Experiences of Colonoscopy

[OhTheRoses]

Anyone had one? How was it?

prep is worse than procedure.
colonoscopy itself was fine. you can choose if you want to be sedated, but for me it was fine without.
it's quite noisy as they use and air compressor mashine.
it's weirdly fascinating to watch on screen.

The prep was the worst part.

Vasiline your bum from the off each time you go and get some tena nappies to wear to the appointment, it'll make you feel more secure pooing yourself wise even though you probably won't.

Good luck.

How wibby were you the folowing day?

I had one without a sedative (young DC at home and needed to be fit to look after them the same day) and would opt for the sedative if I did it again, especially if the camera goes round more than one 'bend'. I had just gas and air instead. It wasn't pleasant but it's survivable.

Am having the sedative. More wondering how I will feel next day. Am having it because dr suspects a damaged muscle probs in childbirth. Says there will be a pelvic exam too and am worried about being alert for that, ie, I'd like to be

I had once last month and it was fine. I took the drugs and didnt mind it at all. You need a chatty nurse though i think. The prep was ok as well. Use some sudacream. I got the tube there and never felt like pooing myself at all.

I won't lie, I found the prep horrible. I had sedation for the procedure and found it uncomfortable rather than painful. I had a bit of a funny reaction to the sedative which I didn't expect, I was very weepy next day.

Thanks all. Will the nurse witter endlessly - that usually winds me up.

Really? I needed it to take my mind off what was happening. I’m sure it was partly me talking away with the drugs!

Out of interest, Would you advise a over 70yr old to have it done?

I had the sedative and I was completely out of it. And totally fine the next day.

Can’t imagine having one without sedation - OMG! I have one every 3 years under full sedation. Usually 6 hours in hospital - can’t drive following it.
The prep is ghastly but has improved. I’ve always been totally fine to return to work etc following morning. Have never had a side effect.
If it’s recommended to have a colonoscopy at 70 I wouldn’t hesitate. It can detect early cancerous markers etc. My FIL had one at 92!

I had one last year , the prep was truly awful to drink and definitely was the worst part of the whole thing . I had mine without sedation as what they were offering makes me very sick and that then has a knock on effect with my other health condition . It was fine without sedation uncomfortable for short periods rather than painful . I had quite a lot of wind pains for a few days afterwards but it wasn’t anything major. Good luck with it .

I have had two. I had propofol rather than the opiate sedative both times. I was completely fine and able to go to work in the afternoon. As others have said, the worst is the prep. The first time they gave me an awful salty artificially sweet thing to drink lots of for the 24 hours preceding and it was horrific because it tasted so awful. The second time they had me get some tasteless powder which they said to mix with gatorade, but when I asked, they said it was ok to mix with just water and it was fine. You just need to be near a toilet while you are doing the prep.

P.s. The reason for the propofol rather than the opiate sedative is that I don't react well to opiate sedatives....

I actually found the prep ok. I mixed it with lemon and lime water and it was manageable just held my nose lol.

The procedure on the other hand I found unbearable. I had the sedation and enquiried about the dose as if I have dental sedation they need to top it up for me to be out of it. I was assured I wouldn’t even know what was going on. Anyway long story short I found it so painful that the surgeon doing it said he wasn’t prepared to continue. I managed to calm down a bit but it was still really painful. So much so that on my discharge letter it said if I ever require a colonoscopy in the future the recommendation is that I have a GA as he said it was too painful for me and was difficult for him and the nurses to watch! Lol.

My advice would be to make sure you have adequate sedation. Although my experience doesn’t seem to be the usual.

Hope it all goes well and it will be over before you know it and a distant memory with the solution for you.

I found the prep pretty awful - drinking huge amounts of that liquid, erk. And then all the pooing for hours, with little warning. Tena pads were good to give confidence !

I had a 'whiff" of general anaesthetic and never felt a thing - too easy. DH drove me home, but by the afternoon I was back to normal again.

Once you drink the prep stuff you have to stay at home. You'll be totally cleared out. The liquid is a bit yuck but that's only because of the amount rather than the taste that's its yuck.

I had the sedation, but I wasn't completely under, I felt slightly drunk and giggly. I told the nurse it hurt a bit at first so she gave me another shot of it.

Totally fine the day after, backside felt a bit sore that night.

You'll be fine, it's really not that bad at all.

I had one recently and one a few years ago.
The first one I took the prep for and following advice from a friend did a very bland diet of jelly and chicken breast for a few days before . The procedure itself was fine with gas and air .
The most recent one I had an enema on the day ward which was much easier . They went deeper in that time and I only just coped on the gas and air but that could have been because I had a gastroscopy at the same procedure and was feeling a bit battered anyway.
Both times I drove myself to hospital and back and was working the next day .
A good idea to take some sort of pad for afterwards as the gel leaks out for a while .
I won’t lie, it’s not pleasant but it’s bearable .
Ps I am 66 for the poster who was asking about a 70 year old having it .

I added Robinson’s to mine. My stomach was lovely and flat after