Colonoscopy tomorrow, advice

Hi everyone, I have a colonoscopy tomorrow which I've never had before. I'm super anxious about this procedure, I've read a lot of stories about how painful it can be. I'm also scared of needles but I need sedation so I have to have a cannula either way.

I was just wondering, does anyone have any positive experiences they would share with me? All I hear about is negative and I really need to calm my nerves right now. I'm a 22 year old male if that changes anything.

 

Thanks everyone!

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  • hi - i had my first colonoscopy experience on 7th December ( 35F ) and when i tell you i was in a state, thats an understatement. i was having panic attacks thinking about it.

     

    The actual procedure ( for me ) was obviously a bit embarassing, and slightly uncomfy, however i found the prep 10 times worse than the actual procedure. To be blunt, I'd go through 3 procedures before 1 night of prep personally

     

    The nurses were great, i was sedated, but awake and alert, at no point did i need to ask them to stop, or take the gas and air on offer. It absolutely was not as bad as i expected, and i hope your experience is the same

     

  • Thanks for the reassurance, hearing positive stories really does help settle my nerves a little. I can cope with a little bit of pain, I've sat through a tattoo for a couple of hours without flinching and that weren't bad to me. But I also know that people handle different types of pain differently. I'm just worried I may move or flinch in pain and damage my insides. Thanks again.

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  • Thanks for the reassurance, hearing positive stories really does help settle my nerves a little. I can cope with a little bit of pain, I've sat through a tattoo for a couple of hours without flinching and that weren't bad to me. But I also know that people handle different types of pain differently. I'm just worried I may move or flinch in pain and damage my insides. Thanks again.

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