Colonoscopy

[Jocasta2018]

I had an incomplete colonoscopy at the weekend.
I do all the bowel prep. Bizarrely the stomach cramps & diarrhoea from the Picolax aren't as bad as those I've been experiencing over the past 5 months so sail through that part.
Go in for the procedure. Opt for conscious sedation rather than gas & air (makes me throw up).
Endoscope goes in & it's not working properly, the camera keeps going off, they're having problems filling me with air. Eventually the consultant demands a new endoscope.
Start again.
I'm told they're still having problems moving through my bowel. My signs are showing distress.
Consultant decides to stop - it's only going to be possible under GA or propofol.
The extent of the exam is distal transverse colon. The report says it was a difficult procedure. Limitations say patient poorly tolerated it. Other complications mention the failed initial endoscope.
I'm being referred back to the original consultant.
I just feel like an idiot. Everywhere I've read that the bowel prep is the awful part, that the colonoscopy is a standard procedure, uncomfortable but bearable. So why the f**k couldn't it be done on me?

You'd be amazed at how tortuous some people's large intestines are!

The endoscopes are only so flexible.

They'll possibly send you for a CT 'virtual' colonoscopy where the radiographers inflate your large intestine with gas in order to image it. Considerably easier to achieve than wiggling an endoscope around to the caecum.

Bless you. My dh has had several so I can (vicariously) tell you they're bloody awful things and I wish there was an alternative. Apparently in the US, it's pretty standard to do it under a GA, so please don't feel bad the consultant felt you struggled with your procedure.