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Original poster

Colonoscopy without sedation?

88 replies

PointlessUsername · 14/06/2019 17:31

Hi all,

I have a colonoscopy on the weekend and really don't want to have the sedation and would prefer just the gas & air.

I have had a Gastroscopy without & whilst not plesant wasn't the worst thing ever even though i was a nervous wreck beforehand.

My question is has anyone had a colonoscopy without sedation & could please tell me what it is like?

Thank you.

OP posts:
KnifeAngel · 14/06/2019 19:46

My first one with sedation was horrific. I don't think they gave me anything at all. I was completely traumatised. My second one was fine. The doctor was lovely and gave me the right dosage.

I had a sigmoidoscopy first and that wasn't too bad. I was very ill with Crohn's when I had my first colonoscopy so that was probably why it was so painful.

FunkyBarnYardBroom · 14/06/2019 19:46

I'd had several abdominal surgeries then a colonoscopy. Started with gas and air but had a cannula fitted whilst I was sobbing and sedated from then. Can only assume my innards were not as expected.

I'd take the sedation everytime if I had to have another

HideousOrangeDress · 14/06/2019 19:50

I had one a couple of weeks ago and opted not to have sedation. Also didn't want to feel weird and out of it. They use fentanyl.

It was very uncomfortable and I shouted out a few times, at which point they harpooned me with the sedation.

I don't remember anything after that point! I would definitely recommend sedation.

I had polyps removed but there is no pain when they do that.

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nothingtowearever · 14/06/2019 19:50

Sedation isn't dangerous or have lasting effects, it's nothing like a general anaesthetic. If it's offered it's because it's needed so take it

nothingtowearever · 14/06/2019 19:52

@PointlessUsername just read you were nervous of feeling weird, the sedation has amnesia effect so you won't remember it but you'll remember if it was painful/uncomfortable. All my patients love it tbh it's like having a few GnTs!xx

QuilliamCakespeare · 14/06/2019 19:52

I had one without sedation and it was unpleasant but bearable. I had a lot of gas and air (more than when giving birth without any other drugs!) and would probably go for sedation next time if circumstances allowed. Mine didn't as I had a baby to get back to.

itscliffmas · 14/06/2019 19:53

Personally I always have sedation.

The first one I had was extremely painful (with sedation and gas and air) and they couldn't physically get the camera any further due to the severity of inflammation in my bowel. If you suspect this might be an issue for you have everything they offer you, including the tea and biscuits afterwards.

JaneGlorianaVillanueva · 14/06/2019 19:53

I've had a colonoscopy but not without sedation. Even with sedation it was horrible, I really couldnt have managed without

thaegumathteth · 14/06/2019 19:53

I had it without sedation or gas and air. It wasn’t pleasant but it was more uncomfortable than painful - just a huge feeling of pressure mainly

LashesZ · 14/06/2019 20:03

I work in endoscopy and our consultants like for people to have sedation because they find it interrupts the procedure/has to be revoked if they cant cope without it. It can be uncomfortable when they blow the air in and sedation just takes the edge off. If you have any kind of inflammation or loopy bowel (yep that's a thing) then that makes it really quite uncomfortable. Then again i once had a patient 101 who went without Grin

clucky3 · 14/06/2019 20:06

What's making your resist sedation OP?

I've had one colonoscopy and agonised over it as I wanted to go and watch my DC in a football tournament afterward the procedure. I went with sedation in the end and I actually felt completely fine. Lay in bed at the hospital for half an hour, my mum picked me up and I spent the afternoon at the tournament. I was expecting to be woozy and feeling rough for 24 hours but I felt totally back to normal an hour afterwards.

Original poster
PointlessUsername · 14/06/2019 20:11

I have a few odd symptoms that are probably nothing to do with my bowel troubles and that the endo doesnt think is to do with the autoimmune thyroid i have Hashimotos,

I think i am scared of feeling out of it, i dont even drink alcohol as i dont like feeling not in control. Bit scared of having a reaction to the sedative too.

OP posts:
Hmmmbop · 14/06/2019 20:24

No sedation and no g&a, it was fine. I'm didn't feel it needed either. Similar to a smear but longer in terms of discomfort. Unpleasant but not painful.

EleanorLavish · 14/06/2019 20:29

I too work in endoscopy (nurse) and as you can see from the responses OP,everyone is different! There is no set standard .
Many patients think it is completely pain free, others find it uncomfortable at times, and others think its horrific.
It isn't a painful procedure for most. However, it can be uncomfortable as they go around the corners. This usually passes after a minute or so. They get the the appendix area first, then slowly come back having a good scan all around, taking any biopsies/removing polys etc on the way out. This is less painful than the way in. You won't feel biopsies etc.
If you're not keen on sedation, then try the gas and air. You will probably only need a few puffs at the tricky corners. Sometimes gas and air makes people feel queasy, just stop using it if it does that.
They are pumping air in to the bowel so they can see properly. You will need to pass air out during the procedure, that's totally normal and to be expected.
Someone up thread mentioned their friend becoming unwell during it, sweaty/clammyetc. That too is very common, from the bowel being inflated. BP drops etc. It is normal. We usually give you a cool wet cloth to the forehead and a hand hold and it passes.
Most people really do find it much less traumatising than they think it will be OP, if that helps.

OnTheEdgeOfTheNight · 14/06/2019 20:34

Colonoscopy units tend to work to strict protocols, so you will be offered whatever options that location prefers. It sounds like you have the choice of entonox (gas and air) or sedation. (Not every site offers entonox). The sedation is usually a mix of two drugs, fentanyl for pain relief and another drug to make you forget what's going on. Some units will let you have the pain relief on its own, if that's something you're interested in then ask when you arrive, when the nurse goes through the paperwork with you.

As others have said, some people find the procedure more uncomfortable than others. If you know your insides are inflamed then you can expect they'll be more tender. Ask as many questions as you need, the staff are used to people being nervous. Good luck with it.

RubaiyatOfAnyone · 14/06/2019 20:36

I am confused too by the pp saying it doesn’t take long and is like a smear.
For me both times i’ve had a colonoscopy it took a while to go all around the large intestine, and then to come back removing polyps. I’d say 30-45 mins maybe? And it would have been v.painful without g&a which thankfully did the job for me (albeit with a bit of wincing around the bends).

orangeshoebox · 14/06/2019 20:36

I had one without sedation.
I was told I could have a sedation at any times but I was ok without.
tbh, the prep was worse than the procedure itself.

Nonnymum · 14/06/2019 20:38

I had one without sedation and have to say it was quite painful. Bit like the pain from contractions. The person doing it though was a student and did it under supervision so maybe it would have been less painful with someone more experienced. If I have another though I will probably have the sedation.

Terriergrrrrrrrr · 14/06/2019 20:41

I had a colonoscopy without sedation two years ago and it was fine. The consultant told me I had an awkwardly shaped colon so it was a bit of a fiddle but once it was over I was having tea and shortbread with the nurses then straight home. I just didn't want a cannula in my hand or to be hanging around. Don't worry about it

Nonnymum · 14/06/2019 20:46

Also the guy doing my colonoscooy said my bowel was very loopy so maybe thay made it more painful

TheCatThatWalked · 14/06/2019 20:46

I wouldn't risk it. Presumably you don't yet know whether you have an underlying problem and this will make all the difference.

To all the people talking about 'pain thresholds' being different in different people, and confidently stating that theirs was fine and the procedure isn't unpleasant - try doing it when you have a lot of inflammation coupled with frozen pelvis, and see how far your high pain threshold gets you then! You don't know you're uncomplicated until it's all over.

Also, it is a waste of scarce NHS resources if it turns out to be highly unpleasant and you become distressed and the procedure has to be aborted and redone another day. You might actually find it difficult to have it redone another day if you've had an unpleasant experience.

I would take the sedation if I were you, and I say that as someone who dislikes all drugs and who has made it through a really unpleasant and highly painful colonoscopy without sedation and without aborting the procedure. In my case th pain was because of undiagnosed complex health issues that then resulted in bowel surgery. I only got through the colonoscopy because I wasn't given a choice - well-meaning staff held me down (not in the UK, wouldn't be allowed) and got on with it, and yes I was traumatised enough to have some degree of problems afterwards, though it was 'only' a colonoscopy.

SammySays · 14/06/2019 20:51

I’ve had 3 in total. My first I had a bad reaction to the medicine (heart rate went through the roof) so the following 2 were done without anything at all. No sedation or the intravenous pain killers as they couldn’t be sure what I had the reaction to the first time. They offered gas and air which was on hand but I didn’t have any. I actually don’t find them very bad (the prep is worse imo). I seem to have a pretty high pain threshold though. Good luck with everything OP.

TheCatThatWalked · 14/06/2019 20:53

And to the nurse who said some patients 'think' it's pain free and some 'think' it's horrific - no! For some patients it is pain free, and for some it is horrific - this is quite likely to be linked to the state of their innards, nothing more, nothing less.

cranstonmanor · 14/06/2019 21:03

DH had one without sedation. He very consciously relaxed all his muscles, which helped.

WombatStewForTea · 14/06/2019 21:09

Yes - fucking horrific.
Had a second one with sedation - also fucking horrific!
Apparently I just have sensitive bowels Hmm