Colonoscopy pain

I had a colonoscopy yesterday and was expecting some mild discomfort, but in reality the procedure was horrendously painful to the point that I couldn’t help but cry out in pain. After a few minutes of agony one of the nurses offered me gas and air, but it made no difference and the pain got worse as it went on. Going around the corners was the worst. Excruciating pain. Eventually the doctor suggested a Buscopan injection to dilate the colon, but by that time they had got to the innermost point of the scope so it was too little too late. The doctor kept saying that I shouldn’t be in so much pain, and the nurse asked me to stop screaming because it might frighten those waiting for their scopes! As if I had a choice to stop!  Anyhoo, they removed one polyp but the second one they found was too big for the Sunday doctor to remove, so I’ve got to go through the whole thing again in the next four weeks and, quite frankly, I’m terrified. I was in tears when I came out and saw my husband and I still feel tearful and traumatised. Can anyone recommend a sedation which works? I’m going to try and go private in the hope that I have a broader choice of options, ideally I want to be asleep - is this possible? Does sedation stop the pain? I don’t think this sends you to sleep? Any help or advice for my next colonoscopy would be really appreciated. I’m glad I found this chat because the doctor made me feel like I was making such a fuss and I felt I had to keep apologising for being a wimp...!

  • Hi Sarah,this sounds like my experience yesterday.i had sedation.didnt make difference.soon as they started I was crying in pain.they then gave me gas and air.but couldnt do it as hands were shaking.they had to stop.they didnt get far and I got no results.i have to do cr scan now.your brave then me for going all way.they cant put u to sleep fully.thats what they told me.it was the worst thing i ever experienced 

  • Hi Mandy,

    So sorry to hear you had a similar experience, thanks for sharing. I’m going to try and go private as they might have more options on pain relief...!

     

  • I'm sorry that you had this experience. Unfortunately this procedure is more uncomfortable for some, this is especially true if you have ever had abdominal or gynae surgery. It's very rare that someone is given general anaesthesia for this procedure, unless they are a child. Usually you need to be able to follow instructions during the procedure (e.g. change positioning). Also, having worked for private companies, there's no guarantee you will get different sedative drugs than the NHS, as endoscopy units follow the sedation guidelines from the British Society of Gastroenterology, no matter whether they're private or NHS. The drugs you are given also depends on your age and clinical history. Perhaps a CT colonography would be more suitable for you as a diagnostic tool (obviously this wouldn't allow for any biopsies, polyp removal etc). 

  • Thanks for taking the time to reply! I’ve had a response from the private surgeon and he can remove the large polyp, but not until December. According to my discharge form, my remaining polyp is an SSA type and is 2.5cm, which seems quite big? The discharge form said the next scope and EMR procedure should take place in the next 4 weeks. Is there any urgency to get this removed, would a couple of months make a difference? I haven’t spoken to my NHS consultant yet, I haven’t met them (just a brief telephone call) and I’m not even sure if the person I spoke to was the consultant. Presumably they will be in contact soon to talk about my initial colonoscopy but nobody has told me if this will happen. I feel a bit in the dark hence leaning towards private because they seem to be so much more attentive...!  

  • Your SSA has likely been growing in there for quite some time, polyps are slow growing so a couple of months won't make much difference. To put some perspective on this, it can take years for an adenomatous polyp to develop into a cancer. Good luck with your EMR procedure :happy:

  • Thank you so much Fishtankerous, that’s really good to know. I’ve got a private consultation set up for Tuesday so at least I can talk it through and hopefully put my mind at rest as there is no opportunity to talk to anyone at the NHS. I hope you’re ok and get some answers soon about your own issue, best of luck with that x