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Original poster

Sedative for colonoscopy

44 replies

Tonnerre · 03/05/2021 18:08

I've got to have a colonoscopy and am not looking forward to it.

The blurb from the hospital says I'll need to choose between Entonox, or intravenous sedation and a painkiller. It sounds as if I'd be more dopey after intravenous sedation; on the other hand I don't recall that entonox was that effective during labour.

Has anyone had a colonoscopy or similar? Any thoughts on which might be better?

OP posts:

Sarahlou63 · 03/05/2021 21:20

I had a endoscopy and colonoscopy last week. Prep was...interesting (lost 2kg and have kept it off) and sedation was lovely! No point in being awake unless you really have to; I was fine after 1/2 hour of coming round.

EverythingsComingUpRoses · 03/05/2021 21:30

Picolax is hard work

I broke it down into a small glass every 15 minutes to get through it and did take it all that way but it took ages to get working and I was starting to panic it wouldn't!

I had a 9am appointment so had the picolax at night

I did end up going to the loo for the final time just before I set off but it was controllable at that point -when it first started working I'd think I'd finished, stand up and have to sit straight back down again

The procedure itself wasn't that bad and I found it quite interesting watching my insides on the screen

The paper shorts with the strategically placed hole was definitely a highlight though

Tambourina · 03/05/2021 21:32

Take the sedation.

Here's a top tip I got from MN. In the two days before you begin the prep, don't eat too much. In that way, there will be less bowel content to clear out.

Good luck

polkadotpixie · 03/05/2021 21:42

I didn't find the sedation worked tbh, I felt normal and remember everything. Apparently I have a twisted bowel and they couldn't get past the junction of my sigmoid colon. I've got to have another one under general anaesthetic 😩

PercyPiginaWig · 03/05/2021 23:00

@Tambourina

Take the sedation.

Here's a top tip I got from MN. In the two days before you begin the prep, don't eat too much. In that way, there will be less bowel content to clear out.

Good luck

You should have got that tip from the hospital not mumsnet but glad you got it somewhere!

@Tonnerre google low residue diet and eat that for a couple of days before, start the morning prep a teeny bit earlier that morning (maybe 30-60 minutes if you're worried), use vaseline or similar on your bottom and take the sedation.
Good luck.

minniemomo · 03/05/2021 23:12

My dp had one last month. No sedation or pain relief. He said it was fine, uncomfortable but nothing unmanageable. We went shopping afterwards! You only need sedation if you are super anxious

imsoinmyhead · 03/05/2021 23:20

I opted for just gas and air, lasted about 5 mins and was then shouting out for the sedation. It wasn't overly painful but I hated the sensation of it snaking through my intestine!!

The IV sedation was great, pretty much rendered me incapacitated. No real memory of what happened.

Defo go for sedation

Warmduscher · 03/05/2021 23:29

@minniemomo

My dp had one last month. No sedation or pain relief. He said it was fine, uncomfortable but nothing unmanageable. We went shopping afterwards! You only need sedation if you are super anxious

It’s not Top Trumps.

Sedation is to reduce the discomfort. It has nothing to do with being anxious.

ifIwerenotanandroid · 03/05/2021 23:31

I've done a couple of colonoscopies & had sedation both times. I think in the second one I started to feel very slight pain some time into the procedure which roused me, so they upped it & I don't remember much after that! Coming round afterwards in the recovery room was a real bore: I hated that the most. Oh, & they fill you with wind to make it easier to get the camera in, so you may experience a lot of flatulence once you're back in your own room.

I don't remember using senna, just the Picolax. But I had a schedule for food, mandated by the hospital, which gradually cut things out of my diet until I was on jellies (not red) & consomme, then not even that I think. I couldn't look at a jelly for a year afterwards.

Having read about people's experiences with the preparation, when I first took the Picolax I thought I'd be rushing to the loo the minute I downed it; but it wasn't like that at all. It took hours before anything happened, & I don't remember urgency so much as frequency once it got started. Get some nice loo paper & check with a pharmacist if there's any cream or anything they recommend using - I have a feeling there is but I can't remember, sorry. I, too, worried about the journey to the hospital & waiting in reception, but it was fine.

Good luck, & I hope you get good results from the colonoscopy.

floofycroissant · 03/05/2021 23:59

I had one recently, thought I'd get sedated but totally changed my mind once I saw how zonked all the people were who'd had one. I started to feel anxious about the sedative as I'm not a fan of needles. I watched the sedated people wait around for ages after their procedures, I was in and out (literally ) in 45 mins.

They didn't find anything at mine so that may have factored into me not feeling any pain really. At worst I felt a bit gassy and a moderate period cramp level of discomfort. Go for whatever makes you feel less stressed

MrsPsmalls · 04/05/2021 00:25

Ive had dozens of these buggers with no sedation. Twice it's been really useful as I was able to see errors in the reports that I was given before I left and which also go to gp. If I'd been sedated I don't think so would have noticed. TWICE the report said about a polyp, that the Dr had removed it when he hadn't. Simple typo / cut and paste error, but so dangerous. ' ...which I was able to remove' got substituted for 'which I was not able to remove'. So I was able to get that changed before I left. Never have sedation!

sulee · 04/05/2021 08:07

I had the same prep as you, stuck religiously to the instructions and it really wasn’t too bad. I would definitely have the sedation for the colonoscopy though.

CharlotteRose90 · 04/05/2021 18:53

I’ve had loads and now I have sedation and gas and air. I get movicol before mine and then normally an enema in the waiting room . Not nice at all. Have full sedation if you can. The people that do that job deserve so much money I couldn’t do it

ThornAmongstRoses · 08/05/2021 10:37

I had a colonoscopy about 18 months ago and I didn’t have any pain relief although I was offered it.

A poster above mentioned a ‘corner’ that has to be turned which can be uncomfortable, and yes, it wasn’t pleasant but the discomfort lasted a few seconds.

I had a wonderful team in the room with me who kept my so calm and relaxed and talked me though everything and like I said, I was able to manage without any pain relief or sedation.

As like most things, the procedure wasn’t as bad as I had envisioned it would be.

Original poster

Tonnerre · 08/05/2021 12:03

All done now. Prep wasn't too bad really - a fairly torrid hour in the bathroom and that was about it. I think I was empty after that!

But though I asked for the sedative I'm really not sure that it worked. I never at any time felt sleepy or dopey, and there were a few points when it really got very painful, though only for a short time. I'm not normally a wimp but I had to break out the labour breathing I learnt all those years ago. I don't know if they tried to top up the sedative, but if they did, again it didn't work. They suggested I try to blow out the air, as it were, but I just couldn't. So I am wondering if I have some sort of resistance to whatever it was they used.

The good news is that I don't have to have a colonoscopy again as they found nothing abnormal that end. Ulcers the other end though but that part of the examination wasn't too bad so I don't mind if it has to be repeated.

OP posts:

Recorditnow · 08/05/2021 12:27

I've had a colonoscopy and the sedation, but it really felt like the sedation didn't work, I could feel and see everything.

They found polyps but I have to do it all again as they had an equipment failure and they couldn't take them out.

Aprilinspringtimeshower · 08/05/2021 20:39

Ok, lots of folks saying managed without sedation.

However, I had sedation and it was agony. Almost one of most painful procedures I’ve had
I don’t have a low pain threshold- e.g. I’ve had 2 fractures go undiagnosed for weeks becuase I didn’t feel that much pain.

So, conclusion is that it affects people differently like a lot of procedures then

So, don’t be a hero, prepare for fact it will hurt and take all pain relief going. Better that than feel pain.

My hospital did nothing to manage my pain despite me saying it was hurting- male doctor just ignored me completely 😫

Re the prep, it is fowl to drink but you’ll manage. Didn’t make anything move for me until about 2 hours before the procedure, so you don’t necessarily need to be attached to the loo 🤣

sulee · 09/05/2021 10:26

I think it seems to be an individual experience.I didn't mind the Picolax bit but really struggled with the colonoscopy itself. I'm no wimp either, having had four babies with minimal pain relief, but despite them topping up sedation did not feel particularly drowsy. The consultant abandoned the colonoscopy towards the end as I was not coping and followed up with a colonography. Luckily nothing untoward was found.

Borntobeamum · 09/05/2021 11:51

Some people sail through without any pain relief. DH was one of those. Me on the other hand needed optimum and still felt discomfort.
I’d always have the most allowed.

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