Colonoscopy & Gastroscopy & EUA - work next day?

[Smiler1972]

Im having a colonoscopy and gastroscopy on Monday (fully asking for sedation) and an examination under anaesthetic on Wednesday.

Am I being ambitious I will be able to work the next days - so Tuesday and Thursday? I work from home so no driving needed. I do have a stressful job but it's desk based.

Only asking as I've been booking meetings in for the days after - nothing I can't change but I wondered how people felt after these procedures.

For the Wednesday procedure I'm hoping they will take off a large external polyp - have no idea if this will then be painful.....

is the EUA a GI tract EUA? Would be a bit odd to not just do the whole lot in one go if it is. Either way, usual advice after sedation and GA is to have an adult with you for at least 24 hours, no driving, no making important decisions/signing important documents. The bowel prep for the colonoscopy can leave you feeling pretty rough.

Either way, usual advice after sedation and GA is to have an adult with you for at least 24 hours, no driving, no making important decisions/signing important documents.

DH had a colonoscopy under sedation earlier this year, and that’s the advice he was given.
He claimed he felt fine when I picked him up after the colonoscopy, and he sounded fairly normal and coherent at first when talking, but his short term memory and concentration was all over the place until the sedation had fully worn off.

He took the next day off work, which was just as well as he hadn’t recovered enough from the sedation to have been functioning mentally well enough to have worked properly the next day.

Thank you. The EUA is an anal / proctoscopy / sigmoidoscopy.

I had colonoscopy and endoscopy with sedation early morning appointment. I was all over the place and slept/hallucinated all afternoon but fine the following day.

Thank you. I will have my sister here with me overnight on both days.

I do think I might be being a bit over ambitious reading this.

I’ve always worked the next day after a colonoscopy. Had three.

I've had both done several times but not together but never under full sedation - the reason for this, GA makes you feel awful

My OH had another GI endoscopy - took GA - was feeling not themselves for a couple of hours but started doing the usual stuff about three hours down the road

As another MN stated, the advice with GA is not important decision etc until after 24 hours

Thanks for your reply. Glad to hear you were ok the next day.

does the surgeon doing the EUA know you're having the top & tail too? It'd make far more sense to get the whole lot done under one anaesthetic (and that would be possible to organise ordinarily... you might have left it a bit late now though). Difficulty would be if you're still feeling rough on the Weds then having the procedure done that day probably wouldn't be a good idea.

I had these with the mild sedation which only lasted the duration of the probes and after an hour was fine. Do you mean a full anaesthetic? They are cautious about having someone to look after you for 24 hours so do relax afterwards and have an early night. They are short procedures and many don't opt for sedation, I only did because they looked scary lol 😆

I did mention this at my initial appointment (2 week pathway) but was told it was too difficult to arrange.

I was supposed to have the top and tail last week but had a chest infection so rescheduled to get over the cough.

I have spoken with patient coordinator and they are aware I'm in twice.

Also, I wasn't even offered a full anaesthetic from what I remember, it was mild or none. They weren't painful at all, bit sore after but that's all. Xx

Sorry my wording initial post was clumsy. I'm fully asking for sedation - not a full sedation. I'm too much of a wuss to have the tube down without.

The EUA on Weds is a full GA.

I’ve had multiple colonoscopies with sedation and I usually feel ok the following day so working Wednesday might be possible. A general anaesthetic however is completely different. I find they take a few days to recover from. You’ll be very tired and unable to concentrate for at least 24 hours possibly longer.

Whats the situation with fasting/prep for the EUA? That’s the other thing to consider- you’re not going to be in top form if you’re going to be not eating for multiple days. Do you have sick leave available? I’d take it.

I don’t want to add to your stress but it is unfathomable to me that these procedures are not being conducted under one anaesthetic, for no other reason than it would be difficult for the system to arrange it? Seriously shit patient care.

@Remaker thankfully there isn't any prep for EUA apart from nil by mouth that day. I'm assuming there will be an enema.

Moviprep tomorrow night for the Monday fun.

Yes the system seems a bit broken - I think it's because I rearranged as they would have been a week apart originally.

I can only talk to the colonoscopy - I had mine late in the afternoon, so it might be better if you’re in the morning. I was absolutely knackered afterwards and the next day. I’d barely slept because of the prep (was on the toilet most of the night…) and also hadn’t eaten. The sedation made me a bit drowsy generally and I had the most horrendous nightmares that night. I took the next day off work and was glad I had.