Can anyone give advice for a colonoscopy?

[user1630101]

I'm due to have one in a couple of weeks. I've read all the horror stories about the bowel prep etc. however it's the sedation and afterwards that I can't find info on. How does the sedation work? Will it stop me feeling anything or will it just make me feel a bit out of it? And how long does it take to feel normal again afterwards?

Hey OP
I've had two..... one with and one without sedation.
They put a canula in your hand and give you sedation. You are awake but you will know nothing of the procedure.
You go to recovery after then someone needs to collect you.
I felt a bit off for 24 hrs.

I get fentanyl when I have it done. It makes me not care. You'll probably sleep it off afterwards and then you'll be back to normal. The stuff you have to take isn't as big an ordeal as it seems. It's like salty, sugary, lemon flavoured water.

I had the sedation. Felt no different at all. Not woozy or sleepy and walked out afterwards. If they’d have said I hadn’t had anything I’d have believed them. That said I didn’t feel a thing either the procedure so maybe it did do something. The prep isn’t so bad. It’s like peeing from your bum. You don’t get cramps or anything. What I would advise though is don’t go overboard with the bowel prep diet they make you do. I started it earlier than they said and ended up with piles because I was so constipated

I had a colonoscopy last week...I had the sedation. In honesty, the sedation did nothing at all. I had visions of being really drowsy and not remembering anything, but that wasn't the case. I also had gas and air, which took the edge off but definitely didn't work as I'd hoped.

Ahhrg. I will have one in two weeks. The Dr said I could walk home but not drive after the intervention (if I survive 😅) . Luckily I live 15 min from the hospital.

You were awake during the procedure?!

I've had 2 in the last 2 months.

No pain relief or sedation.

I find the gas they pump into you more uncomfortable than anything. The prep wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

It's not as bad as you think, honest x

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in my 20s. I've had colonoscopies on and off for 30 yrs. The first one I wasn't offered anything and was in agony. All the ones since I've had gas and air.
I choose the gas and air so that I can leave straight away.
I'd choose sedation if you're worried. It doesn't put you to sleep but makes the whole thing easier.

They told me to go on a non residual diet 3 days before : only white bread, white pasta, Rice, eggs, cheese. No fruits/veg/herbs not even jam. Really depressing.

My sedation didn't start working till they took me to the ward - then I was off my tits. Convinced DH I was fine to wander around The Range when we left. I was not. I was, as mentioned, off my tits 😂. I think they went through my vein (she had a lot of trouble getting it in & said the fact you're so dehydrated from all the Evacuating can make it more difficult) so I absorbed it much slower.

I found the colonoscopy itself to be FAR less traumatic than a gastroscopy. It's uncomfortable & there are certain moments when it hurts but it's very fleeting.

You can choose. Gas and air so awake or a very light sedation. I heartily recommend the sedation. You lie down for an hour after then all fine. And they give you sandwiches and tea!

My mistake was doing it for ten days! Someone on here recommended doing it a bit longer so I aimed for 5 but then my appointment got rescheduled so I ended up doing ten days of it.

I had one 2 weeks ago. I had sedation rather than gas and air. You need to be awake and aware in case they need you to move about.
I had 3 polyps removed and to put it in their words it was challenging removing them. The sedation didn't help although they upped it at one point. I had to move onto my side and back and stomach throughout the procedure and tbh it was very very painful whilst they attempted to secure the polyps enough to cut them away. However once the procedure was over I felt perfectly well and relieved they found nothing sinister.

@Caerulea I had one a few weeks ago and had the sedation, it was Fentanyl and midazolam. I thought I was alright until the next day and I started to remember. I was giving the nurse the full recipe for a Scottish steak pie as he was not from the UK 😂 convinced my fiancé I was fine so nipped to retail park to pick something up and I was slurring my words to the cashier at 1pm 😳 off my tits!! The procedure was absolutely fine it was the prep that was awful I really struggled to drink the second one

I've had two full colonoscopies and a colonoscopy with MRI, which is less onerous in terms of the prep. You have to fast the day before, but if your procedure is first thing, you can have a low residue breakfast the morning of the procedure. For a full colonoscopy, my local hospital likes a 48 hour fast which is as much fun as you'd expect. My second colonoscopy was an experience I'd be happy to not repeat. It was very uncomfortable (the doctor said I had a very loopy bowel - well, I would, wouldn't I?) I had sedation, but didn't really feel much of an effect from it.

If you have sedation and whether you are completely coherent or totally off your face with it, you will need someone to take you home and be with you for 24 hours afterwards. My local hospital insists on it. You're also strongly advised not to sign legal documents or make big decisions for 24 hours. None of my colonoscopies or the bowel scope I had a few years ago found anything more troubling than a couple of polyps which were lifted painlessly out and sent to the lab to be checked.

Ask for picolax for your bowel prep, they may or may not give it to you but if they do you only have to drink a couple of glasses of it, rather than litres and litres of it. Get a straw, angle it to the back of your throat, make the prep very cold and chase it down with strong lemonade.

the sedation meant I was a bit out of it but aware for the colonoscopy, I sort of knew what was going on but then the memory sort of fades and you don’t really recall it later. The gas they pump you full of was the wirst but for me I had very painful trapped wind afterwards and threw my sandwich up straight away. You could be waiting around for a good few hours for your turn to go have yours done, when I had both of mine they had everyone turn up in the morning then I ended up hanging round till mid afternoon so take a book.

Have them regularly for IBD. Prep tastes disgusting. Nothing much you can do really to make it better. The flavour they put in to make it more palatable makes it worse in my opinion. It’s fine though- stay near the loo. On the day, get there in enough time- take a book. Remind yourself that this is what the staff do every day. They’re generally so welcoming and lovely. Take the drugs if you can! I do and they make everything fuzzy and they make you forget about it really. Actually feels nice and drunk for me 😆 Afterwards - you’ll have a sandwich and be left alone for a while to come around. Don’t drive home. You may get gassy pain for a day as they often expand the gut with air to see things better. Take it easy on the food for a day maybe after- light things are good. Eggs/ soup etc Honestly- don’t worry. The thought of them is much worse than the reality. I find them much better than the ones down the throat 😫

You don't get put to sleep for a colonoscopy

I had the sedation but I'm another one that it didn't seem to have any effect on whatsoever. Not even the slightest bit woozy, I remember the entire thing with complete clarity. It wasn't too bad though, I wouldn't say painful at all.

Had it. I would recommend with the preps you take orally before procedure to clear out bowel, lower the dilution of water and just drink tonnes of plain water so you are not tasting litres of disgusting taste. This gem was recommended on MN and I will be ever thankful. I had gas and air and a sedative I was talking bollocks all the way through I realised as nurse was asking me q and I knew I wasn’t making sense but can’t remember much at all - other than I could look at camera to see what was happening if I wanted, which was reassuring. I was off my tits but happy despite being nervous what they could find nothing but grade 3 pile which is ok! I will say though I had no idea my areshole was so hairy until the camera was erm……. Being extracted! 😂

I had fentanyl for my last one. I remember the drug going in, then coming round in the recovery room, that was it. Until later that night when I started remembering what I could see on the screens and the conversation I had with the doctor! And some moments of discomfort.

Over the last 20 years, I've had five colonoscopies.

No dramas. The prep the day before is borderline evil. Take a pile of special 'salts'/chemicals to flush the bowels. When you think you are ultra-empty, take the second one.

Over the years, the vile taste has eased a lot. The empty feeling has not changed.

Four of five times, I was out to it. The "video" was made. A couple of times a few non-malignant polyps were removed.

On occasion #4, the anaesthetist was a bit average ... I woke up semi-drowsy about 7-8 minutes from the end of the "video" and was able to see my "inner tubes" on a big screen. My mistake was saying "wow!" loud enough for the assistant surgeon and a surgical nurse to hear. They quickly stung the anaesthetist into a rear-guard action to get me 'under' again. They apologised in the recovery room in the afternoon.

It's a numb few hours until you get your legs/mobility back and the anaesthetic fog winds back. A good early night is what I'd recommend after the day.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I'm nervous because I already had an appendice cancer removed and they removed a bit of the colon afterwards. So atleast it ought to be quicker with less colon to investigate😅

I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy at the same time a few weeks back (well, the endoscopy was first immediately followed by the colonoscopy - had had visions before hand of the cameras meeting in the middle!).I opted for sedation.

I "woke up" midway through the colonoscopy and watched it in the screen. It was a little uncomfortable when they were manoeuvring around but was given gas and air and fentanyl and it was entirely manageable - actually found watching my insides on the screen fascinating.

The prep - eugh. As people say, it tasted bloody awful, although if you alternate between the prep and mouthfuls of water it's easier. And don't even attempt to move any distance from a toilet. Did feel rather proud of myself when I saw on the report afterwards that my prep has been "excellent" - might add that to my CV.

I had one with sedation. Experienced no.pain but definitely was not ok to walk about alone when came out of recovery. Had to go and stay with mom.as live alone. Friend advised me to have sedation- said not pleasant without.