Anyone recently had a colonoscopy in Thailand?

[charliechoc]

I've had an assessment appt for a colonoscopy in a private hospital and they gave me the 'Niflec' laxative and fact sheet in advance.

 

I don't know if I was having communication issues but the dr seemed to imply that I had 2 choices regarding the pre op preparation. 1. was to have final dinner at 4pm the day prior and then at 6pm take the niflec for 2 hours. Then from midnight onwards no food or liquids

2. day before only have liquids. 7am morning of procedure take the nifec for 2 hours until 9am and then get the camera up the butt at 11am.

 

Im confused as to why there are 2 options. It seems that number 2 would be a lot better rather than feel nausea all night from option 1.  Am I missing something?

 

Finally, dr said that he would get injection for light sedation. Is this the same as general anesthetic. Can one opt to have nothing and just grin and bear it?

 

thanks

[fredscats]

Trying to boot the bill up...How much they quote?          Posted something a while ago on subject,Ive had it done few times,once without anesthetic,twice with as sending camera down the throat too.     Not painful at all,uncomfortable true  I go elsewhere 1000 baht up the ass   1200 down the throat        I take two porridge meals,one at 7pm  another midnight

[bbko]

8 minutes ago, charliechoc said:

It seems that number 2 would be a lot better rather than feel nausea all night from option 1.  Am I missing something?

I can't speak for having a colonoscopy in Thailand but for the one I had in the US, the prep didn't make me nauseous at all, it was more like having to go sit on the toilet every 2 hours.  

 

As for the sedation, for me it was optional but I went with it.  Having a camera inserted up in me 3-5 feet/1-1.5M for about a hour and possibly have to remove polyps is not something I want to feel full on.

[EVENKEEL]

I had it in the US 2 yrs ago. Day before drink 16oz of nasty drink followed by 16 oz water. At some point repeated the drink. All cleansed out, at hospital they put me under. I woke up with no recollection of being violated.

[impulse]

Word to the wise...  Don't eat raw broccoli the day before.  I spent hours in the bathroom, and still had a big stalk on the video.  That was at Samitivej.

 

Why 2 options?  Because people have different preferences and eating habits.  Choose the option that fits your preferences.

[scubascuba3]

7 hours ago, fredscats said:

Trying to boot the bill up...How much they quote?          Posted something a while ago on subject,Ive had it done few times,once without anesthetic,twice with as sending camera down the throat too.     Not painful at all,uncomfortable true  I go elsewhere 1000 baht up the ass   1200 down the throat        I take two porridge meals,one at 7pm  another midnight

your prices don't look right, add a zero and maybe it's ballpark

[fredscats]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

your prices don't look right, add a zero and maybe it's ballpark

800.00rps  approx 400 baht  ballpark figure   but 4,500 airfare      removal of polyp no big affair ,grabber comes out of camera   grabs hold of lump, pulls,  like elastic,   small splash of blood   Going for laser soon  600,000b  here,35000b  or cheaper there

[Oxx]

OP, I think you should check the options again.  The usual options are:

 

(1) 4 litres of Niflec the evening before colonoscopy, with the colonosocopy being performed early in the day

 

(2) 2 litres of Niflect the evening before, and 2 litres on the day, with the procedure being performed late morning/early afternoon.

 

In my experience, #2 is easier and also produces a clearer colon.  (This is also backed up by research. See  https://www.thaiscience.info/Journals/Article/JMAT/10989511.pdf )

[scubascuba3]

53 minutes ago, fredscats said:

800.00rps  approx 400 baht  ballpark figure   but 4,500 airfare      removal of polyp no big affair ,grabber comes out of camera   grabs hold of lump, pulls,  like elastic,   small splash of blood   Going for laser soon  600,000b  here,35000b  or cheaper there

ah you didn't mention India before. Which hospital in India? how did you book it?

[PFMills]

I have one every five years. 
 

Three days before only soft food

Two days before just clear soup 

Day before just water.

 

Cant exactly remember when I took the ‘clear me out’ stuff.

 

I had the up and the down looksee. Was put out. Very brave if you do without.

[fredscats]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

ah you didn't mention India before. Which hospital in India? how did you book it?

Sending PM  Covid rules at the mo,cannot get there directly,talk of allowing Indians into Thailand opens the door hopefully

[Sheryl]

Colonoscopy is never done under true general anestehtic, rather under IV sedation. From the patient experience point of view may seem the same (you don't feel anything or remember anything) but it is not. Usually IV propofol is used but sometimes an opiate plus a short acting benzo.

 

You really, really, really do not want to have this done wide awake. Extremely unpleasant. Many doctors will nto agree to it as well since it is difficult to ensure the patient stays still, and sudden movements while the scope is in there can be dangerous.

 

Every doctor has their own protocol for the prep but it would be unusual to allow ordinary solid foods the day before.  It would also be unusual to take the laxative at 7 AM for an 11 AM procedure, needs more lead time than that.

 

The action of the laxative is quick and of short duration. Taking it at 6 PM you are unlikely to be nauseous all night long. Any nausea is while you are drinking it, not for hours afterwards.

 

Taking laxative the evening before and then again very early that morning is probably the most common approach.

[Asanee Yutta]

Can you post the Thai leaflet instruction that you have? It does sound weird, having 2 options.
Probably 2-steps process miscommunicated?

[NancyL]

I agree with Sheryl that you really do not want to do this without any sedation.  About 40 years ago I was dieting and having problems where I would be constipated for 5 - 6 days, then have a day of diarrhea. 

 

The U.S. GI doctor suggested a "look-see" in his office.  He said it wasn't a full colonoscopy, but just a check as far as was comfortable.  I still had to do the prep, but there was no sedation.  When he started, the nurse grabbed me in a death grip and I wondered why since it was just moderate pressure, like having a bowel movement.  Once he came to the first bend with the scope, I understood why the nurse was gripping me so tight.  Not only was it painful, but I had the most awful spasm, with uncontrolled movement of my legs, etc.   He called off the procedure.

[xylophone]

I have had two colonoscopies over the time I have been here, and both have been painless and smooth running.

 

Easy on the food the day before the procedure and then around 6 PM in the evening, start on the clearing out powder, although I seem to recall I had some tablets as well??

 

By the time the morning came round I was well and truly cleaned out, or at least I thought so, until the nurse prior to the procedure decided to give me a couple of enemas, which was great because that cleared me out completely, although it did take some time I have to say, but no pain whatsoever.

 

I had a little IV sedation in the back of my hand, and gently drifted off whilst the procedure was carried out, and came round a while later and had to ask the doctor if it was over or not?

 

Nothing to worry about, no pain, no general anaesthetic and very caring medical staff.

Edited October 26, 2021 by xylophone

[soi3eddie]

Had one done at Bangkok Hospital, Bangkok in 2014. Was told no food - only water from 4pm. Doc gave me prescription for laxative tablets and 2 small (200ml?) bottles of something called Swiff. Started at 6pm night before and it was VERY fast acting. One does not want to be far from the pan! Had to drink a couple of litres of water too. In the hospital room they gave me a "sedative". In fact it actually knocked me out and I was just waking up at completion of the investigation. No pain and very professionally done. Was not given any different options for the "cleanse". 

[fredscats]

Probably get a CD ,but if stay awake a fascinating journey. First time told to eat more porridge and come back in four hours,embarrassed Ill say,still bunged up.

  Hard to realise you are looking at your internals as camera rolls inside,up the pipe takes minute or two,then slowly back,thought I had escaped,but no,under a fold of bowel there was one,largish one,the doc operated a claw,grabbed it ,pulled just like long elastic,splash of blood camera lens,then bottled up for testing,nothing

 Subsequent time,under this time to using drug ,down the throat too,three slivers removed,path lab wanted more,but still tested,needed 3 days for test,OK I said,but reply needed 5 days ,thinking cap on.  Had to fly day 3 so they emailed result which was against their rules...5 or 6 pages of  crammed test results,could not understand any of it  but free of cancer

Wanted another colon test just before covid took hold,doc stated he would do both for 500 baht,two years on now  wonder if offer still open

 

Just felt like I wanted to f.art the whole way thru

Edited October 28, 2021 by fredscats

[Why Me]

Bumrungrud a couple of months ago. Told to eat very light the night before. Then went into the hospital at 8am for prep. They gave me a room (not inpatient, no bed, just a couple of chairs) with restroom attached and two huge bottles of laxative liquid to take. Which of course had me on the toilet every few mins. After the first few movements the nurse came in to take pics of my poop and was happy when it reached a desired coloration (I kid you not).

 

The op (colonoscopy and endoscopy) in the afternoon was after sedation so I felt nothing. In fact, woke up feeling incredibly fresh which made me appreciate why Michael Jackson liked to be knocked out by his doc each night.

 

Anyways, executive summary took half a day, painless though somewhat expensive.

[charliechoc]

7 hours ago, Why Me said:

Bumrungrud a couple of months ago. Told to eat very light the night before. Then went into the hospital at 8am for prep. They gave me a room (not inpatient, no bed, just a couple of chairs) with restroom attached and two huge bottles of laxative liquid to take. Which of course had me on the toilet every few mins. After the first few movements the nurse came in to take pics of my poop and was happy when it reached a desired coloration (I kid you not).

 

The op (colonoscopy and endoscopy) in the afternoon was after sedation so I felt nothing. In fact, woke up feeling incredibly fresh which made me appreciate why Michael Jackson liked to be knocked out by his doc each night.

 

Anyways, executive summary took half a day, painless though somewhat expensive.

Do you mind if I ask how much?

 

After taking the first 1 litre of the solution at 7pm I could not take the second one. It didnt take effect for an hour or longer with me. By 11pm I was sleeping and woke up at 5am for the second litre. My procedure was at 11am and I think the golden rule is not to take fluids 6 hours prior.

 

it was a horrible experience all round...  6 polyps found and out

[Why Me]

29 minutes ago, charliechoc said:

Do you mind if I ask how much?

30k-40k if I remember correctly what I paid when I left. Mind you that includes a post-op meds charge, probably 8k, which would likely have cost a few hundred at the pharmacy across the street.

 

33 minutes ago, charliechoc said:

it was a horrible experience all round...  6 polyps found and out

Weren't you sedated for the procedure? They put me to sleep. The bowel cleansing wasn't fun but certainly not painful and I wasn't conscious for the actual procedure so zero pain.

 

I would recommend Bumrungrud with a couple of reservations:

(a) Meds are crazy expensive. You need to go out and buy.

(b) They keep (or at least this doc did) trying to push additional procedures/treatments.

[mahjongguy]

Typical price for colonoscopy at a private hospital in Thailand is around 17,000 baht plus around 1,500 baht for each item (if any) sent to the lab. The doctor may offer to perform an upper endoscopy for a reasonable additional charge if your age or situation would make that beneficial. 

 

My G/I doc uses a drip of propofol and it does the job. Because air is pumped in to expand the colon for better viewing, the pain would not be tolerable. Done it a few times, never minded anything except that the purging, despite taking in huge amounts of water, causes dehydration and consequent headache.

 

The short version of the procedure, scoping only the lower third of the colon, is a sigmoidoscopy. I had that done once years ago and my insurance didn't provide any form of sedation. I was kicking and banging on the rails of the gurney. 

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, mahjongguy said:

Typical price for colonoscopy at a private hospital in Thailand is around 17,000 baht plus around 1,500 baht for each item (if any) sent to the lab. The doctor may offer to perform an upper endoscopy for a reasonable additional charge if your age or situation would make that beneficial.

 

Closer to 30K these days in Bangkok

[KhunLA]

Depends on the hospital.  I had one recently done around the 17k quoted, if memory serves, it was 15k.  No extra (as it should be) fro removing any polyps found, and in my case, just 1. 

 

While at it, did add the endo, what the hell, figured I'd try a DP ???? ... spank me.  I was completely under, didn't feel a thing.  

 

Wife had one done at Udon Thani public hospital for 2800 baht (two thousand eight hundred), a few years back.  She could have went to one of the private hospitals there, and paid 5k.  The extra 2200 baht was for the limo ride over to the public hospital ... ????, as a friend went through said hospital and was unpleasantly surprised the procedure wasn't done in-house.

Edited October 29, 2021 by KhunLA

[charliechoc]

On 10/29/2021 at 12:54 PM, Sheryl said:

 

Closer to 30K these days in Bangkok

Ive always known that all men should get the procedure done at 50. What about women? Should I be telling her to get it done at 50 as well?

thanks

[fredscats]

On 10/28/2021 at 6:37 PM, charliechoc said:

Do you mind if I ask how much?

 

After taking the first 1 litre of the solution at 7pm I could not take the second one. It didnt take effect for an hour or longer with me. By 11pm I was sleeping and woke up at 5am for the second litre. My procedure was at 11am and I think the golden rule is not to take fluids 6 hours prior.

 

it was a horrible experience all round...  6 polyps found and out

I cannot understand the comment" horrible experience"   If you were knocked out nothing to feel, if you were expecting pain ,you surely will receive it.  There are no pain receptors in the gut,no nerve endings.

 

It makes people nervous reading your comment,nothing to be alarmed about,I had it done without being drugged first time,but being drugged for both ends.......coming to once when probe down my throat

[EVENKEEL]

Is it bad the Doc gave me a wink when I woke up? 

[Oxx]

13 minutes ago, charliechoc said:

Ive always known that all men should get the procedure done at 50. What about women?

You appear to be a bit out of date.  For people of average risk, it's recommended that screening is started at 45 (not 50).  There is no difference according to gender.

 

https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/american-cancer-society-updates-colorectal-cancer-screening-guideline.html

[sqwakvfr]

Chiang Mai Ram had a combo package(Endoscopy and Colonoscopy) for 40,000 early this year.  The prep for the colonoscopy was the standard(a light lunch and avoid vegetables).  In the US the prep began at lunch time but here in LOS the prep started at 400PM.  Anyway painless and more or less no issues(a tiny benign polyp).  No complaints and no aftereffects.  Will probably return in 5 years for another colonoscopy.  

[JAS21]

I had both done earlier this year at Princess Chulabhorn.

 

The look up was the planned five year job. Tummy to see if ulcer or GERD.

That was now my forth since living here.

 

Didn’t get another five year appointment like last time… do they know something…….Told me no samples taken but have some diverticulitis.

 

Cost was around 8000thb if I recall correctly…not much more than five years ago….I will find and check my CC statement. But you will pay more if you have to use the Extra Clinic to cut the waiting time.

 

Had to have Cov19 test but never got a bill for it so assume included in the price.

 

 

[Rimmer]

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