Colonoscopy in two days!

Thank you for your information. I'm more worried about the sedation as I've read awful things. I want to remember it and not have it wiped from my memory. Does it hurt or is it more a crampy pain?

My experience is very similar to etheremail's with my first last month. I opted for no sedation, but to have gas and air available if I felt I needed it. I too wanted to see what was going on inside! No pain at all, a little discomfort but more a weird feeling as it went round the corners and I could feel the pressure. No bloating and surprisingly little in the way of the runs when taking the clean out mix. Again, following instructions to the letter seens to be crucial. I even had a kitchen timer to time the dose of 1 litre of mix over an hour, with plenty ot water. It was all very much an anticlimax for me too, but really lovely hrlpful NHS staff taking good care of me

You may get two of these cos my phone is being silly. Bear in mind that the people most likely to write to this site are those who are worried and those who have had a nasty experience. Their stories are genuine and very distressing to read, but the ones who don't have trouble will probably not bother - except me cos I wanted to know last time about Movieprep which I hadn't had before. My experience: I am very sensitive to pain. If I have a manual exam in my rectum I find it very painful. I have now had several colonoscopies and am not conscious of any pain, cramping or otherwise except that when the tube crossed from the sigmoid to the lateral part I felt strong pressure for a few seconds. The first time I was completely awake throughout and was talking to the specialist and that was all I felt after the initial push in. Why do some people have bad experiences. There could be a number of reasons, I guess. First, it might be the bowel condition they have; second it might be the anatomy of their particular colon, because there are variations as you would expect and, third, it might be that the operator (the specialist) isn't as good as he or should be. Although it is a medical test, the use of the instrument obviously requires some dexterity. The first specialist I had who was very popular for this test (and has now retired) made this point to me. However, by and large, I suspect most people have a trouble free time save for the pressure bit that nearly every one reports, another group has more discomfort but it is bearable and a smaller group have a bad time. This is true of almost every medical procedure. Truth is, you don't know til you have it but the statistics are on your side. Can tension make it worse? Everyone is tense, but my guess if you go rigid with fear then that will make it harder. The key is in the word "rigid"! I used to be impossible at the dentist as a kid and he broke a needle injecting me and said: if you tense to that extent it becomes nearly impossible. The back passage is not meant to operate in reverse so if you relax and push out a bit as if you were having a poo it must open the entrance a bit. If you tense completely and clutch in, it must have the opposite effect. But this last thing about tension is my guess. Actually, after I have had the laxative and am in the hospital I am usually quite tired which I think helps. I know people saying you will be fine is no help at all, but most people are. As my English master said when I was frightened by a thunder storm: stop being so arrogant and thinking it's bound to strike you...

Hi, I'm glad yours went well and you didn't feel pain. I dont get the choice to have sedation or not so I'm having midazolam. They will give me the minimal and if I want more just ask they said. I'm hoping I won't need too much as I really want to watch and remember the whole procedure.

You have made me feel more relaxed thank you etheremail and I understand exactly what you mean. I will try to relax as much as possible. I will let you know how it went, thank you.

Hi, same as me. I'm quite scared. Mine is 3.30pm on Thursday. Where are you based?

Oh I'm in the uk! I'm just hoping to get it over with. Good luck!

You too, let me know how you get one.

Thank you for your response Amy. I'm happy to hear that picolax doesn't taste too bad, it's only 150ml so it shouldn't be a problem, I also hate anything with the slightest bit of strange taste! How long roughly does the procedure take? Do they give you your results straight after?x

When I went to the endoscopy unit I was seen by a nursery who took my blood pressure it was the waiting around for my name to be called that annoyed me but the actual procedure for me took 30 minutes but it's felt like 5 minutes. I was too fascinated watching the procedure on the screen. They tell you as soon as they are done unless the take biopsies then it's about 5 days for results otherwise they will give you your results there and then. I really panicked over the procedure for days. Mine was an emergency colonoscopy so I was booked in the day I saw my consultant so if they take biospies you may get results quicker through a consultant. I am the same with drinks but picolax is a bit of a citrus flavoured drink that's what it tastes like to me anyway but I did mix mine with a little juice x

Well I am feeling calmer now, thank you! I hope mine goes smoothly like yours and I hope your results were fine x

It only went smoothly because I didn't think about it whilst it was getting too I was too interested in looking at the screen. Unfortunately I couldn't be diagnosed. I have an impacted colon due to constipated so they only got 3/4s of the way round so I have a barium follow through on Thursday ***borkkkkk** I hope yours goes well and they can tell you what the diagnoses is. Just relax and breathe that's what got me through. It is uncomfortable with the air being blown into you but you can tell them to stop and they will reduce the pressure but I am sure you will be okay ☺️ Keep us updated x

I will do!

Sorry to hear they couldn't diagnose you there and then, good luck for your next procedure x

I was told by the doctor doing the work that it was co2 being used, and they sucked it out as they withdrew the camera; whats left gets absorbed rather than let out.. another dissapointment, but discomfort! I don't know if it made the process easier, but they had what they called the sat-nav screen as well; a second screen showing a 3d visualisation of the camera, so they could see where it was inside and if it was kinked, and also where to push on the outside to ease it round the corners. All done by magnets.. very clever!

Co2 is used nowadays because any left in the gut can be absorbed (the gut can absorb co2 for some reason) whereas ordinary air cannot, many years ago I had a barium procedure where they used just air and afterwards I felt like the Michelin tyre man. I swear if they'd stuck a pin in me I would have got home without a car. They also had another drug to immobilise the gut for a few seconds and stop peristalsis and the feeling that produced was like being being in a lift and going from floor 100 to the basement in 5 seconds. Nowadays they are so hi tec they can even use that camera in a capsule where they use magnets to guide it through to look at the whole digestive system. That truly is amazing because the small intestine, which, if I remember my schooldays, is vast compared with the colon, used to be very difficult to look at and although it is much more rarely the site of trouble than the colon they do sometimes need to check it.

Hope the prep is going well for you. I took my picolax at 7pm as they need me to be clear for the X-ray to get better images. Dreading the barium I heard its gross. Good luck for tomorrow you will be okay x

Yes it's finally worked I was starting to think it wasn't going to do anything. Next dose at 6.30am. Let me know how you get on. Good luck to you too X

Good luck for today

Thank you, just took my 2nd lot of prep. Very hungry and light headed so hopefully today will go quick. Will be back on later and let you know how it all went!xx

Good luck. Try and drink as much as you can until you have to stop drinking. I drank a black coffee with sugar just to get the sugars in my body open it goes well for you Xx

Thanks I will do, feeling ok at the moment just very tired and hungry. Looking forward to eating tonight!! Good luck for today, let me know how it goes xx

Aww I bet you're hungry it's almost over for you now. Barium test tastes like banana milkshake with a bit of a weird taste 10 X-rays and a ct scan later I am finally home and going to work. Stomachs a little sore and bloated but I guess that's normal now I just have to wait for the consultant to write to me which is the worst part waiting. I did hear the woman say crohns though but I couldn't be sure hope you are feeling okay xx

Happy to hear your ok and it didn't taste too bad. Yes it's the waiting that is the worst part, just want to get it over and done with now. I'm just hoping I stay awake and there's not much pain, also hoping results are good. Will be back on later 😬 xx