1. Community
  2. Tests and investigations
  3. Colonoscopy

Painful Colonoscopy

Posted , 44 users are following.

Vonney63
Vonney63

I am trying to collate information on this. I had one done yesterday and I have never known pain like it. I even shouted for them to stop but all they kept giving me is gas and air and telling me to breath deeply with it. It did not help. I know this is not always the case but after reading lots of messages from people where this has happened to I am trying to get as much information together - trying to see if there is a pattern i.e same doctors, same hospitals. If anyone is willing to put there experience on here for me to be able to put together some kind of proof that this does happen I will be very grateful. I feel so traumatised by this that I want to take this further but I cannot do this without any back up info. So please, I know this is not always the norm to feel as much pain as I did but I am going to try my best to get this recognised and hopefully even if I manage to stop 1 other person going through this I will be happy.

13 likes, 200 replies

200 Replies

Prev Next
  • bencooper
    bencooper Vonney63

    Posted

    I think that some of the endoscopists (and I hope some of them read this) forget that on less drugs we patients are more aware of what's going on. When they used to give us a good dose of medication which blanked out our memory of the procedure, they could be as rough as they liked.

    So, it's time to have a big think. It isn't just the pain which is causing trauma. It is the unpleasantness of the whole procedure which people take home with them and don't forget.

  • Puppyluv
    Puppyluv Vonney63

    Posted

    My first and definitely last colonoscopy had to be aborted mid ascending colon due to severe intolerable pain and the fact the scope used was too short. I have given birth au natural and am no wimp in the pain stakes,

    but I will never have another colonoscopy I have been left traumatised

    and would rather take my chances with the 'grim reaper' than go through another colonoscopy. I have since had a CT colonagrapy, slight

    discomfort but otherwise a walk in the park.OK there is a radiation risk that could give me cancer, but I would have to be rendered unconscious to undergo another colonoscopy. Get results next Monday. x fingers for a

    good result...

    • babs49935
      babs49935 Puppyluv

      Posted

      Good luck. And know exactly how you feel. There rally must be another way for those who don' t just feel slight discomfort.  Let us know how you get on next week 
    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 Puppyluv

      Posted

      Good luck for monday and please let us know how you get on. My experience was traumatising as were all yours. I started this in the hope to get as many people I can to share their experiences hoping to get it out there in the public eye and to land on the desk of the right people. We'll just have to wait now and see how many people are willing to share because without numbers we don't stand a chance.
  • lesley53828
    lesley53828 Vonney63

    Posted

    Hi Vonney63...I have a colonoscopy every year as i seem to get a lot of polyps...The year before last like you i was in agony and screaming on the table i asked them to stop and they carried on..Although i had canula and plenty of drugs too...when i saw my surgeon over a year later i told him that ... when i have my colonoscopy and i tell someone to stop i expect them to stop not carry on. I like you was traumatised and worried about my next one..I had another one last july and they couldnt do it all as i wasnt clear enough although they got 8 polyps ..Im due for my next one july but ive told surgeon i cant deal with them anymore and that i want to be put out so i am going to be put out in july this year..my polps started as just polyps then sessile now type 2 adenomas so i feel its important to have it done but they need to do it more professionally as screaming on the table is not good i was in tears and thought i would never be able to go through it again but i did...the lady that done the colonoscopy when i was in agony said that a polyp had gone into the bowel wall and she was trying to get it thats what the pain was..well excuse me leave it and put me out to do it...this is on my mind more than it should be lets see how being put out is going to be??....rough and ready i expect.....
    • bencooper
      bencooper lesley53828

      Posted

      Lesley, just a thought, but why not write to the chief executive and copy in the clinical director of your hospital about two/three weeks prior to your next one asking for some reassurance ?

      As I say, it's just a thought but it may help to ensure that the next procedure is given 'consideration'.

      Hope it goes ok.

    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 lesley53828

      Posted

      I think it is a good idea to be put out. Regarding the polyp that had gone into the bowel wall and that is what the pain was, I had no polyps and mine was still extremely painful! I have received acknowledgement of my complaint to the hospital and it is being passed to the management of the correct dept although I'm not holding my breath that anything will come of it. This cannot go on. If I was you when it's time for you to have your next one I would make it very clear that unless they are going to put you out there is no way it is going to happen. You are right this should be a quick and maybe slightly uncomfortable experience for us all but I am reading more and more of people being in extreme pain and traumatised through this. Somehow we have to make them listen coz it seems to me they only listen to the good stories not the bad ones! Good luck on your next one and please let us know how it goes. 
  • barbara26695
    barbara26695 Vonney63

    Posted

    I would ask for an epidural  so you  feel  nothing  from the  waste  down  means you have to stay in overnight though  but  worth it  rather than feel  the pain
    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 barbara26695

      Posted

      Totally agree barbara26695, I just think that in this day and age there is no reason to feel that much pain. People who have never experienced it have no idea how it feels and how it leaves you afterwards.
    • babs49935
      babs49935 Vonney63

      Posted

      Until I came on to these forums, I Seriously believed I thought I was the only one who felt traUmatised by this procedure and that I must Either be a wimp or they had come across something really sinister.

       

    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 babs49935

      Posted

      Me too babs49935, I even apologised on my way out of the theatre room for making such a fuss as I don't normally I just grit my teeth and get on with it. For me to make that much noise I have realised that this is so wrong, no-one should ever be put through that much pain!!!!
  • Puppyluv
    Puppyluv Vonney63

    Posted

    I won't be subjected to this barbarism again. I will go and see consultant for ct results, then I shall walk out and enjoy whatever time is left to me.

    Quality over quantity time is more important to me. Ì am sure those

    endoscopists will be on the receiving end one day, maybe then, they will understand,,,,although most docs are so full of " the great I am "

    they are beyond human.

    I always remind docs I am a paying customer, not a patient.

    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 Puppyluv

      Posted

      Good for you Puppyluv, maybe one day when it happens to then they'll realise. This is happening far too often to people and something needs to be done. I am determined to do something about it.
    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 Puppyluv

      Posted

      I have just read a young girls forum who went private. She was actually in the hospital for about 5 hours, must have had a strong sedative because she woke up in recovery and then spent another 2 hours in the hospital until she was discharged. WHAT, I was only in for about 2 hours for the whole thing. I was awake throughout the whole procedure. In this two hours I had a camera down my throat as well and was discharged about 20 minutes after the ordeal. Does it mean that if you go private you are treated better. This is terrible, it just goes to show if this procedure is done correctly and the time taken so we're not just in and out in 2 hours it can be a pain free experience. I am appalled at this!
    • bencooper
      bencooper Vonney63

      Posted

      That is how they did them before they started bowel screening.

      They are doing it on the cheap now.

      Less medication, less care. MORE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL TRAUMA FOR THE PATIENTS.

    • babs49935
      babs49935 Vonney63

      Posted

      my last one was done in a private hospital but was under the NHS. The care was disgrace before and after. NEVER will I go to a private hospital again. Having said that I wonder if it would have been better had I been paying???
    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 babs49935

      Posted

      That's my point babs49935, was you in the hospital for a total of 5 hours because I certainly wasn't. Just shows the difference in care between private and NHS.
    • babs49935
      babs49935 Vonney63

      Posted

      The problem was, my appointment was 2 pm and having seen no one after the initial book in and blood pressure. I was left sitting in a hard chair till 5.30. I even went into th corridor to see if I could have some pain relief as my blood pressure was so low my head was banging. After the procedure given a biscuit and cup of tea then left again. Eventually I went into the toilets to get dressed with the Canular  still in my hand. My god I am so mad they are in for a massive complaints letter.
    • Vonney63
      Vonney63 babs49935

      Posted

      My complaint went off the very next day I was so mad. They have acknowledged it and am awaiting their reply on the matter. As I keep saying everyone who has had this experience needs to complain otherwise it'll keep happening.
Back to top
Prev Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.