Colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time: what is it like?

I never thought I would be asking Dr.Google: what is it like having a colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time into a search engine? But I did. And it scared me. But before I tell you what happened next, let’s start at the beginning.

About five years ago, I was getting pretty sick from a mystery illness. Within the space of a year at the time, I went from being a solid 235 pounds with low body fat to about 185 pounds. My joy of going to the gym was eroding fast, as my energy and strength waned with flu-like symptoms hitting me several times a week. At best, I could muster a casual workout. For someone whose self-esteem partly stemmed from their fitness, this was a blow to my self-image.

Shortly after losing so much weight, I started coughing up a little bit of blood now and then. My occasional heartburn worsened and it became painful for me to swallow. And my breath started to really smell.

Plus, I imagine for her, dating the sick boy would not be much fun. In hindsight, I know it would have been healthier to embrace my vulnerabilities, rather than give up on the potential of a relationship.

Besides ignoring a potential girlfriend, I was not sharing how sick I was feeling with anyone. Not even with my close friends or family. Even today I am not sure exactly why I didn’t share. Maybe I didn’t want to appear vulnerable, which is what I felt would happen if I told them. Luckily, I knew it was time to speak with a medical professional about what was going on; even if the conversation was going to be a little awkward.

I had been seeing many doctors for my mystery illness over the course of the year. Each of them ran tests and couldn’t find out what was going on. I quickly learned there is nothing more frustrating – at least for me – than trying to get across to a physician what it is like to have the flu five days a week. 

And then being told it was probably the common cold, or that I needed to rest more, or perversely exercise more was a bit too much to comprehend! This was the first time I recognized most doctors don’t have the best social skills. They were talking, but not listening.

But once the blood started appearing at both ends, I had no choice. I decided to give one of the doctors another chance and met with him to discuss my bloody situation. We made some small talk about still not knowing what my illness was when I decided to drop the bomb on him about coughing up blood and having it in my stools. 

Within minutes, he scheduled me for an upper endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The thought of tubes with tiny cameras on them being shoved in both places did not make me feel any better. I started thinking that Doc Holliday actually had it a little bit better than I did.

The doctor then explained to me that when it’s time for my colonoscopy screening, I would need to prepare my bowels by cleaning them out beforehand. He stressed that proper preparation is essential for a successful colonoscopy. If your colon isn’t clear, the doctor may not be able to detect signs of colorectal cancer, such as polyps, that are often small and cling to the inside walls of your large intestine, colon and rectum.

He then told me to go the the pharmacy and get a bowel prep kit? Yes, you read that correctly. A bowel prep kit. 

Basically a  bowel prep kit is an oral laxative formula that I needed to take before my colonoscopy. He told me that I would need to drink the formula the night before my colonoscopy procedure to clean out your bowels (by pooping). He also stressed that along with the laxatives I need to take extra fluids and electrolytes.

Read more: Do you poop during a colonoscopy?

After my appointment, I only had a few days before the procedures were going to take place, and I used that remaining time worrying about how uncomfortable it was going to be having a colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time (a friendly suggestion: don’t type “bad side effects colonoscopy” or "what can go wrong having an endoscopy colonoscopy together" into Google). 

In my head, the very idea of having a colonoscopy was affecting my perceptions of my mortality. I was still in my mid-30s, and I was wondering what I must have done wrong in a previous life to deserve something like this.

That morning, as they prepped me by having me climb into one of those embarrassing hospital gowns, I tried to tune everything out around me. One of the nurses came to me and asked if I would allow another man to go first. He was an elderly gentleman, and he was anxious to have his colonoscopy done. 

I agreed to it but then regretted it as soon as I heard the man screaming about 15 minutes later as the pain was too much for him. I had heard stories about how aliens would often abduct people from their homes and do experiments on them with prodding and injections. I figured this would be kind of like that, minus the cool story about being able to tell people I was abducted by aliens.

Before I was taken into the theatre, a nurse sprayed my throat with a local anesthetic and gave me a sedative to help you relax. A few moments I was taken into the theatre.

As they gave me the anesthesia medicine in my IV, I remember they had me roll over on my side. I groggily asked them if they were going to do both the upper endoscopy and colonoscopy at the same time, and if they were, could they carve their initials inside me where the two scopes would meet. I have always thought of myself as a funny guy and often used my humor to get through even the most desperate times. But nobody in the room even cracked a smile. Although in their defense, I was probably slurring my words so badly they just couldn’t understand me.

For some reason, I was trying my hardest to stay awake because I knew they could not start everything until I was out cold. I was like a little kid trying to stay awake on Christmas Eve to sneak a peek at Santa. I asked the doctor if this was going to hurt. He said it was not going to be pleasant but being out for it will make everything bearable. Eventually, I did fall asleep, but I woke up twice during the procedures. Not good.

The first time I woke up was when they were trying to blow me up like a balloon during the colonoscopy. Apparently, the medical team was forcing carbon dioxide into my lower bowels. All I remember was that it hurt a lot for a few seconds, and then I went back to sleep. The other time I awoke was when I started gagging on the tube as they put it down my throat for the endoscopy. It felt as if I was choking on a garden hose. Luckily, I passed out after about ten seconds of thinking I was about to die.

It seemed like it was a week later when I woke up in the outpatient recovery room, but it was probably only an hour at most. When the doctor came in, I tiredly told him that the colonoscopy was not nearly as much fun as I thought it would be. Again, he did not smile at all. He started talking and informing me how things went, but under that medication, I forgot what he was saying ten seconds later. For the next 24 hours, it really did feel like I had amnesia.

When I finally started to regain my senses the next morning in the comfort of my own home, I luckily had the report to read to refresh my memory on what the doctor had said because immediately after the colonoscopy and endoscopy my mind was a blur.

There was precancerous material in my throat called Barrett’s Esophagus, about five inches of it. According the report the material was classified as high-grade dysplasia, which is the final step before cells change into esophageal cancer. And given the overall five-year survival rate for esophageal cancer is about 20%, it is probably that the endoscopy saved my life. 

The colonoscopy did not show anything alarming, so I was given a clean bill of health. 

The blood I was coughing up was from my throat slightly tearing from my coughing fits. The tissue was damaged and easily torn. However, even with this news, I was severely disappointed. The doctor informed me that this would not explain the chronic flu symptoms I was experiencing. The suffering and searching for an answer continue.

In the long story of my search for an answer, my upper endoscopy and colonoscopy I guess are side-shows.  But they are an essential sideshow. I could not hide the fact that I had colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time from my family, so I finally started to open up about my struggle with the mystery-illness. First with my family, and then my friends. Sharing news about my medical condition was a highly sensitive and surprisingly a bit emotional one for me. 

Although these first disclosures were uncomfortable, after all, I had been hiding it for some time while pretending to be well. The discomfort of the colonoscopy and endoscopy and talking about my illness was worth it. I believe no longer having to hide my illness is helping me on my journey to a better self.

Have you had a colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time?

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