Painful colonoscopy

Many thanks for the quick responses. I really appreciate this. Its not everyday you find strangers that

would come to the rescue and attempt to offer advise...especially on a sunday.

Jeanlyon the doctor is arranging an appointment with a colorectal specialist and my fear is how is he going to establish what is wrong with me if he is unable to initially examine me due to the excruciating pain if anyone touches me in that area. Do you know what to expect from him?

Hel5zt you mentioned inflammation. Do you know anyone who has been through this intense pain especially after bowel movements and the pain just carrys on. Paracematol, ibrufin, creams nothing works. Where do you think this inflamation is?

Tom I understand that I am in a different situation but I am desperate. In any event once I have had the colonscopy then I reckon I may be in the same boat as you guys with further evidence for you guys to consider. Just to let you know Tom that my doctor also said that most colonscopy can be carried out without general anasthetic and are painless apart from a slight discomfort.

new guy - I'm not a Dr so cannot advise on this and it's clearly something they need to investigate. I'm sure you are very worried, I think everyone would be. However, it doesn't follow that just because it's causing a lot of pain that it is sinister or untreatable. They can use scans to look at the colon and if they are not doing that then it must be for a good reason. For the average 50+ inspection they more or less expect to see polyps which are often removed during the procedure and tested for signs of cancer. Most aren't cancer, of course. As for your doctor's comment, I have had painless colonoscopies in the past so have my family. I am the first person who I personally know who has had such extreme pain. All the other cases have been on this website and of course one is more prompted to write about an uncomfortable experience than a painless one! "Hi, I had a colonoscopy yesterday and it didn't hurt a jot...I watched it all on the monitor and it was fascination". You wouldn't write about that. So it's not surprising that such a high number of painful cases are posted here under the section 'Painful Colonoscopy'

But go for it, new guy, probability is that it's not serious, take their advice but make sure that the GP, specialist and anaesthetist fully understand your fears. Under a general anaesthetic you will not experience pain during the investigation any more than you would if they were operating on your bowel in the abdomen.

Hi New Guy,I have had occasional inflammation which I think is due to diverticula ,but about 4 years ago I had a virus that appeared to work it's way through my system and affected my bowels severely and had to have tests and treatment from docs that took a month to clear and I know at that time if someone had shown me a Colonoscope I'd have run a mile because of the painful inflammation so like Tom Peters said just because your in awful pain it doesn't mean you have something sinister going on,to put your mind at rest you need to have the procedure,the doctors are bound to have come across similar cases to yours.I have had similar symptoms to you and my colonoscopy showed polyps and diverticular --these can cause inflammation.Please let us know how you get on and I hope your health improves fast when they have sorted you out.

I have severe diverticular disease, found on the colonoscopy, although that's what my doc diagnosed anyway. The pain I suffered when it flared up was indescribeable, so it could be inflammation from that or inflammatory bowel disease - those are just 2. Go for the GA and get it over with.

Thanks for all your replies.

Its made me relax a bit knowing that I can seek advise here later. I'm sorry that some of you went through so much pain before your colonscopy as a result of your symptons and then during your colonscopy. The word 'double jeopardy' now has a new meaning in my vocalbury. I sincerely wish that all you guys will get better I really mean it because its very rare for humanity to show compassion and concern for fellow mankind.....in this day and age. i'll let you all know what happened after I had my colonscopy.

I got my biopsies results yesterday(6 weeks) and good news no cause of the anaemia was found but I have to have an abdominal scan.

I would make a formal complaint. The correct drug to provide that ensures that you can't complain is one that stops you from remembering what happened! A combination of a sedative and hyoscine should ensure that you are sufficiently sozzled not to care and not to remember anything afterwards. Neither drug should be expensive so unless you have contraindications that should be what is offered to you.

Hyoscine is a muscle relaxant in the form of Buscopan which I was given half way through my procedure but made no difference nor did the sedative.

There are two types of hyoscine. One is used topically for IBS, stomach cramps, etc., the other is used as an amnesic agent before general anaesthetic or as an adjunct to sedation or pain relieft (for example as twilight sleep for childbirth, where is it traditionally mixed with morphine). As an amnesic, it has been recognised since the 8th century and was used for GA in this country in the Middle Ages. Ask any woman who has given birth under twilight sleep what it was like and you'll get a blank stare - once hyoscine hits your brain you cannot form memory.

Hyoscine is available in the UK over the counter in pharmacies under the brand name 'Kwells' for travel sickness. Scopolamine is another name for the same thing and the yanks call it 'scop' used by the US military for sickness. It isn't available otc in France, Italy or Spain (I am a yachtsman and always keep a stock). Americans stock up in the UK. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopolamine I didn't know about the retrograde amnesia effect...or maybe I did and forgot Should I ever give birth under the influence I'll be sure to report back. Don't hold your breath.

For those about to have their first colonoscopy, you do need to know that many of us have not experienced pain during the procedure and so I'm adding my experience.

I'm a 69 year old male living in the UK and after failing two of the three home bowel screening tests for cancer which I performed over a three week period, I was offered a colonoscopy which would be carried out under the NHS at the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

My initial first visit to the hospital to arrange everything was with the colonoscopy screening practitioner nurse (no examination was required) who was extremely kind and helpful and after fully explaining everything, she gave me a date for the procedure which was only a week away. I did take up with her my concern regarding having read about people not being given a sedative and she drew my attention to the paragraph in the hospital literature where it stated I would be offered it. She also gave me three Prolax laxative sachets with accompanying literature and these were to be taken at specific times the day before the colonoscopy.

After arriving home I started to trawl the Internet Colonoscopy Forums and 'You Tube' to gain information from a patients perspective and I have to admit, after reading and viewing the horror stories about the procedure itself and also the laxative issues, I became really nervous and psyched out.

My first of the three Prolax laxatives was to be taken at 7.30 am. So I was up bright and early to have a last light meal and a black coffee which was on the allowed drink list. Not knowing what the Prolax would taste like, I decided not to smell it whilst mixing and also to use two straws for drinking which meant it would miss most of my taste buds, and using this method all three went down fine with no nauseous feeling.

Purely because I'm tea total and so have never drank, and also I drink very little during the day, I did find it quite hard having to drink 250 ml (half a pint) of liquid each hour before going to bed. I tried most of the drinks allowed on the hospital list and finely stuck with clear apple squash diluted with hot water (1 part to 5 water).

Now to the rather personal, but necessary advice. You will no doubt have read on Forums about people suffering extreme soreness and burning of the anus due to the continual liquid like bowel movements. Well my advice is to make sure you use Vaseline after every bowel movement (don't miss any) and just pat the anus dry with toilet paper rather then wipe it and by doing this I experienced no soreness or burning whatsoever. I was rather concerned that I went seven hours before the first bowel movement and it worried me that perhaps the bowel would not be clear by my appointment time, and even though still having very small liquid bowel movements right up to leaving for the hospital, in the end all was well as they told me it does happen with a few people. So don't worry if things are slow to start, but don't be far away from the toilet as you will be going a great many times with that urgent I must go now feeling.

On colonoscopy day the consultant and nurses were really nice and caring and whilst anaesthesia for the vast majority of colonoscopy procedures is not used in the UK, you should be offered sedation and this be given before they start the colonoscopy. My sedation was performed by the consultant whilst lying in the bed in the procedure room and consisted of Buscopan (20mg), Midazolam (2mg) and Pethidine (25mg).

Whilst there were some very short periods of discomfort which for me felt rather like if you put a little pressure on a bruise, these quickly went and I did not experience any pain at all. They removed two polyps from the Caesum which is the furthermost part of the bowel, one polyp from the Sigmoid and diagnosed Diverticular in the Sigmoid and as I watched all three removals on the screen, I felt no pain or discomfort at all when the polyps were removed. I now have the long two to three week wait for the result of the polyp check for cancer.

No one should have pain during the colonoscopy and in those cases where it has occurred, one has to seriously question the ability of the person performing the procedure. This statement is documented in the Lynn Faulds YouTube 'Having a Colonoscopy' where the consultant performing her colonoscopy, categorically states this at 3 minutes 50 seconds into the film.

I'm quite a forceful person and so was determined to cancel my colonoscopy whilst gowned up and in the procedure room if I was not both offered sedation and it performed before the commencement. However, I sighed with relief and so was able to relax by not having to have an argument with the consultant.

Hi, I'm glad yours went well. My husband also had a similar experience to you also at the Plymouth Hospital where I had mine. However, if you have severe diverticular disease or inflammatory bowel disease, the procedure can be and was for me excruciating and my care was very poor, both during and after the procedure. You are right, it does depend on the person performing the op. I have received a letter of apology from the surgeon. I also waited 6 weeks for the results of my biopsies, and then telephoned the consultant's secretary to be told they were all normal. Pity they couldn't have told me that earlier.

Hi ? Morrell,So glad to hear of a patient having a more pleasant experience than the majority of us.Mine was horrible and I'm still having sleepless nights over it,I didn't have some of the medication you had in fact I had most of what was allotted to me before the gastroscopy (had this procedure first) and not any before the colonoscopy which you are to supposed to have,I just had some Buscopan while the doctor(not my consultant) was trying to find the polyp he'd lost sight of,this med was only to relax the bowel as the wall had collapsed--probably due to pain.I have to have a sigmoidoscopy under sedation in the Summer to find this errant polyp.I have phoned my proper consultants secretary and informed her that I do not want this last doctor to perform the next procedure---apparently it's the scoping unit who book you with certain doctors.I have also decided that if I go ahead with it I will not sign the consent form until I have had a chance to speak with the doctor(it should be my own consultant) before the start of said procedure and I have been assured of proper pain management. I have complained to the hospital---Good Hope-- on Patient Opinion.

Hi jeanlyon and hel5zt,

I'm sorry you both experienced such appauling treatment and in your case jeanlyon and others with issues that could affect the proceedure. In my view it is the drugs that didn't work for you and the colonoscopy team should stop and reschedule an appointment to use anaesthesia. If they don't then they are in the wrong caring profession.

It's good hel5zt that your prepared to take action which I'm afraid most just will not do regarding the medical profession.

I'd like to say thank you to all who have contributed to this page, I have just returned from hospital after my second colonoscopy and I was feeling incredibly wimpy,pathetic and like I had made a big fuss. Despite having sedation pain relief and buscupan my procedure was incredibly uncomfortable and at times painful, I cried out in pain, cried and nearly broke the nurses hand I held it so tight. This is a complete contrast to my first procedure which I had in a private hospital under sedation, I was asleep through most of it and when I did wake up for a brief moment, felt nothing at all.

The whole procedure took an hour but I was able to leave very quickly after being taken to recovery - obviously I wasn't that sedated!

I'm sorry some of you have had unpleasant experiences like mine but thank you for sharing them they have made me feel less pathetic.

Ps glad I didn't read this before I went!