Any had experienced with a colonoscopy? Having second thoughts about mine

[sharonau]

I have a colonoscopy booked in for Wednesday due to some rectal bleeding, my bloods tests and FIT test were all normal which is reassuring.

I am just reading the preparation booklet and I am abit worried about the risks stated.
The main ones are infection, hole in bowel, heart attack or stroke and of course death.

Has anyone had a bad a bad experience with a colonoscopy?
I am having second thoughts after reading the leaflet, I have young children and can't imagine the thought of something happening to me.

I've had one.

No negative effects.

I’ve also had one and no negative effects.

Thanks, that is reassuring.
Is it worth having the sedation?

I’ve had one and was petrified but it was fine - no side effects at all.

I was fully conscious for mine and could see everything they were doing and that nothing was nicked during it. Actually quite interesting and least impactful of any investigations I’ve had.

I’ve had 1. The prep was pretty awful but the procedure was fine.
The adverse events you’ve listed must be incredibly rare. Especially in a younger person.

I’ve had a colonoscopy, and the worst thing was the very boring bland diet I had to follow in the days before the procedure, to clear my colon!

I think they just have to tell you every possible thing that might go wrong, but these are actually rare.

Do have the colonoscopy if your doctor has recommended it. It will provide important information that would be hard to get by other means. Best of luck, and I hope the results are satisfactory.

Please have the colonoscopy. My mum “passed” her FIT test but still had bowel cancer.

Yes, and unlike most folk on Mumsnet,no sedation because they needed me to move around.. the prep, given just before,was fierce.The worst thing was the consultant looking down at me, and saying I looked familiar (I actually worked on the stroke ward). Personally, I have not heard of anyone having a stroke or heart attack from having one. I don't know anyone who has had a bowel perforation or infection, although it very rarely happens. Better than the alternative,my late DM , never had one,her GP wasn't bothered about her symptoms,in spite of her aunt and her brother dying of bowel cancer...he was only 35. She ended up having major surgery,too late.

I’ve personally not had one, but my DH has had 3 now, the prep liquid that you take beforehand isn’t pleasant and you need to be as empty as possible so that they can get as clear as possible look into your bowel. He had sedation which meant he couldn’t drive himself and I had to pick him up from the screening department. At our hospital you get told straightaway what they’ve done, in my DH’s case, they’ve diagnosed him with colitis which means his bowels were inflamed, he wouldn’t have been able to do it without sedation, but he was in considerable stomach pain before, so he did need the colonoscopy for a diagnosis and treatment. He also has had heart surgery so wasn’t able to be given gas and air. It’s all over quite quick, I had just got home 25 minutes when I got a call to collect him.

I’ve had one three times. No side effects and I’d recommend you have the sedation especially as you seem nervous. The prep is much much worse than the procedure however.

As for the risk of heart attack, stroke and death by having the procedure, if you don’t have it you risk cancer, painful radiation treatment, removal of your colon and having to wear a stoma, and a slow painful death. So your choice really.

If you allowed side effects to put you off you'd never take any meds or have any procedures.

If its recommended then you need to have it. Its not that honestly. The thought of it and the prep are worse than the procedure

Definitely take sedation

Forgot to add, I had biopsies taken at the same time.

The prep isn't nice, you'll probably be on the loo most of the day and feel wiped out.
But if you have sedation the actual colonoscopy should be OK. The feeling of relief is massive too. Even if they find something it's better to find it now and deal with it than it goes under the radar.

Hi OP. I've had four & whilst I wouldn't describe it as fun, they aren't too bad really.
Accept that you're going to be totally emptying your digestive system for a day or two in advance, and that like childbirth there's not a lot of dignity attached to it or to the colonoscopy itself, and you're half way there. You need to be empty so they get a proper view of whatever they're looking for (I had a small tumour, and a stubborn piece of sweetcorn!)
All the staff I've met (NHS & private) have been lovely, both professionally & caring.
After having one without sedation I decided to have subsequent ones with, not because it was painful (inevitably it was a bit uncomfortable) but just because it's a nice opportunity to be fully relaxed & let others work without my interfering anxiety!

Yes I’ve had one, no sedation. Honestly the prep was the worst for me over the actual procedure

I have had two - I had sedation for the first one, and whilst it was not a comfortable experience, it was OK. When I had the second one, I was anaesthetised, at my consultant’s recommendation.

I didn’t have any of the problems you mentioned, @sharonau - and as a former Theatre nurse, I can, I hope, reassure you by saying that the doctors have to tell you the risks of any procedure, but colonoscopy is a very common procedure, and risks your doctor outlined are extremely small.

Afterwards you might feel bloated and uncomfortable, but that does pass off quickly - at the risk of sounding crude, a couple of big farts will make you feel much better.

I've had 2 and they were an absolute breeze.

The night before not so much

I had one , with biopsies and no sedation . It was fine , discomfort rather than pain . The prep was the worse bit .

Am I alone in not finding the prep that bad? The worst bit was not knowing when it was safe to trust a fart again!

I have had load’s because I have ulcerative colitis.

Honestly you will be fine! The preparation is the worst bit.

Make sure you go for the sedation, it’s great stuff 😊.

x

Had one, like others said, the prep was the first bir. Definitely recommend sedation

I'm a retired nurse who not only worked in an endoscopy unit but I've also had two colonoscopies, one with sedation and one with gas and air. I have never seen anyone have complications, and suspect they are very rare events, but these days patients have to be made aware of possible complications no matter how unusual.
My last colonoscopy, quite recently, was honestly an enjoyable experience. I'm now a full time carer for my husband so rarely get a bit of pampering. The nurse looking after me at the top end was an ex colleague who gave me VIP treatment. I was able to watch the procedure on the screen and the doctor gave me a running commentary. Best of all I was served up tea and toast afterwards!

@Weedropofred yes, I have to say the tea, toast and jam was top tier. And the little biccies.

My dad had one and it's how they found out he had bowel cancer. Thankfully caught early and very treatable.

You say you have young children so I therefore don't understand why you wouldn't have one! Surely if there's health concerns that warrant having one, you wouldn't want these not investigated! here's risks of all procedures, but you're probably more at risk of something happening to you on the drive to the hospital.

My Dh has one every year due to having had colon cancer, he has never had any side effects. I have had 2 without side effects.