Colonoscopy anxiety - please help!

[OhWhatAPalaver]

The thought of a colonoscopy terrifies me. I am worried about pretty much every aspect of it. I was only referred for one due to slightly raised calprotectin levels (stool sample) and they want too check for inflammation but I keep delaying it as I am so scared of it going wrong or getting an infection. I had a very scary infection after having a catheter few years ago and I have very bad health anxiety as it is. Am I being silly? I really am worried about it and its causing me lots of stress. I don't have symptoms all the time but I get bloating on and off and some cramping, constipation /loose stools. I wish there was an easier way of checking these things!

You need to get it done. They should offer you sedation and the use of gas and air so you won't be totally aware of the procedure being done.

If it's something like Chron's or UC then it needs to be diagnosed and treated.

You'll be fine Op but please get it done.

There is a live video of a colonoscopy on YouTube (around 40-50 minutes long). I think if you watch it you will find it reassuring and it gets rid of that fear of the unknown.

I am sure that they are very used to people being anxious.

I'm having one next week.

Please do it. It could save your life.

My DB had one recently and was expecting sedation but didn't have any. It didn't hurt at all and they just found inflammation due to having diarrhoea. It also only took about 20 minutes although they allow about 45 for it.

It wasn't anywhere as bad as it sounds. I was worried as he suffers depression and anxiety but the staff were great in putting him at his ease.

It's just that we're moving house overthe next few weeks and then going away at the beginning of August. It couldn't have come at a worse time. I do t know how I will cope with the prep and how Iong it will take to recover from. I've got a shed load of appointments this month already and I am already at breaking point with work and the move and everything else that I feel like it would be best to have it done next month instead.

I've had one and I also suffer from some health anxiety. You're not being silly, it's definitely not nothing. But the doctor who did mine was very kind, and although it was uncomfortable it wasn't painful. And the prep wasn't as bad as I was expecting either.
Best get it over with - you need to get yourself checked out and avoiding will only make the anxiety worse. Good luck.

Please don't delay it.
Pull up your big girl pants and get it booked.

Prep - follow the instructions they give you exactly. It tastes like crap. Drink a lot of water. Set up your bathroom with an iPad, books, extra loo roll, moist toilet tissue and cream that you'd use on a baby's bum. Use every time - before you get sore.

Procedure - you want conscious sedation. Don't let anyone talk you out of it. Gas and air top up can also help.

Afterwards - Don't book anything in for the next day. Uncomfortable gas for a few days. Nothing else.

See someone about your health anxiety. These things don't go away, and anxiety in general can make digestive issues worse.

Best of luck.

I had one a couple of weeks ago, i didnt find the prep to bad, i had an afternoon appointment which meant taking moviprep at 6pm the night before and 6am. Both lots started working after about 1.5 hours and the effects lasted about 2 hours.

I had sedation and a bit of gas and air. It was great! Just felt a bit drunk.

I felt fine afterwards especially as they didnt find anything

I'm not very good with certain medication, I react very strongly to most things, so I may just use the gas and air. Hopefully I will manage with just that! Thanks for the replies, I think the letter terrified me because it says that it can canse infection or bowel perforation and even cause death.
I know they have to say that but still...

I have had 2 failed colonoscopies which were extremely painful due to severe Diverticulitis.
My bowel is very rigid and they were unable to pass the scope.
Because of this, I had to prep again at a later date and have a CT Colonography and this unfortunately showed I had colon cancer.
I had no signs and it was only picked up when I had a routine blood test.
Having this investigation is not pleasant. But it's necessary.

Given your previous experience I can understand why you're anxious. However, as PPs have said it is an important procedure and it's best to get it done ASAP. They have to make you aware of the things that might go wrong but try to put those to the back of your mind and focus on the knowledge it will give you of your own body. I've had one and it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it might be. I suffer from anxiety so I told the nurse who booked me in on the day of the procedure - it took part of the power away from the anxiety to tell someone about it and the nurse was able to recommend conscious sedation and she talked me through everything while I was having it which really helped.

There will never be a right time and it's a quick procedure requiring minimal recovery time (that was my experience anyway). Feel the fear and do it anyway, you'll be so glad you did.

I totally understand you op. I have an endoscopy (had one 15 years ago) and my first colonoscopy next Monday. I suffer from really bad anxiety and health anxiety and am dreading everything about it. My anxiety seems to make me highly sensitive to everything. Hope it all goes well for you, like others have said, we do need to get it done and then we’ll know for sure what’s going on in there. Feel free to PM me anytime ☺️

Do they monitor pulse etc while doing it?

Yeah i think so. There was 3 nurses and the surgeon on the room. One nurse spent the whole time talking with me and holding my hand

Do they only do a ct colonography if you fail a colonoscopy? It sounds like a less painful experience!

Ct colonoscopy is less good because if they find anything you will need a proper colonoscopy to remove it anyway.

Ah I see. I'll have to get it booked then. Although I just tried and they had nothing available. Will try again in a few days. Still fairly terrified but I'll just have to get on with it I guess.

It's the company that does them in the mobile units. I don't know if they are better or worse than a hospital. Has anyone used a mobile unit?

What is it you are afraid of? That it will hurt? Be embarrassing? Find something nasty? The prep?

Everything! My mum and aunties have to have them every few years as 3 of my family have had bowel cancer (mums parents and uncle, all sadly died) so far they have all be clear and no issues but my auntie suffers when she has the procedure whereas my mum seems to cope better but still says it's unpleasant.

I'm not bothered about it being embarrassing, it's more the actual thing going up there that I'm worried about.

I didnt feel it at all, as soon as the sedation was given i felt like id had 3 bottles of wine!ol

Hi OP

It is perfectly normal to be scared of a colonoscopy. I have had a few and get anxious every time.

I always feel a bit silly for being so worried once it is over. I also feel happy and relieved I did it.

I have ulcerative colitis and need to have them quite regularly. I have had polyps removed. My Mother had a polyp removed that turned out to have a tiny little colon cancer on the tip of it. They removed it. Without the colonoscopy she would have gone on to have colon cancer. Well worth the anxiety!

They will give you sedation through an IV. I know some people go without but I would not. I just had a sigmoidoscopy without sedation though and it was fine, just a bit of discomfort.

The prep is no fun but I have not found I have to camp in the bathroom. Make sure you put Vaseline or something similar on BEFORE you get sore down there. I find having the solution very cold makes it go down easier. I drink it fast rather than sip. You will have very liquid stool and at the end is is just yellowish and clear. This means the prep has worked.

I always find the nurses very supportive and caring. They will give you a little snack and drink when you are awake enough (about 1/2 hour after the procedure).

You will be ok. It is well worth finding out what is going on. Just book it!

The bowels have no nerve endings, so you won't feel pain. It will feel uncomfortable as they use air to allow the actual camera to go up, which stretches the bowels and causes discomfort (like bloating and maybe cramping). This is why it's a good idea to take the sedation as it takes the edge off. Again, this is not painful. They usually are able to tell you there and then if they've found something, unless they take samples which need a few days to come back from the lab. The actual procedure isn't painful, but just uncomfortable and they've seen it all so don't worry about feeling embarrassed. Hopefully once you've done it you'll get a good result and won't have to think about it again! 😊 Good luck OP!

Hi trying, thanks for your reply, can I ask how your UC presented before you were diagnosed? My levels were only slightly raised and I'm wondering if my Dr was being overly cautious. Although I think I am so paranoid about something going wrong with it that I'd almost talked myself out of having one by telling myself that.