--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you get a colonoscopy, you should…" description: "\"If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they give you no drugs - then you do get to see what it's like to swim through your own intestines.\"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png" --- # If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they… ![“If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they give you no drugs - then you do get to see what it's like to swim through your own intestines.” quote by Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png) > “If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they give you no drugs - then you do get to see what it's like to swim through your own intestines.” [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously highlights the vivid, unsettling experience of undergoing a colonoscopy without sedation, emphasizing the raw, visceral view of one's own body. **In simple terms:** Seeing your intestines unfiltered is shocking and memorable. Key Takeaway Consider sedation options carefully. Themes humor body medical experience curiosity Mood amused thoughtful Type informative humorous When to use this quote - pre‑procedure counseling - patient education - medical training - public health messaging Key Concepts anatomy patient perspective risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - Would you prefer clarity over comfort? - How does humor affect medical decision‑making? A Different Perspective Sedation may be necessary for comfort and safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Colonoscopy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonoscopy/) [Colonoscopy Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonoscopy-really-5851486/) [Get](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [Insist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist/) [Insist Drugs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insist-drugs-5851488/) [Intestines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intestines/) [Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like/) [Own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/own/) [Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Swim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swim/) [Swim Intestines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swim-intestines-5851487/) [Then](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/then/) [Through](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [ATLANTA NIGHTS: I haven't been this stunned since my colonoscopy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-l-mckiernan/atlanta-nights-i-haven-t-been-this-stunned-since-my-colonoscopy/) [Dennis L. McKiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-l-mckiernan/) > [If one has a routine colonoscopy at the age of 50 and then colonoscopies thereafter as the physician recommends, you could largely prevent colon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-glimcher/if-one-has-a-routine-colonoscopy-at-the-age-of-50-and-then/) [Laurie Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-glimcher/) > [I exercise regularly. I eat moderate amounts of healthy food. I make sure to get plenty of rest. I see my doctor once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-lorre/i-exercise-regularly-i-eat-moderate-amounts-of-healthy-food-i-make/) [Chuck Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-lorre/) > [“One of the few times in a man's life when he is not full of shit!! The morning of a colonoscopy. Enough said!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lawrence/one-of-the-few-times-in-a-man-s-life-when-he-is-not-full-of-shit-the/) [Jim Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lawrence/) > [I don't want a politician who's thinking about fashion for even one millisecond. It's the same as medical professionals. The idea of a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-doonan/i-don-t-want-a-politician-who-s-thinking-about-fashion-for-even-one/) [Simon Doonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-doonan/) > [So many people could save a life if they just go and have a colonoscopy, but you've got to do something about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/so-many-people-could-save-a-life-if-they-just-go-and-have-a/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) > [“I'm a picture of abject fear. If I had my choice between flying to El Paso or getting a colonoscopy, I'd have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/i-m-a-picture-of-abject-fear-if-i-had-my-choice-between-flying-to-el/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [“...like the twig furniture she made, thinking it was going to make us rich, only she's shit with a hammer and nails and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/like-the-twig-furniture-she-made-thinking-it-was-going-to-make-us/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [What percentage should you give? I tell people to start with 10 percent because the Bible writers have a lot to say about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/what-percentage-should-you-give-i-tell-people-to-start-with-10/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [Intestine war no more our passions wage, And giddy factions bear away their rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/intestine-war-no-more-our-passions-wage-and-giddy-factions-bear-away/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [What is it that you contain? The Dead. Time. Light patterns of millennia. The expanding universe opening in your gut. Are your twenty-three feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-is-it-that-you-contain-the-dead-time-light-patterns-of-millennia/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [One only wishes Wayne LaPierre and his NRA board of directors could be drafted to some of these scenes, where they would be required…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/one-only-wishes-wayne-lapierre-and-his-nra-board-of-directors-could/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“As I enter the small intestine I get squeezed by muscles. Its dark and the walls look like slimey crushed velvet theres pancreas juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/as-i-enter-the-small-intestine-i-get-squeezed-by-muscles-its-dark-and/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [\*Appendix usually means "small outgrowth from large intestine," but in this case it means "additional information accompanying main text." Or are those really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pseudonymous-bosch/appendix-usually-means-small-outgrowth-from-large-intestine-but-in/) [Pseudonymous Bosch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pseudonymous-bosch/) > [ That country \[Carthage\] was rapidly sinking into the state of barbarism from whence it had been raised by the Phoenician colonies and Roman laws;… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/that-country-carthage-was-rapidly-sinking-into-the-state-of-barbarism/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) ## More by Mary Roach > [“Rawson points out that although snakes can’t taste, they have a primitive sense of smell. They’ll extend their tongue to gather volatile molecules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/rawson-points-out-that-although-snakes-can-t-taste-they-have-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“As the number of Inuit who hunt has dwindled, so has the consumption of organs (and other anatomy not available for purchase at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/as-the-number-of-inuit-who-hunt-has-dwindled-so-has-the-consumption/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [For the most part, if somebody approaches me and says, 'I'd like to interview you,' who am I to say no, when I spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/for-the-most-part-if-somebody-approaches-me-and-says-i-d-like-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [To me, death is dark, pain, grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/to-me-death-is-dark-pain-grief/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“If you look at survivable crashes, it’s rare that even half the emergency exits open,” says Shanahan. “Plus, there’s a lot of panic and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-look-at-survivable-crashes-it-s-rare-that-even-half-the/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“…he was doing a breath hydrogen test. If you know the amount of hydrogen someone is exhaling orally, it's a simple matter to extrapolate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/he-was-doing-a-breath-hydrogen-test-if-you-know-the-amount-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Viagra isn't the only drug being prescribed off-label for women with arousal problems. Los Angeles urologist Jennifer Berman told me some doctors are prescribing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/viagra-isn-t-the-only-drug-being-prescribed-off-label-for-women-with/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Sharing a room with a cadaver is only mildly different from being in a room alone. They are the same sort of company as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/sharing-a-room-with-a-cadaver-is-only-mildly-different-from-being-in/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Every now and then, someone will tell me that one of my books has made them laugh out loud. I never believe them because:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/every-now-and-then-someone-will-tell-me-that-one-of-my-books-has-made/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“panel applicants at the initial screening were asked not only to describe the cat foods but also to rate them according to how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/panel-applicants-at-the-initial-screening-were-asked-not-only-to/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“\* Kissing is a less aggressive form of bacterial transplant. Studies of three different gingivitis-causing bacteria have documented migration from spouse to spouse. Periodontically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/kissing-is-a-less-aggressive-form-of-bacterial-transplant-studies-of/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Nirlungayuk reached a similar conclusion. I tracked him down, seventeen years later, and asked him what the outcome of his country-foods campaign had been.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/nirlungayuk-reached-a-similar-conclusion-i-tracked-him-down-seventeen/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [Astronauts are like these mythic legends, but really, they are just regular people, people who wear chinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/astronauts-are-like-these-mythic-legends-but-really-they-are-just/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“Olive trees grow in the same climate and soil conditions as grapes. The olive oil people have been up in Napa Valley all along,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/olive-trees-grow-in-the-same-climate-and-soil-conditions-as-grapes/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) > [“A patient on the way to surgery travels at twice the speed of a patient on the way to the morgue. Gurneys that ferry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/a-patient-on-the-way-to-surgery-travels-at-twice-the-speed-of-a/) [Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) [Explore all 435 Mary Roach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/) ## More Colonoscopy quotes > [What percentage should you give? I tell people to start with 10 percent because the Bible writers have a lot to say about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-stanley/what-percentage-should-you-give-i-tell-people-to-start-with-10/) [Andy Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-stanley/) > [“...like the twig furniture she made, thinking it was going to make us rich, only she's shit with a hammer and nails and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-juby/like-the-twig-furniture-she-made-thinking-it-was-going-to-make-us/) [Susan Juby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-juby/) > [“I'm a picture of abject fear. If I had my choice between flying to El Paso or getting a colonoscopy, I'd have to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/i-m-a-picture-of-abject-fear-if-i-had-my-choice-between-flying-to-el/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [So many people could save a life if they just go and have a colonoscopy, but you've got to do something about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-perry/so-many-people-could-save-a-life-if-they-just-go-and-have-a/) [Luke Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-perry/) > [I don't want a politician who's thinking about fashion for even one millisecond. It's the same as medical professionals. The idea of a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-doonan/i-don-t-want-a-politician-who-s-thinking-about-fashion-for-even-one/) [Simon Doonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-doonan/) > [“One of the few times in a man's life when he is not full of shit!! The morning of a colonoscopy. Enough said!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-lawrence/one-of-the-few-times-in-a-man-s-life-when-he-is-not-full-of-shit-the/) [Jim Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-lawrence/) > [I exercise regularly. I eat moderate amounts of healthy food. I make sure to get plenty of rest. I see my doctor once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-lorre/i-exercise-regularly-i-eat-moderate-amounts-of-healthy-food-i-make/) [Chuck Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-lorre/) > [If one has a routine colonoscopy at the age of 50 and then colonoscopies thereafter as the physician recommends, you could largely prevent colon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-glimcher/if-one-has-a-routine-colonoscopy-at-the-age-of-50-and-then/) [Laurie Glimcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-glimcher/) > [ATLANTA NIGHTS: I haven't been this stunned since my colonoscopy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-l-mckiernan/atlanta-nights-i-haven-t-been-this-stunned-since-my-colonoscopy/) [Dennis L. McKiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-l-mckiernan/) [Browse all 10 Colonoscopy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonoscopy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they give you no drugs - then you do get to see what it's like to swim through your own intestines.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Roach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-really-insist-they-give-you-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Colonoscopy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-really-insist-they-give-you-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12c/mary-roach-635_colonoscopy_if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-real_2373112.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you get a colonoscopy, you should really insist they give you no drugs - then you do get to see what it's…” — Mary Roach", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mary Roach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you get a colonoscopy, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-really-insist-they-give-you-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/if-you-get-a-colonoscopy-you-should-really-insist-they-give-you-no/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```