Sedation or not for colonoscopy

[Kdub]

Hi

Due to have a colonoscopy next week and cant decide if to have the sedation or not. Getting a lift there and back isn't an issue as it's an evening appointment.

I was told I have 3 options, 1 nothing, 2 gas and air or 3 sedation.

I'm leaning towards sedation, but I feel like the hospital are steering towards gas and air.

YABU - gas and air is fine

YANBU - go for sedation

The worst thing about colonoscopies is the prep - the last thing you want is to not be able to complete the procedure so I would definitely add to the chorus of sedation! Good luck!

That's all so helpful thank you! Hats off to you that have to do this regularly!! And to the people that can just carry on their day, wow!

It's Monday eve so I can't to get back home after and go to bed!

I had a sigmoidoscopy without any drugs because I had to be able to describe where I could feel pain. It was fine. However, I also had a gastroscopy and had been in so much pain while waiting for the appointment, I had everything they were prepared to give me.
So, IMO why suffer if you don't have to. If they offer you sedation, have it.

Another vote for sedation here - I was crying with nerves (and I’m a tough cookie) and it really helped with my anxiety.
Plus, with the prep, baste yourself with sudocreme before the first dose and repeat frequently. A nurse friend told me to do this and she saved me a lot of discomfort.

My husband recently had his first one and decided not to have sedation. He is usually not too bothered with a little pain. However he has said he would never have one without sedation again. I am sure you have made the right decision.

If you don’t need to drive home and have someone there then go for sedation I just felt a bit fuzzy and relaxed and last one I also had an endoscopy and I still felt a bit of discomfort during biopsies etc
hope it goes well, chill your prep and use a straw

100% ask for the sedation. You’re lucky it’s offered if you’re under the NHS.

I had a few procedures recently that were covered by my health insurance, under a sedation and a day case with bed in private room. My consultant told me that under the NHS he does the same procedure with no sedation, patients wait in a chair just before the procedure and leave the hospital immediately after!! I honestly wouldn’t have coped well without sedation. It was really very painful with it. Thankfully I can’t remember the whole thing, just snap shots.

Go for sedation , it's only very light and you will still be able to chat to the medical staff and comment on being able to see your own bowel on the screen.

I had one a couple of weeks ago they took a good number of biopsies .
100% sedation.
I've had one without and I could feel the cramping where they inflate and the scope moves round the bends .

The prep is the worst bit
Mix your prep according to directions , chill in fridge and drink with a straw .
Have some nice squash ( you cannot drink anything like Ribena )

Good Luck

Sedation only if they knock you out completely. Being half woozy and in pain is foul and for me they did not get the whole way round - so waste of time. Gas and air works if they warn you when its going to hurt and you suck the absolute fuck out of it.

I had one with sedation recently. It was fine, mildly uncomfortable but not painful. I slept it off that afternoon.

I wouldn’t do it without sedation though.

YANBU

Take the Sedation
I did

I’d always choose sedation although I had DD2 and DD3 with just gas and air. I’ve had colonoscopies done privately and at Addenbrooke’s (waves to @SiobhanSharpe )

I didn’t mind the colonoscopy prep, either. Just stay close to the loo and take a good puzzle book to distract you.

40 years of nhs colonoscopies at multiple hospitals and always had sedation. Sounds like he was trying to justify the £3000 cost of going private!

Sedation for everything

Plus always had a bed and solo ward to recover

the only time I had it done privately they ballsed the prep up (and I did warn them it wouldn’t work and it didn’t)

I had a general anaesthetic So I don't remember anything...

The prep wasn't awful. I asked for senna and picolax and that seems like a more pleasant route I think. You don't want to be going out or anything but it wasn't painful/uncontrollable.

everyone is different.some people feel pain more than others.

I had one without sedation (but it would have been availble anytime if needed).
it was unpleasant but not particularly painful and bearable.

Sedation is your friend

Same. It wasn't my favourite day, but I managed ok with nothing at all. It's weird and uncomfortable, but for me it was manageable. I found afterwards tougher as all the air made me sore, but it didn't last long.
I've never been sedated so I can't comment on what that would have been like. I think what I'm trying to say is if you're not sure then maybe go for sedation, but if for any reason you can't (for me anyway) it's not as bad as you might imagine.
Hope it goes well.

Even with no sedation and no gas and air the NHS still wouldn’t let me go before I’d had a drink and attempted a sandwich . He was definitely trying to justify his fee .

Gas and air only ever made me puke my guts up.

I'm a twat and would try without anything, but if I then realised I was being stupid and it needed to be rebooked and I had a lift home, sedation.

Currently drinking my Prep ready for tomorrow. I’m definitely asking for sedation!

Definitely go for the sedation! I had two home births with only a bit of gas and air for the last 30 minutes with the second, and even with sedation, I found it quite unpleasant.

I had gas and air but a cannula in incase I wanted sedation at any point. I didn’t need it but I also wanted the reassurance that I could have it. I had cramp but was fine apart from that and it was over very quickly. It’s different for different people though.