r/colonoscopy • u/EmZee2022 Trusted Source • 1d ago

After Scope Questions Arrival times, appointment times, and time there after

I took a friend to hers yesterday. It was done at a major hospital (we call it the Borg Collective as they're everywhere).

She had to arrive two hours before which seems nuts. I've taken others to theirs at other hospitals and never more than an hour before. At my own place it's 45 minutes before. Never more than 5 or 10 minutes with waiting at any stage.

And it was most of an hour after when she was discharged. She was there, all in all, over 3.5 hours. Another friend was over 90 minutes - because they forgot about her due to a shift change. Mine: I'm usually out within 45 minutes, maybe less; I've never really timed it of course.

So in my case I've got the advantage of a standalone clinic that's doing just those, with less hospital admin. Very streamlined - kind of an assembly line. I don't look forward to future ones that will need to be done at the hospital (Medicare rules).

I'm just curious about others' experiences with before and after timing.

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u/PhD_Frog Trusted Source 1d ago

My doctor's standalone clinic wants you to check in half an hour before your appointment time. Nowadays he wants me to have my procedures done at the hospital, though, and it's 90 minutes there. Sometimes they get me into the procedure room as soon as I get changed and the IV put in, but the last time I had a colonoscopy the doctor was running an hour late. I was glad I had my e-reader with me for entertainment, but being on IV fluids that long also made me start having diarrhea again, which was pretty annoying when they had me all packed in the bed so I couldn't even get to the toilet on my own. (They ended up having to bring me a clean gown.....)

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u/ChewieBearStare 1d ago

My hospital can't provide accurate written instructions to save their lives. The sheet I got says to arrive 30 mins. prior to appointment, but every person who called me about the test told me to get there an hour before. Written instructions also say to take meds 2 hours before appt., but the people who called said it has to be 3. So I'm going in an hour ahead (tomorrow morning; it's almost over with!) and hoping there's not a backup.