Just wondering what anyone's symptoms for getting a colonoscopy was and results afterwards

        With a poor family history with colon issues, one should have the first colonoscopy at age forty. If the family history is good, the first colonoscopy should be done at age fifty. Of course if disease or the posibility of a problem is likely, one should have the test at the recommendation of a consulted doctor.

I have had bowel cancer twice (2004 and 2009) hence my 5 colonoscopies and the need for one every 2 years forever!. My symptoms in 2004 were dark tarry (bloody) sloppy stools, and tiredness. In 2009 my symptoms were vomiting and loss of appetite but no diarrhoea!. I didn`t have any pain in both cases. As for the results ..they will give you the preliminary results straight after the colonoscopy pending any lab results on biopsies. Hope all goes well.

I had a virus a few weeks back, with Tonsillitis too. Within a few days I was seeing blood in urine. Doctors referred me to NHS, but I went private. Had a Cystoscopy and bladder was fine. Then the next day had a CT scan. Kidney and bladder fine. However they picked up a swelling in my bowel and was referred to Christies hospital which is a Cancer Unit. Had a Colonoscopy on Friday just gone again through private care. They found 4 polyps, 1 benign and 3 suspected benign. They cut them out and sent for testing. Believe it or not, I am a cage fighter, but have a real deep fear of hospitals and procedures. The CT scan I tried to get out of having the Iodine injected in to me. I also tried to get out of the Cystoscopy but my consultant wouldn't let me leave. In terms of the colonoscopy my fear was the sedation, the thought of that or being out to sleep makes me ill. However I did it with the encouragement from my wife. What was I worried about, the procedure was trouble free, pain free and I think I fell asleep. I woke up when it was almost done, ended up watching the screen and chatting to the doctor. I had all the signs of some form of cancer , I went through hell the last few weeks, lost a stone in weight through worry. I am glad I went through it, and will happily do it again. My fear of hospitals , procedures I feel is over. Good luck.

I am in the US.  And I worked as an RN for over 20 years, plus I have a Masters in Public Health, so I have a little knowledge on reading research.  And I also have noted that there has been NO randomized clinical trial (RCT)completed on the effectivenss of the colonoscopy for screening purposes against other processes that are more recently available here.

Long ago, there was a RCT completed that indicated that use of an annual hemocult annually, followed by a colonoscopy for positive hemocults, proved to reduce colon cancer by 75%. 

Unfortunately, the Katie Couric effect (google Katie Couric and colon cancer) has resulted in the declaration that initial colonoscopies starting at age 50 (for those with no history of colon cancer) was the "gold standard."  That declaration occured with NO. RANDOMIZED. CLINICAL. TRIAL.  According to the processes I learned in an interrnationally renowned university, the RCT is the gold standard.  And there has not been one completed on the use of the colonoscopy at this point, although there is one or more currently in process, and they will take years to finish.

Personally, I have no history of colon cancer in the family, and I do not have the other typical risk factors associated with colon cancer (high intake of red meat, inactivity, obesity, smoking, etc).  Plus, I have had a screening sigmoidoscopy (negative result) at age 50, and it was extremely painful, plus I have had two traumatic brain injuries, and history of Alzheimers in my family, my personal decision is to use the Cologuard test as a screening tool, since it has a high sensitivity rate of 92%, and a specificity rate of 88%.

Because of my neurological history, I believe the risk of having versed and/or propofol is a higher risk, and I would abhor the thought of having a colonoscopy without pain relief.  That is my decision, as it is my body, and my other risk factors push me to refuse the adverse effects that I have read about with the use of versed and/or propofol.  My Cologuards are negative, and I am comfortable with that.  Versed is not a sedative ...... it is an amnesiac, and has a small possibility of ruining my neurological status, which has recovered a lot since my last brain injury.  I can now do activities that I was unable to do for almost ten years because of my brain injury, and I do not want to risk having my neurological status destroyed by the likes of versed and/or propofol for a screening test.   That just seems too large a risk, when my risk for colon cancer is much lower. 

My personal decision came after perusing the NIH (the National Institute of Health)  study results on colon cancer and the use of the colonoscopy as well as many personal website postings from those who have had adverse effects. 

Just remember that signing a permit to accept the risk of adverse effects (in the US) related to having a colonoscopy assumes that you are aware of the risks.  My study of NIH reports provided actual statistical facts about risks ......  far more than a doctor's reference to "a small risk" of whatever.

 

Husband had one a few weeks ago. They did not let me go back with him (that was the first red flag,but he went anyway). They didn't tell us in the prep info that he would be put to sleep but he was so tired and uncomfortable from no food and no sleep for 24 hours, he signed everything they stuck in front of him. If family was allowed back with the patient, they could read it and point out anything that the patient might have had an issue with. He told them he wanted to do it without sedation but they put an IV in "just in case" he changed his mind. Well, the doctor was running behind that day and instead of going slowly and carefully, as soon as the scope was in, he just blasted air until my husband agreed to sedation. He ended up in the emergency room the next morning with a temp of 95 and severe kidney pain. They suspected sepsis or some other infection and admitted him. He refused all pain medication since he had been sedated the day before. He has had trouble remembering where he is, you can tell him to count to a particular number a specific number of times and he cannot do it (like count to 7 three times), his assistant had to conduct new hire interviews because he could not stay focused long enough to know where in the interview he was, he has erectile dysfunction (he would have erections two or three times a day even up to the night before the colonoscopy and now he has had one in almost three weeks and it was very difficult--over an hour--to produce), he has dizzy spells and stumbles often. This has turned into a nightmare for our family and when you try to talk to the doctor about it, they just claim it is coincidence and couldn't be from the colonoscopy. I wonder if someone polled colonoscopy patients at 24 hours, 3 days, 1 week, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 3 months about any problems, we would discover there are a LOT more problems. Obviously our problem will not get reported because it is up to the doctor to do the reporting!!