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I'm having a flexible sigmoidoscopy on monday and I'm terrified

Posted , 3 users are following.

d11912
d11912

My GP has referred me for this as she states she felt a 'mass' when examining me. I'm terrified to have this done, as just having the doctor examine me was so dreadful I don't know how I will cope.

I'm also so scared of what the results will be.

Any advice or reassurance would be appreciated

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • june_rose
    june_rose d11912

    Posted

    I had mine yesterday and was terrified however everyone wS so reassuring 

    after I told them how I felt , I asked for sedation and they even exchanged one of the male nurses to female as there was only one woman and the others were men ,I got the impression they have done that before 

    I was very worried before as I did not have a great experience in the clinc ,

    and a terrible one 30 yeArs ago when I had it before so I had nightmares and nearly didn't go 

    but it was so much better now staff are carefully trained to understand your fears , I was unaware he had even started with the medication given ,it did get a bit uncomfortable and I askedhim to stop which he did they gave me more sedation and did the last bit and it was over , they kept me covered with a big blanket and kept my gowm and privacy shorts on so it wasn't embarresed as when GP or clinc registrars examin you 

    do do make sure they give you the sedation and it will be done before you know it 

    good luck x

     

    • d11912
      d11912 june_rose

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply. Well done for going through with yours and i hope everything was ok with you.

      The letter I've received from the hospital states they don't like to give sedation for this procedure so I was going to try to go through it without, however I will take on board your comments and ask them when I get there about sedation.

      Many thanks for your advice.

    • june_rose
      june_rose d11912

      Posted

      Hello my letter said the same no they don't like to but they will if you need it just tell them what you have said in here 

      having said that 

      they didn't give me mine till I was on the bed ,I thought it would be given before so I would not be awear  of the room,  so I nearly said don't bother because once I was in there it didn't seem so bad

      and as I said before the staff are specify trained and know what you are fearing and sooo calm and reassuring 

      as far as discomfort goes they said  some people may feel a little but a lot don't  let us know how you get on 

       

    • d11912
      d11912 june_rose

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice. I will speak to the staff when I get there and hope i make the right decision.

      I will let you know how it goes.

      Thanks once again for responding

  • zaphod10
    zaphod10 d11912

    Posted

    I had one last August and was petrified before and nearly cancelled ! Totally unnecessary as it was completely painless. The staff were so kind and understanding and explained exactly what would happen. Both male and female were present but it was not at all embarressing, they had seen it all before. Please don't worry. Worse bit for me was the enema beforehand, but that was done discretely and easily. I was relieved that they only discovered some slight diverticular disease present, normal at my age, I was told. 

    I was given tea and biscuits afterwards while recovering in the side ward. One word of warning - plan your trip home carefully as the effect of the enema may make things a little awkward !

    • d11912
      d11912 zaphod10

      Posted

      Many thanks for your advice and reassurance. Its nice to know your experience wasn't too traumatic. I'm so glad your results were nothing too serious.

      I just can't seem to stay positive about this whole thing right now. I'm scared of the procedure and even more scared of what they might find. I think the fact that my GP has referred me on a 2 week wait has made me think the worst.

      I will try and think of the tea and biscuits!

      Kindest regards

    • zaphod10
      zaphod10 d11912

      Posted

      I was anxious about results too, but whatever they find, if anything, the sooner you know the better it is for you. I had no sedation at all, and the only thing I felt was slight bloating when they pumped a little air into me to enlarge the colon. I actually watched the monitor too which was fascinating !

      Good luck and don't worry !

    • d11912
      d11912 zaphod10

      Posted

      Thanks so much, you have made me feel a little better.

      I will be doing this with my eyes tightly closed though I have to say.

      Kind regards

    • june_rose
      june_rose d11912

      Posted

      Hi there ,don't worry most people shut there eyes, I burried my head in the pillow as well !

      but I when I relised it wasn't so bad I took a sneaky look at the moniter

      by the way I was refered urgently after GP examined me and was seen very quickly she even questioned me when my appointment was and my results are just a couple of things that are a nuscence but can be normal for my age so don't worry if it's a quick referral but I know how worrying it can be .

       

    • d11912
      d11912 june_rose

      Posted

      Thank you so much for your reply, its nice to know that some urgent referrals don't always mean terrible results.

      I'm not sure what is normal for my age, but I've not met anyone else who has been for tests like this. I'm 47 by the way.

       

    • d11912
      d11912

      Posted

      Hi all. Just to let you know that my sigmoidoscopy went well. It was painless without any pain relief or sedative.

      I was also given great news that there was nothing wrong at all 😊

      Thanks to you all for your advice and i wish you all well

      Kind regards

  • june_rose
    june_rose d11912

    Posted

    That great news good luck hope things settle 
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