Painful colonoscopy

i had the same experience, having a colonoscopy, i would call it barbaric, i was proded about as if someone was poking a fire , i was not sedated at all, they did put a needle in my hand as if i was going to be sedated but not one nuurse came near me, when the procedure was taking place there were three people trying to keep me still, then i started to say how the pain was they put a plastic mask over my face that made me feel worse!!!! i now suffer with a prolapsed bowel and dred to think that this day and age that a procedure could cause so much harm and stress:grrr:

In reply ...i had a colonoscopy with just gas and air , the stuff they give women to help giving birth, im a man lol, it was stil painful but just about bearable i actually fell asleep a couple of times , i had to have another colonoscopy at the jcuh just the first letters of each word of the hospital , the second time i had one i asked to be sedated , i was told yes thats ok but because of the sedation i would need someone with me 24 hours afterwards , i said as i live alone that isnt possible so cancel the colonoscopy, the lady doing the assesement said oh that not a problem we will arrange a bed and you can stay overnight in hospital , the day of the colonoscopy i was taken into the room , and like you had the needle but felt no different whatsoever , after ten mins i told the doc the sedation wasnt working , he ignored me, i told him again it was very painful , he told the nurse to give me some more , again nothing happened , they then gave my the gas and air , after 5 mins i asked if it was actually turned on as the pain was terrible, afterwards i was taken to the recovery room , given a cup of tea , ten mins later told to get dressed , i was then sent to a waiting room an hour later i had my blood pressure checked and told i could go home , i said but i live alone and im staying over night , the nurse said oh no the doc said your fine , you can go , goodbye , i had no wallet and live 25 miles from the hospital i had to phone a friend who came to pick me up afterwork some 3 hours later , i believe i wasnt given any sedation what so ever and i am now in the middle of an official complaint , would it be possible for you to reply with the initials of the hospital you had your done please , to make sure it isnt the one i went to , I need a couple of more invasive procedures , one is removing 2 kidney stones through err how can i put this , lets say the front (already sounds painful) but i have told the hospital this cant possibly be done till i get results of the complaint as for this procudure they have also told me i will be kept in overnight . Its terrible , the feeling of not trusting a hospital , it would be an advantage to us if we could use the hospital initials so we can see is anyone is having problems at the same hospital , thanks .

Hi to the gentleman who had a colonoscopy at JCUH.. i know just how you feel, i had one done there 16 years ago, and apart from a small pinch that i felt when they took a biopsy i remember nothing. I had another one done last week at the TVTC not far from JCUH, I have never felt anything so painful in my life (and I have had 4 kids), the sedative was either none existant or didn't work, I never had gas and air while giving birth, but i was gulping it down... still no relief!!!!!!!!! the blessing was no cancer just internal piles. I have thought of complaining, but to be honest, i am now suffering from post menopausal bleeding and pain, and it's more important to sort that out, I'm worried that the proceedure has upset something elsewhere...very worried. But I really do think the sedation methods need sorting out... I am very suseptable to anything that makes me drowsy... but I was wide awake. you have my sympathy, and i hope you get somewhere with your complaint

in reply to spennock ......i was told to contact P.A.L.S some group who act to sort out these things , all they kept was saying sorry, then they took statements from nurses who i hadnt spoke to and knew nothing about they told me they went to phone me a hospital taxi to take me home but they couldnt find me all lies, this has gone on since may , then other things started happening , or i should say not happening , appointments getting cancelled , medical records going missing when they couldnt give me treatment without them , i have now asked for a copy of the last 18months of my medical records to make sure at least i have them, dont let this put you off complaining , more people need to complain to get things sorted out. i just wish that when i had got home i had booked to see a nurse at my local surgery to have tests done to see i had been given sedation. Please ask whoever sent you for the colonoscopy to make sure they have not caused any damage and if they want you to have another colonoscopy ask them to refer you to the One Life Centre in boro, they were fantastic with me i wish i had gone back there for the second one , i hope you are feeling better soon

I'm sorry for all those people who appear to have had bad experiences themselves, but this is not the case

for me. The worst thing for me was that the consultant performing my gastroscopy and colonoscopy was

someone I knew after I worked at the hospital for 13 years - not many people would want their bum examined by someone you know! I'm not saying it was something I wanted to have done every week, but I'm sure any discomfort experienced is outweighed by the benefits of either having peace of mind with a clear result, or catching any potential problem early enough. I did have to use the gas and air during the colonoscopy, but it wasn't as bad as the colic after taking the liquids to clear the bowel during bowel prep.

I would encourage anyone about to undergo this procedure to approach it with a positive attitude - and please don't be scared - horror stories are few and far between.