers, which is what the mast cell count will target. It sounds as though you had an allergic reaction to something in the IV, which implies that the Benadryl either didn't work, or it triggered a reaction. That's odd. I wonder what all was in the IV. Something in there shouldn't have been there, according to your immune system response.

I was wondering what the first comment meant.

Do you mean this one?

Erythema and congestion in the terminal ileum.

Erythema simply means redness. In this particular context, congestion typically means edema, which refers to swelling, usually due to the accumulation of fluids. Why he couldn't simply say "edema" or "swelling" is beyond me, but doctors, as we all know, love to use "doctorspeak".

FWIW, those terms were used to describe the inside of my guts, too, except that the GI doc also added the term "tortuous" (meaning twisting and turning), also.

The pathologist should know the diagnostic criteria for ME, and note it (if positive) in the pathology report. If he or she doesn't, then your GI doc probably won't either.

Tex

[DebE13]

Thanks Tex for the interpretation. I wasn't sure if I should get ready to add something new to my list.

That is a bit funny to describe your guts as turtous as it seems unnecessary to state the obvious.

Whatever reaction I'm having is quite annoying as I sit here with kleenex shoved up my nostils. It's just like a faucet. I've also been sneezing all afternoon long. Tolerable but annoying. My sinuses are starting to revert back to their usual state of being stuffy. It must have been a big dose of benadryl because my sinuses cleared instantly.

Will be interesting when the pathology reports come in. It seemed like it wasn't something they do often. On a side note, I completed a pre-employment physical yesterday and the doctor I had was inquisitive about MC, since I had to list it as a condition. I explained it and told him I had CC. He chuckled and said that term was reminiscent of his medical school days. Apparently we MCers are still a very elite population. I was a bit nervous though when he wasn't sure if I could get the required TB test because I was taking entocort. Upon his request (that would have become mine anyway) he asked if I could contact my GI to double check. I did and it was cleared. Just another confirmation that we must always self- advocate because wearing a white coat doesn't always mean the person wearing it knows more than you do. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a blatant put-down but we live our disease everyday and know the ins and outs of our body. We just need to be aware that sometimes "easy" procedures may require a few extra steps to confirm the correct course of action.

[Fiona]

Deb, I had the same reaction when I had my one and only colonoscopy last year. Did you have an oxygen tube in your nose? I did, and it irritated the hell out of my nose to the point of swollen nasal passages. As soon as I woke up from the propofol, my nose started itching and I sneezed over and over. I just chalked it up to summer allergies. By the time I got home, my nose opened up like a faucet and didn't stop for two days. I Googled "nose running after colonoscopy" and figured out what likely happened. Irritated nasal passages are very common after colonoscopies now, since more and more gastroenterologists are actually putting people under instead of just sedating them. The only thing that helped me was using Breathe-Right strips to hold my nostrils open long enough for the swelling to go down.

I bet they gave you the Benadryl so you wouldn't start reacting until you got home instead of when you were still at the location of the procedure.

Hope the running nose stops soon.

Fiona