Colonoscopy Without Sedation
Posted , 64 users are following.
I am writing this in the hope of reassuring a person that is preparing for a colonoscopy.
I am a woman in my mid thirties and have had a colonoscopy today without sedation and although offered, did not need the gas and air in the end either. The whole bowel was scoped.
I would best describe, the additional air, being put into the bowel to iron out the creases, as the scope goes round...as a discomfort type of pain that rises in intensity then lowers, that passed after about 10 seconds of beginning (I think that's how long gas and air takes to work). This discomfort/pain happened two or three times throughout.
I had two polyps removed. It was possible to watch on the 'tv' screen but I didn't opt for that.
(The NHS Endoscopist and the Nurse which I conversed with about the procedure itself and many other things throughout the procedure were fantastic).
13 likes, 113 replies
joyjotting May5
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joyjotting
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After reading all the differing accounts here and the anecdotes of three close relatives of mine who've had very different experiences, I shall be opting for the maximum sedation and pain relief.
I may have managed natural childbirth 26 years ago but.....!
mo37743 May5
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Almora1 May5
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rsteinbach90 May5
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Kupotee May5
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is that ethical ?
there are pk put there that work midazolam has no analgesic qualities and pethidine would need to be at pretty high doze to kill pain meaning an overnight stay .
token amount ?
I opted sedation free it hurt pure n simple but I was in control and memory intact .
I would never put myself through another unless absolutely necessary
even I knew I would forget the pain I went through after .
thought of simply forgetting pain creeps me out actually .
rsteinbach90 May5
Posted
I see people who tend to tolerate colonoscopies without sedation better have one or more of these traits:
- They have easily tolerated sigmoidscopies without sedation
- They are male because males tend to have straighter colons
- Tend to be more calm and less anxious
- Their curiousity tends to outweigh their fear of pain of a colonoscopy
- Their fear of sedation is great enough to forego sedation
- They tend to tolerate and function with really considerable gas pain and bloating, the stretching of the colon
- They tend to not want to give up control of their situation unless they have to
- They tend to trust their operator and clinic
- They have other very strong motivations to do it without sedation
- They tend not to have known diseases that affect the colon
- They tend to have had tolerated other painful medical procedures without lingering mental anguish, with the possible exception of childbirth. To be fair, literature indicates that childbirth seems to be a physiologically "unique" situation in terms of pain tolerance, meaning that the experience would be a poor predictor of pain tolerance in any other medical procedure.
Do you agree or disagree?
camille27872 rsteinbach90
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mar26150 camille27872
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rsteinbach90 mar26150
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mar26150 rsteinbach90
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It is not for 3 weeks yet but will let you know how it goes.
raffie mar26150
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Hope everything goes fine for you.
Like everyone says this test is tollerated differently by everyone.
One thing I think the healthcare industry can and should do is replace the adult scope with the smaller diameter, extraflexible pediatric colonoscope for all procedures.
I believe that scope combined with an expert endoscopist operating it would make the patient experience much better.
Patient should always have the choice of sedation or not.
I believe with the scenerio I described above, a patient might be able to get thru the test with just light pain mitigation.
If I am a patient that doesn't want sedation & the facility is insistant about it, I walk away & find someone who will work with me.
Nobody should have sedation forced upon them.
Best regards,
Raffie.
mar26150 raffie
Posted
I had three polyps removed and a biopsy from the colon. A biospy taken from a (lump?) in duodenum and I have a large polyp in the duodenum, too big for him to remove, so I am to have a CT to assess it and then it will be surgery to remove both.
I hope this helps anyone who is worried, if you have a low pain threshold go for the sedation. Most of all be calm relaxed and have trust in the operator. We had quite a laugh, he said I am so funny. If you don't laugh you cry.
mar
darlene70977 camille27872
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marky05 May5
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