Thanks so much - I am little nervous about the procedure itself as I have been told it is painful even with sedation but it absolutely has to be done.

Thanks again

This totally depends on the person. I've had patients chatting away to me during it with no discomfort at all, no sedation, no Entonox, nothing - Try not to listen to colonoscopy horror stories, you may be totally fine and you are in control, you are within your rights to withdraw your consent at any time (or even ask for a little break). 

I've had literally dozens of endoscopies (both ends) over the years without sedation. It is unpleasant but if you can control your breathing and can avoid physically tensing up you will probably be fine. The scopes used are far far thinner now than the first one I had over 30 years ago which literally looked like a hosepipe with a glass marble stuck in the end! 

The main reason I avoid sedation is that I like to view the screen to see what's visible. "There's a small polyp" makes more sense if you can see it in real time". Similarly, seeing a large, red, mass in my gullet prepared me for my cancer diagnosis. Being able to discuss what I'd just seen with the consultant just a few minutes later avoided several days of uncertainty. "We'll need to see the biopsy results first" - 'would you be surprised if it's cancerous?' "No, that seems probable". Similarly hearing "everything looks normal, as you can see" is the most reassuring thing you can imagine hearing!

Good luck!

Dave

Bloods being OK is good, but it's not enough to make a proper diagnosis, but fit tests can be positive for other reasons than cancer, like polyps or inflammatory bowel disease. Colon polyps are a common finding, larger ones can sometimes bleed and produce mucous.

I had my colonoscopy yesterday and they took away a 20mm polyp. The consultant doing the colonoscopy said it was a precancerous polyp but sent it for a biopsy. Would he have been able to tell if it was sinister when he took it away? The nurse we spoke to afterwards said if it was anything he would have wrote it on the form and spoke to us. Don't know if I'm over worrying??

Hi [@cazza68]‍. I'll preface my reply by saying that I am only going by my own experience working in endoscopy for a number of years and the usual process here. The process and procedures may differ at other units/hospitals. 

If your endoscopist suspected that your polyp was cancerous he should have informed you of his suspicions on the day of the procedure and would have written this on your report. You would also likely have already been referred to the MDT (multidisciplinary team) for management of your case too. Endoscopists are very well trained and can often spot cancers by appearance before biopsy results are even back.