EXAM: COLONOSCOPY

CLINICAL HISTORY: Anemia

COMPARISON: None

TECHNIQUE: Flexible Scope

TOLERATION OF PROCEDURE:
During my mother's recovery, I snooped through a folder left by her bedside containing notes taken during the procedure on my mother's toleration level. I wish I had thought to take my own notes of one of the forms I encountered. It is a list of constant, timed checks of several indicators such as breathing, awareness, pain, alertness, etc. As I scanned the contents of the form I realized that, if this form had been a report card, my mother would have received straight A's, proof to me that she tolerated the procedure well, which caused me even more surprise when the gastro-enterologist made the statements posted below in OTHER COMMENTS.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS:
phoned to me 7/25/03 by gastro-enterologist's surgical assistant:
Polyps benign. Colon normal. No internal bleeding.

OTHER COMMENTS:
Surgeon declared: "I never want to do a colonoscopy on this woman again," and, "She's 85. I don't want to torture her again." Also recommended any further searches for internal bleeding be confined to imaging tests.

OTHER REFERENCES:
Pre-Colonoscopy Instructions
Post Colonoscopy Instructions & Commentary

gailraehudson@themomandmejournals.net