So I am having a Colonoscopy!!
Posted , 8 users are following.
hey
so went to the hospital today to be told I am having a full Colonoscopy I have been browsing and have seen a lot of people saying it's very painful but I have a few questions if anyone can answer would be great.
1-can I take the sachet they give you to cleanse your bowel with Cordial orange juice.
2-which is better Sedation or Gas and air?
3-I was also told I would be having an Ultrasound what would that be off my stomach/liver etc.
any help would be great
0 likes, 9 replies
michael86623 michael41558
Posted
babs49935 michael41558
Posted
michael86623 babs49935
Posted
Tom_Peters michael41558
Posted
2. You are unlikely to get a choice. It all happens very quickly. Some folk have hardly any pain and need little or nothing. Others...well...you've seen!
3. US depends what they're investigating and the aeteology. A specialist physician does the US and they know their stuff. They will look around as they think fit over an above what the referral note says. US is great for seeing lumps and stones, and in a doppler-mode it is used to measure blood flows.
Good luck -- most people are fine. Remember most people don't come here to post their good experiences. They just go home and forget about it. Obviously the comments here are heavily biased to those who had bad experiences.
PaulBen michael41558
Posted
The prep is nothing really. The hospital always sends me 2 packets of Citramag laxative (magnesium carbonate and citric acid). I've never found it unpleasant to drink, but it will give you serious diarrhoea, but that's the idea.Some people are fussed about the 24 hour fasting routine that accompanies the taking of the laxative. Again it's all just minor inconvenience.
As for the colonoscopy I've never had sedation or gas although they were offered at the time. A qualified gastroenterologist always carried out the routine in my hospital. It seems the drugs they give you vary at different hosoitals.The only one I'm ever given is Buscopan which they inject into a vein on the back of your hand.The needle stays in your hand until the finish and is attached to a phial containing the drug. The Buscopan relaxes your colon and prevents it from going into spasm during the procedure. All I can say is that it works fine but it gives you a dry mouth for a while, but by the end of the procedure your salivary glands are working normally again.
And afterwards there's tea/coffee and biscuits in the recovery ward. Curiously they always seem to remove the needle from my hand after refreshments but not before.
PaWiSu PaulBen
Posted
fasihahmadcool michael41558
Posted
someboy michael41558
Posted
With regards to sedation or gas and air I went for the gas and air option and I had no major issues. Was a touch uncomfortable at times but not unbearable. Obviously different for different people. I have a fairly high pain threshold I think so went with the gas and air option mainly because I didn't want to feel groggy afterwards or have to take the day after off work etc - with the gas and air you are good to go after 10-15 minutes as it leaves your system very quickly.
I appreciate it is different for everyone but the main thing I would say is try not to worry. I know it is easy to say that when it isn't you going for it but I was really worried about mine and thankfully it turned out to be a much less traumatic experience than I was expecting.
Hope all goes well.
PaWiSu michael41558
Posted
As long as you follow the diet plan you could take their sachet in anything. I found it better just to shove it in warm water; and after following the diet properly I suffered no horrendous toilet episodes. As Michael, below, says you shouldn't use any dark liquids as these can stain the bowel and make observations difficult. I kept to plain water and my entire insides were spotlessly clean.
An advantage of opting out of sedation is that you can go home on your own as soon as the procedure is finished. With sedation you have to go to recovery for a couple of hours and then be escorted home.
I have now had cameras in every orifice, colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy up the rear, a camera down my throat to my stomach and, early this year, a camera up the penis into the bladder. I have had no sedations whatsoever, they do shove some numbing gel down you before the camera into the bladder. None of these has been particularly uncomfortable. I did gag with camera down the throat but only a couple of times. The camera up the penis held all kinds of horrors but actually did not hurt and had little after effects. the point of mention my other procedures is to point out that, like the dentist, the anticipation is much worse than the actual procedure and the rule is always to relax.