1. Community
  2. Operations and surgical procedures
  3. Surgery and Anaesthetics

Sigmoidoscopy-The Honest Truth

Posted , 12 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Some people say it's unbearable, others day it's painless and only a bit 'crampy' while they insert air into the colon. I had my first sigmoidoscopy today and can reveal my intepretation of the procedure.

Firstly, it is slightly uncomfortable, but not 'painful' as you might associate with a dental procedure. The doctor will adminster some air to expand the colon and initially, the feeling of stomach cramps slowly starts. It's not a stabbing or sharp pain and it doesn't take you by surprise. The discomfort starts slowly and then increases but not to an unbearable level. You get used to the feeling very quickly but to begin with, I did curl my toes up a bit as it wasn't a 'nice' feeling, but neither would it be described as horrendous. The feeling of cramps last a very short time, for no more than two seconds.

On insertion of the endoscope, I felt rather startled by the sensation of the scope pushing against the muscles of the anus. Your initial reaction is to tense your anal muscles, but you shouldn't worry because once the tip of the scope is in the colon, you don't feel any resistance at all.

I got a few biopsies taken, the biopsies taken from the colon arn't painful at all - in fact, you can't feel anything! When the doctor took samples from the rectum, I could feel this a bit more, but it wasn't painful.

The procedure was over VERY quickly and I was pleasantly surprised when the nurse said \"the doctor is now removing the scope.\"

All in all, if you are going for a sigmoidoscopy and getting anxious about it, then ofcourse you'll be anxious. There are various other people touting the procedure as 'worse than hell' and 'torturous' while other people mention how they 'begged the doctor to stop the procedure.' I wouldn't pay too much attention to these reviews as some people will always find things more painful than others and some people have conditions which make things more painful.

If you want to compare the sensation of the sigmoidoscopy to something you can relate to, then it's just like having a moderate amount of belly gas. It isn't nice and you might think 'god, this isn't nice' but your not rolling around the floor in agony or praying that the procedure will end. If the procedure went on for another hour, I wouldn't have minded.

In fact, the two MOST unpleasant things about the whole procedure are:

1. Being woken at night by the preparation laxatives you get sent home. I had to visit the toilet about eight times last night. Again, it wasn't painful, just annoying!

2. After the procedure, you'll have quite a bit of gas still there. You might want to consider taking a few wind tablets with you, if the doctor ok's it! I did, and it helped tons.

I won't wish you goodluck with your procedure because you don't need it - promise. It's fine and you'll leave with a smile on your face, glad that it wasn't as bad as you thought.

1 like, 34 replies

34 Replies

Next
  • gac
    gac

    Posted

    Everyone is different and I don't doubt the experiences of some contributors to this forum.

    I am not the best patient and, having looked at this forum beforehand, I was very anxious about the procedure being very uncomfortable or more importantly painful, particularly as one of the things that I was being investigated for was an anal fissure and my GP's brief examination was painful.

    I had resolved to be sedated but at the last minute I changed my mind and did without.

    The procedure itself was only very mildly uncomfortable.The doctor applied an anaesthetic gel before starting and I hardly felt the scope going in. I did not feel any cramps or pains of any sort and for the most part I felt hardly anything. It was all over in less than 10 minutes and I was so relieved that my fears proved unfounded.

    The nurse who accompanied me was very caring and respectful of my dignity. She asked me to post my positive experience and hopefully this will help to allay the trepidation that some other people feel.

  • sarah29734
    sarah29734

    Posted

    Thank you for easing my mind somewhat, I have read some awful things and was really worried about my procedure tomorrow.
    • erick96818
      erick96818 sarah29734

      Posted

      Hi Sarah,

      Just wondering how was your experience with the sig? Just asking because I'm due for one this coming week. Please let me know nothing but the truth , whether to worried , or il be ok. So far on line and on you tube people are describing this pain horrible .

  • van95586
    van95586 Guest

    Posted

    I was really worried about the pain which other people mentioned online , before i got my sigmoidoscopy done. Frankly speaking i didnt feel much uncomfortable. Relax and take it easy. If it were so painful, doctors would have started giving sedatives to ensure patient's comfort.

    Wish u all receive a clean colon report.

    • joe10258
      joe10258 van95586

      Posted

      That was my thinking before having a sigmoidoscopy long ago.  That if it was painful, then sedation would be given.  Then, I realized after the very painful procedure was done, that I was lied to.  Yes, I was one of those who did feel pain.

      Pain that I can't compare to anything that I had before, other than my imagination.  My imagination tells me that a small rodent with sharp little claws was pushed up there.  That little beasty then spend what felt like the next several hours scurrying around and around and around and around, until it found its way out. 

      Never again!

  • janian1950
    janian1950 Guest

    Posted

    I'm having a sigmoidoscopy in 2 weeks time at my local hospital and was getting a

    bit worried by all that I had read on the forums.  Thank you for putting my mind at ease.  I'm used to all the bloating and gas so hopefully it won't be too bad and the results are favourable.  Thank you.

  • Stacey57
    Stacey57 Guest

    Posted

    As previously mentioned on this Forum, everyone experiences pain differently.  I for one, have a low to moderate pain threshold...I need a large injection when having dental work for instance..so yes, maybe I'm a bit wimpy.  I must stress that I have had two children so I do know how to measure pain! :-)   My initial feeling when the Sigmoidoscopy started was that I would sail through the procedure, however, you cannot possibly know the lay of one's insides and unfortunately, I had a rather deep bend in my colon which the Endoscopist could not manoevre around and this part of the procedure hurt like hell!

    I think the main reason that they don't push the offer of sedation is that they want to free up space and keep the appointments moving...they don't want lots of people cluttering up the ward waiting for the sedation to wear off...oh, and also the cost of sedating everyone!  

    I would agree with a previous comment though....this Forum is a bit like Trip Advisor....if you've had a bad experience you can't wait to tell others about it, to make them aware and know what they might expect so they are not averse to asking for something to help them through it, ie sedation.

    To end, although I personally had a bad experience it has not put me off going for another examination if it's necessary...my father had to have part of his colon removed and my mother died from a burst bowel so I'd rather nip anything untoward in the bud!

  • joe10258
    joe10258 Guest

    Posted

    WRONG!!!!!

    When I went in for a sigmoidoscopy, I actually assumed that it was going to be ok, that those so-called professionals know what they are doing, and I will be fine.

    Not everyone feels pain, but I found this procedure to be totally barbaric and truly painful.  That is why it has been 15 years and I have never followed up with another wrong-way procedure.  A negative and totally disingenuous experience has made me so suspicious of the medical field.  Why should I believe them when I felt so lied to during that first torture??

    The truth is that I accept I will die of something.  Since there is NO cancer history in my family (except for that related to smoking) and I have a decent life style with no smoking ever and great diet, I will take my chances.  Don't we all??

    Maybe some people feel that being lied to is acceptable to decrease anxiety, but personally, I find such disingenuous behavior to lead to a loss of faith in whatever the medical field tells me now.

  • erick96818
    erick96818 Guest

    Posted

    God! I hope I experience the same as you ! Next week is my sigmoidoscopy, and I'm very anxious . Reading most of these post they're alarming ! However I've been experiencing pain for a while mostly after defecation . Burning , throbbing, pressure . There's days when I'll feel ok , but as I said this happens more frequent after a bowel movement !
    • Jk1952
      Jk1952 erick96818

      Posted

      Hi Eric,

      just wondering if you have had your procedure yet and how you got on. Hope it wasn't too uncomfortable for you. 

    • erick96818
      erick96818 Jk1952

      Posted

      Hello,

      Thanks, so many things went down ! I was suppose to see a surgeon first , nothing happen ! Now my procedure has been pushed again for two months ! Another waiting roller coaster anxiety! Let me ask you , do you know of people can live with chronic fissure , or thrombose hemorrhoids? Are there deadly consequences if left untreated? Thanks .

    • Jk1952
      Jk1952 erick96818

      Posted

      If anyone suspected that you were suffering from something serious your procedure would certainly not have been postponed. I'm sorry I have brought this back into your mind. No point thinking about this anymore until you need to.

      regards.

  • erick96818
    erick96818 Guest

    Posted

    Again, I'm hoping that my experience isn't bad ! I'm due next week for a sig and I'm very scared . Of course the experience alone plus if they find anything alarming. I keep telling myself soon it'll be over , and whatever I have to endure will be done ! My fear lies that I am going through symptoms , which is why I'm getting this done . I've been prolonging this for a while due to fear. But I'm tired of feeling this way! I want my life back! I hate inconveniences . I'm hoping that I won't go through hell! For a month I've been mentally preping myself , and next week is the day!
    • Jk1952
      Jk1952 erick96818

      Posted

      I've suffered from ulcerative colitis since 1975 so I've had this procedure many times. The medical staff involved in the procedure are ready for any reaction and will look after you. Most patients are straight forward. It is a little uncomfortable but certainly not unbearable and doesn't last long. 
    • erick96818
      erick96818 Jk1952

      Posted

      I'm hoping with your many experiences with this procedure I'll be lucky to go through a smooth ride ! I suffer from panic , anxiety disorder. And I know it's normal to feel scared of the unknown, but I hope that I get through this . So far all these post are very frightening! But I know deep inside of me I can't run from this ! I have to face my fear . 😁
Back to top
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.