Healing in the Hard Things: A Mindful Journey Through a Colonoscopy
A Different Kind of Magic
The word “colonoscopy” rarely conjures feelings of comfort or curiosity. Most people associate it with discomfort, inconvenience, or a day they’d rather forget. But here on Nevermore Lane, we believe that even the most clinical experiences hold an opportunity for magic, mindfulness, and healing. What if we reimagined colonoscopy not as a dreaded obligation, but as a sacred checkpoint along our health journey?
Last week I found myself standing at that very threshold. The prep kit on the counter seemed more like a test of will than a gateway to wellness. But as someone who believes in the transformative power of rituals, I decided to approach this medical necessity with intention. I traded anxiety for preparation, dread for design, and turned my colonoscopy experience into a ritual of healing. I leaned on cozy comforts, clear liquids with purpose, and moments of stillness that allowed space for reflection and release.
If you are preparing for a colonoscopy or supporting someone who is, this post is your invitation to transform fear into peace. Let me walk you through the process with grace and magic. From preparation to recovery, we will explore how a routine medical event can become a mindful, empowering experience. Ready to step into your healing with eyes wide open and spirit grounded? Let us begin.
The Day Before as a Sacred Cleanse
The day before a colonoscopy is all about preparation. While the common mindset may focus on restriction and discomfort, here at Nevermore Lane, we choose to see it as a sacred cleanse. This is a time of clearing, both physically and energetically. The food you forgo is not deprivation but an offering to the process of healing.
Instead of lamenting what you cannot eat, embrace the soothing rituals of clear liquids. Warm broth becomes a comforting potion. Lemon or lime Jello becomes a sweet spell of calm. Choose your beverages intentionally, with colors that soothe and energize. Avoiding reds and purples is not a burden but a magical alignment with clarity and visibility. Let each sip be part of your ritual.
Create a cozy, calming environment. Prepare your space like a sacred sanctuary. Light a candle. Brew peppermint or ginger tea. Keep a journal nearby to jot down thoughts or fears you are ready to release. The physical cleansing is mirrored by emotional letting go. As your body clears, allow your mind to quiet. The preparation becomes less about what you are missing and more about what you are making space for.
HOW THIS PROCESS WENT FOR ME: My colonoscopy was on a Monday morning. So, my prep cleanse was to start on Sunday. Friday and Saturday it was recommended I start the process by going low fiber. I also had to be off my GLP1 medication for at least 10 days. Since my shot day was Monday’s, by the time my procedure day rolled around, I had not had a shot in 14 days.
Friday and Saturday my diet consisted of low fiber foods. No fruit, no vegetables. No probiotics. No prebiotics, and none of my fiber supplements. No milk products. Basically they wanted plain meat, like chicken. A baked potato was okay, but no peel. White rice or pasta was allowed. I decided against both of those since neither holds any sort of nutritional value. So, I opted for chicken and baked potato. Simple. Plain. Easy enough.
Sunday, I tried to prepare myself mentally as best as I could. I mixed the prep in the container provided and put it in the fridge to chill. I had a cup of hot coffee. Plain, little stevia. At this point you are to be on a clear liquid diet so you are very limited on what you can have. After a few hours I had some hot chicken bone broth, a blue gatorade to get started on the hydration, and a green jello.
Few hours later I had another jello and a popsicle, both blue.
Few hours later, I started the prep. At first, it was not so bad. Just a tad thicker than water with a hint of lemon. The instructions were to drink 8 oz every 15-20 minutes. Um, ma’am, I have been on a GLP medication for about a year now, I cannot get 8 oz down every 20 minutes.
After a few attempts, and I am almost positive the coffee cup I was drinking out of was larger than 8 oz, I just chugged as much as I could, chased with the Gatorade and would sit outside for a little bit. For some reason my body started to go into super freeze mode. Normal for me, part menopause, part living in the north, part GLP1. But, it got to the point where my teeth were chattering and I could not get warm.
I would last in the sun about 5-10 minutes before having to go sit in the bathroom. When I was done in the bathroom, I would go chug some more.
This process, according to the instructions, was to all be done before you went to bed, unless you had a later in the day procedure or instructed by your doctor to divide the prep into two. Before bed and the next morning. Neither applied to me.
Because I started to shake so bad and just started to worry I was not going to get through this, I was trying to get through it as quickly as possible.
I was done in 5 hours. Honestly, the bathroom part wasn’t as bad as I thought. I was getting all the stuff down, keeping it down, and staying warm. I know for a fact had I not started to speed up the process, I would not have finished.
During this time, I had zero desire to “eat” any of the clear liquid diet “foods.”
About an hour after I was done, and hours before my usual bedtime, I had rolled myself into my warmest blanket to get warm, and I fell asleep.
I woke up the next morning, and had to potty a few times, but it was already clear halfway through the prep, so I was certain I was good to go. Now, I just had to wait for it to be time to go.
Surrendering to the Process: What Happens During a Colonoscopy
The procedure itself is brief, but the emotional weight it carries is real. The vulnerability of placing your trust in medical hands can feel daunting. But vulnerability is not weakness. It is a powerful moment of surrender. During your colonoscopy, you are allowing your body to be seen, understood, and cared for in a way that can only serve your highest good.
Before the procedure, you will meet your medical team. They will explain everything, answer your questions, and make sure you feel safe. You will receive medication that helps you relax or sleep. You may not remember the procedure at all. But while you rest, something profound is happening. Your body is being honored and protected.
Surrendering does not mean losing control. It means choosing to trust. It means knowing that your decision to show up for this screening is an act of love for your future self. Picture yourself wrapped in light, surrounded by care, and supported by a universe that wants you well. This moment is not about fear. It is about deep, transformative trust.
HOW THIS PROCESS WENT FOR ME: The morning arrived and by the time I got up, I was ready to go and get this over with. The anxiety had built up and it was getting to a point where I just could not deal with sitting still. I wanted coffee. I wanted to eat.
Sadly, my appointment was not the first thing in the morning. So, I made a little cup of coffee so I could have a little bit of caffeine. I sipped that alongside a warm cup of chicken bone broth to get some electrolytes and protein in my body.
Oddly enough, I was not having those feelings of hunger. My body ached though. I guess, drinking a beverage that causes you to freeze and clear out any food you’ve had in your lifetime, will do that to you.
My appointment was at 11:30am. By 9am, having been up for a couple of hours, I was climbing the walls. My mother was my driver and to get there and checked in on time, we left for the city at 11. Once I was in the car, we could not get there fast enough. The entire trip, rather than think I wish I was already on my way home, all I could think about was how I should have driven us there in my own car.
After a few wrong terms and lack of listening skills, she got us to our destination and I got in the office, right on time.
It’s always fun when you get to your appointment right on schedule, but have to sit for another hour and a half. By this time, my stomach had started to rumble, I was getting nausea, and I was hungry.
When they finally called my name, I did a little whoo hoo inside. We are moving now. Yes, yes, it is time to go.
No. I was led to my room. Changed into the gown. Peed in a cup because they made me take a pregnancy test, and then I laid in the bed and waited my turn. My mom and I cracked jokes to try to pass the time. I was hooked up to the IV. I mentioned to each nurse that I would need Zofran upon waking up due to my vertigo. I knew I had to speak to the anesthesiologist, but my anxiety makes me incredibly nervous and I speak quickly and repeat myself.
Someone finally came for me around 1:30 – 2:00 pm. I was wheeled back, talked to the Dr a bit (super nice) and the anesthesiologist. At first he wasn’t really hearing me about the Zofran. He insisted I would not wake up nauseous or dizzy. Um, Sir, excuse me, while that may be true for some of your patients, but, I have vertigo and I am perimenopause so this has gotten worse over the last couple of years. I assure you when I start to wake up, I will be spinning because it will trigger my vertigo which then will cause nausea and since I don’t have food in my stomach, I will just start dry heaving or throw up bile. Sorry, but that does not sound like fun to me. He finally got it and he and the Dr. at the same time pretty much said they would make sure I was taken care of.
He gave me the injection through my IV and I was out in 2 seconds flat. I woke up with my nurse (she was great, all my care nurses were!) and she said he gave me some, but the moment I opened my eyes it started. She wheeled me back to my room, said it all went well and the Dr would be in to speak with me shortly. She left, another nurse came in while my mom was speaking to me.
I couldn’t speak. I had my head down and my hand over my eyes. I felt like I was going to be sick. I could not open my eyes because it was spinning. It was not bad, but it was enough. So I was just trying to let it pass. Well one my nurses must have heard me and she came in asking if I was okay. I said I was, just waiting for the spinning to pass. She mentioned I was given Zofran when I was waking up, but she walked over to my IV bag and gave me some more.
The Dr. came in, told me he saw no cause for alarm. He’d seen me again in 5-10 years depending on what my PCP wanted and sent me on my way. I got dressed and bolted out of that place. We stopped at McD on the way home, but I was way too hungry and after a few bites, didn’t want anymore. I think my body just was out of whack and also I have been on a GLP-1 for the last year, and that just changes your eating.
I was home around 4. Did a little work so I did not get behind, and then I just chilled the rest of the day.
Everyone was super nice, explained everything to me, and it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be – this part anyway. I have no desire to go through any of it again though.
Returning to the Body: Post-Procedure Rest and Reconnection
Waking up after a colonoscopy can feel disorienting. The sedation may linger, and your body may feel a bit unsteady. This is your cue to move slowly, to reenter your space with gentleness. The hardest part is over, and now your focus turns to grounding and restoration.
Have soft foods ready to nourish you. Applesauce, rice, and light soups are gentle ways to ease your digestion back into motion. Keep drinking fluids and listen closely to your body’s needs. This is not the time to rush back into busy schedules or to-do lists. Let your body speak, and respond with care.
Make the day sacred. Wrap yourself in a favorite blanket. Return to your journal and write about what you learned or felt. Maybe it was fear, maybe gratitude, or even pride. Let those emotions flow freely. Your body has just completed a significant journey. Honor it with time, attention, and tenderness.
HOW THIS PROCESS WENT FOR ME: I probably should have opted for not eating on our way home, but I was hungry, and we had a bit of a drive home. I ate light for a couple of days. The next day I was allowed to take my GLP-1, so that helped.
Lessons in Letting Go: The Emotional Healing of Colonoscopy
One of the most surprising parts of this journey is not physical but emotional. A colonoscopy forces us to pause. To slow down. To be with our bodies in a way we often avoid. And in that stillness, we learn the art of letting go.
There is power in releasing. Releasing what no longer serves us physically is mirrored by letting go of what no longer serves us mentally and emotionally. Old fears. Outdated beliefs. Shame around aging or bodily functions. All of it can rise to the surface and be released.
Use this experience as a spiritual checkpoint. Ask yourself what you are ready to release. Is it fear? Is it perfectionism? Is it the pressure to pretend everything is okay? As you cleanse your body, allow your soul to breathe. You are not broken. You are healing. And healing, as we know, is often found in the hard things.
HOW LETTING GO BENEFITED ME: I had no choice but to work on my overthinking and anxiety. It was nowhere near as bad as some anxiety and panic attacks I have had in the past. I used Reddit to help and spoke with others on a sub that also were having a colonoscopy the same day as I.
I have a lot of anxiety about medical procedures, so it helped to know I was not alone, and that it would be over soon. I had to let go of some fear having it done as I had put it off. It had to be done.
I will still struggle with medical things, but this will help me work through those things as they come.
You Are Not Alone on the Path
Every health journey we take reminds us that we are not alone. Somewhere out there, someone else is walking a similar road. Someone else is sipping their prep drink, lighting their candle, and whispering affirmations to stay calm. In our most vulnerable moments, we are deeply connected.
NOTE: I found a group of folks going through the prep the same day as me as their procedure was also the same day. Find others on the Reddit r/colonoscopy
Let this be a reminder that strength does not come from never being afraid. It comes from choosing to show up, even when we are. It comes from preparing with intention, surrendering with trust, and recovering with grace. The colonoscopy may be behind you, but the self-compassion you cultivated stays with you.
Nevermore Lane is here to honor all parts of your path. Even the clinical. Even the uncomfortable. Especially those moments. Because that is where the deepest magic lies. In the quiet courage to face what must be faced, and to do it with tenderness.
Want more stories that turn the mundane into magical? Read more posts here on Nevermore Lane. And if this journey resonated with you, come join me for a virtual coffee. Subscribe to the newsletter, share your thoughts, and let us walk the healing path together.
Like what you read? Drop me a line – let’s chat over virtual coffee.
~ Chrystal
