Colonoscopy

[Perr]

I've been referred by the rapid diagnostic centre for a colonoscopy due to vague bowel / abdominal symptoms.
I've got a pre-assessment appointment this week and the procedure next week.
Any tips of recommendations.
A couple of concerns.
The 45 minute drive to the hospital after taking laxatives.
I gather you can choose sedation or entonox. My concern with sedation is that I might not be with it enough to understand what they tell you afterwards.

I've had loads of colonoscopies due to Crohn's /colitis. You should do the laxative prep over the evening before so you ought to be emptied out before you have to drive. I have never been sedated for them as I like to see what they're doing. I have had entonox for a particularly uncomfortable one but only once.
I would recommend getting yourself some very nice loo roll and a tub of Sudocrem for the prep part. Follow the prep instructions as closely as you can. The scope is not the worst bit; the prep is. Usually they give you tea and toast afterwards and let you sit for a bit before discharge.

I have UC like the poster above and have had quite a few of these. I always have sedation as I find it uncomfortable (some do and some don't). But, they always give me a handout to take home with the outcome on it. If sedated you'll have to be driven home and someone will have to be with you for a few hours.

It sounds bad but I think the not eating beforehand is worse!

If you choose sedation you won't be able to drive home, you'll have to have transport.

If you are still going when it's time for you to leave you need to contact the department for advice.

Don't go too far away from a toilet!

Prep is the worst part, the stuff is vile. The actually pooing not too bad. I managed to sleep have one final poo and then an hour drive to the hospital.
Actual colonoscopy was OK, I had the sedation but I was awake and watched it in the screen. A bit uncomfortable in places. I understood everything during the procedure and afterwards.
Agree with the above a good barrier cream (i just used Vaseline), soft loo paper and I have that Wype stuff to clean my bum.

I, too, have just been on a two week pathway after a FIT test was over 200 and I've had constipation and left sided abdo pain for some months.
Tbh I was an absolute wreck through the whole two week wait. I did the bowel prep last Saturday late afternoon then early Sunday morning. The colonoscopy was mid Sunday afternoon. Before this you'll be on a low fibre diet for a few days ( I was 14 but think it's usually 3)
Bowel prep tasted yuk but manageable, I felt the effects within about 45 minutes, it lasted a few hours and I got to bed at around 11pm, up three times for BM's. Up for next lot of prep at 6am, same again until I left for hospital at around 1pm. My last BM was at around 11am. I was thrilled that I got no abdominal pain with the frequent BM's ( I'd just assumed I would so a real bonus)
My tip is make the prep really cold, I also sliced limes and had a suck before and after a mouthful of prep, oh and I drank lots of very cold water after I finished each prep.
I chose sedation with my colonoscopy but had a good chat with the consultant and explained that the thought of pain was my biggest fear and asked that he gave me less sedation but more analgesia, I think it was ketamine. He did this and I was perfectly 'with it' throughout and watched it on a screen. It wasn't great and I did feel more than discomfort but it was over fairly quickly, Immediately consultant told me I had severe diverticulitis and I actually cried with relief.
Take a dressing gown and slippers, I left my socks on in the colonoscopy room, it was quite cold.
Have someone with you, if they are able to drop off in the endoscopy unit and then collect you afterwards. I felt better sending my family home once we got there but some people's relatives stayed for the whole few hours in waiting room. As I was not sedated I left almost immediately after getting to the recovery room and after a lovely cup of tea
I'd feel more relaxed if I ever have to do it all again but for my first one it really helped to have my very elderly DM sitting next to me with her 'whispered' running commentary about everything she could see going on until I was called to get undressed by the nurse

I had one done without sedation because I didn’t have a next of kin available that you needed for the sedation and just fyi it wasn’t painful. They gave me a thing to inhale I think it might have been like gas and air type thing and it made me woozy and I felt nothing. I thought you could feel the tube all up in your guts but you don’t feel that, just small feelings of like pressure and it wasn’t at all bad. Not everyone might say same but just to give you my two cents!

Have the sedation. You are perfectly alright afterwards to be able to understand what they're saying. You do need to be driven home though.

My tip is to have Lucozade as a chaser to the bowel prep stuff. It was the only thing that made the taste bearable.

The procedure really is much better than I thought- I was truly terrified but it was OK with sedation.

Thanks for all these comments, very useful.
@electionmonthcoming Glad to hear you got good news.
I have to admit I was surprised to be referred by my GP as I'm not unwell just having some unusual changes to my normal bowel routines. I have a history of breast cancer and I've been referred on 2ww for a couple of things before that turned out fine so I'm grateful that I'm getting investigated.
DH could drop me off but would have to go home and then come back later. I wouldn't want him or anyone else waiting with me so being able to drive would be convenient but not at the cost of it being painful.

I've got the details through about the diet - 4 days of beige food. It's the polar opposite of what I normally eat and will have me constipated by day2.
Yet to get the bowel prep but I'm now worried how much warning I will get before it "works".
Also thinking back to childbirth I don't recall the entonox being much help! DH will take me so I think I'll opt for sedation.

You don't get much warning before the bowel prep works! You'll drink the first one, an hour or so will tick by, you'll just be thinking 'Oh, it's not working...' and then you will have about thirty seconds to get to the loo. After that point, you'll want loose joggers and a good book, as close to the bathroom as you can get. You should be mostly clear by the morning though. Good luck!

I had mine, bowel prep is vile, keep it cold if you can, its better and some people find using a straw if possible.

I followed the diet 100% but i ate small amounts and didnt eat the last breakfast i was allowed as i thought it would be better the less there was in my bowel.

Stay close to the toilet, dont go out.

The day of the procedure you wont have diarrhoea, but may pass just yellow stuff in a ‘normal poo motion’

I had this and a camera into my stomach too, with 11 biopsies taken
Im still waiting for my results 13 weeks later
I rang them last week and they said the results are back logged and taking about this time to be resulted
(Its a major trauma hospital in a big city)

@spiderlight my appointment is 8.30am, so I'm going to be up all night then?

Not necessarily. I took mine the night before the procedure & slept fine & had enough waning to get to the loo. I've maybe been lucky but the 2 occasions I've had it ive never needed loads of loo paper or sudocreme etc. In my experience it's worked so effectively it's pretty much liquid by the time it comes out. My friend described the sensation as like peeing out your bum which was quite accurate

Definitely take the sedation.

Just popping back to this. After talking to the pre-op nurse I am definitely having sedation. TBH the procedure itself doesn't particularly worry me it's the prep.

I have collected the bowel prep. It's Plenvu, one dose at 6pm and the second at 9pm. I am now terrified that my pelvic floor isn't strong enough and I will not be able to hold on and will be incontinent.

I had one a couple of years ago. Was sedated but awake. Was a bit uncomfortable but nothing awful. Prep was vile but I managed it. Took sips of clear squash inbetween- dh has one soon and I’m giving him all the advice. It’s def like weeing out your bum, no pain but def put sudocrem on first before you take the prep. Just sit on loo - don’t get up or you’ll just rush to sit down again. I was still going in the morning but I could hang on by then!

Reporting back in case it helps anyone else.
I took the first dose at 6pm. It was revolting but got it down ok. Felt nauseus and shivery. By the time for dose two at 9pm nothing had happened. Then all hell broke out and I was going from 9pm to 1am. Felt very thirsty despite drinking loads and downed almost a litre of water at 1am. Got a couple of hours sleep then started again. All liquid BMs.
Colonoscopy was excrutiating. I had sedation and fentanyl which they topped up after about 15 minutes. Then I was given entonox. I didn't make a fuss but they could see I was in pain. I thought I was being a wuss but the doctor said at the end it was a tough one due to twisty bowel. I didn't feel particularly sedated and watched it all.
The good news is they found nothing suspicious, though nothing to expalin symptoms.

Glad it's over and done with and that they didn't find anything suspicious, but I'm sorry it was so unpleasant.