To be so nervous for a colonoscopy

[binkyblinky]

I've got my first ever colonoscopy on Tuesday morning 😣

Tomorrow at one I start my course of moviprep at 1pm - not looking forward to that either!

I'm being sedated but I'm so nervous for the procedure.

Docs suspect crohns in my large bowel so hopefully it won't have to go 'in' too far.

If they see anything, will they tell me there and then?

Need some words of encouragement and random 'I bet you're shitting it' jokes please

The prep is the worst part OP. They’re usually liberal with the drugs and you won’t remember a thing. Good luck!

it's normal to be nervous.

the prep is worse than the procedure ime. eat only white stuff without fibre until you start the prep.

is it the consultant doing the procedure? if yes they might comment during if you are concious and up for it. mine did & it was fascinating.

you will be fine

I've not had one, but I've had a colposcopy. I just kept telling myself well if it sorts out any problems, then it's worth it. Keep up with the positive thinking and it'll be fine :-)

Is it painful with the prep? I wonder how much weight I'll lose

I have had several colonoscopies and I agree that the prep is far worse than the actual procedure. Try not to worry.

I've had one and I was pretty scared beforehand! I totally agree that the prep is the worst part.
The drink doesn't taste the best, you can't eat anything and you are literally on the toilet for most of the day.
The procedure itself isn't too long. I was awake during mine but don't really remember a huge amount about it. They will tell you what they are doing as they are doing it. They may take some samples and then it's over with.
You are then taken to a room to recover for a little while. They gave me tea and biscuits :)
My results came back in a week or 2 and that was that.
I wouldn't worry if I needed another one.
Best of luck!

in my case the prep wasn't painful, just intense and relentless.
don't go away more than a couple of metres from the loo!
I had picolax, so 'only' 2 cups of foul drink.

Binkybinky,

The prep isn't painful. It's just vile drinking it. It's like drinking a litre of salt.
I've had a good few colonoscopies. You wont feel anything with the sedation.
You might be a bit crampy afterwards though.
The doctor will speak to you after and tell you your results.

As the prep can be made with clear fluids, I would recommend you making it with white lemonade/sprite. It makes it so much easier to drink.
Good luck

DH had one recently, though for a different reason. He was given the result (in written form) before he left.

He was advised to apply vaseline or sudocreme to the anal area before starting the moviprep. That really helped. He had some cramps, but they weren't awful.

Hope it goes OK.

The worst bit is drinking the prep, because it does taste bad. And the diarrhoea that follows isn't pleasant but as far as I remember I didn't have any cramps or pain. The procedure itself, for me, was a breeze. You'll be sedated and any memories you do have will probably be short and hazy. They might tell you some of the results once you're awake.

Hi, I'm a nurse in Endoscopy. As previous poster mention, prep is often the worse bit. Try it cold, add lime cordial, hold your nose , anything to get it down!

The sedation shouldn't knock you out, but you may not remember everything after. You may also be awake and comfortable enough to watch and ask questions.
Unless you are very , very ulcerated they will want to go all the way to the end of your large bowel, as they will want to check the whole bowel to see how much is affected or not and also to take little samples if required . Hope it goes well op, most people manage it really well and are surprised at how ok it is.

Thanks so much everyone. I'm having it done privately but the consultant will be the NHS one too. So if my diagnosis is crohns, he will be looking after me if I transfer to NHS.
How long after I take the prep does it start to work?

Great idea re lemonade!

Will I be ok the next day? I have to teach an online baby sign language class 😬 at 10:00 on Wednesday!

I went to work a few hours after the procedure (no sedation). I was a bit farty but ok. no pain whatsoever.

If you go for sedation (DH recommends it!) then you shouldn't drive, operate machinery or sign a contract for 24 hours afterwards. He reports that he felt pretty dopey during this time, and the hospital asked if he would have a responsible adult with him during this time. You may well be fine with baby signing; it's not going to lead to nasty injuries if it does go wrong!

I had one, I was high as a kite and telling the doctor how much I enjoyed it!!
They told me there and then they had found a polyp and got me in for laser.

You'll be fine by the next days. You may feel a bit off for a bit after the test because of the anesthesia. I'm the US they usually use Propofol.

Prep is the worse, I did end up with a sore bottom, so if possible use washlets!

Sedation means it’s fine, you won’t remember a lot, if anything I got a brief there is no lumps etc, but had to wait for biopsy results as I have microscopic colitis, so it can only be diagnosed by biopsy

I certainly wouldn't want to worry anbody, but when I had this procedure the drugs used were useless and I found it painful. I hope you have a consultant who understands that people react in different ways, and works with you. What added insult to injury was being asked to sign a piece of paper afterwards that included a section about my experience, and it was already marked 'comfortable' for the procedure - No it wasn''t, and I hadn't been asked about that.

I had one last year - preceded by an enema rather than taking anything which was spectacularly successful but I was fortunately still at home for that bit.

Very handy thread as I am having one on thursday. Prep sounds fun!!

Another one here who survived the experience.

Strangely, I found the bowel prep stuff not at all unpleasant, though a bit sweet - and lots of it.

It took a while for the prep to have any effect, but, once it started, it went on a bit.

I was offered the choice of sedation or not and was reassured that if I opted for not, I could change my mind mid-procedure.
In the end I went for no sedation and just used gas and air if it got uncomfortable.

I am most definitely not brave, but really, it was fine.

I would not be concerned if I had to have another one, but, obvs, would rather not!

Good luck OP.

It’s actually fascinating-ask if you can see the monitor. It was like the Raquel Welch film ‘Fantastic Voyage’

@DorisDances watch out for my review!

Prep is definitely worse than the procedure! Mine took about an hour to kick in but I wouldn't say it was painful just make sure you can get to the loo! I banned the whole house from using the toilet once I started the prep. Also I followed the low residue diet and only managed about 2.5 of the 4 litres and the consultant said my bowel was very clear so I think the diet beforehand helped with this. I was also sedated and can't remember a lot of it and didn't feel any pain or discomfort at all. You will be out having tea and a biscuit in recovery before you know it. Best tea and biscuit you will ever have 😂