So glad to hear it went well for you; everyone does have a different experience - some better than others. I hope all turns out well for you. I was given the all clear on gastroentestinal cancer a week after my colonoscopy and just felt huge relief. I'm not out of the woods yet but can deal with whatever comes. As there is a history of bowel cancer in my family, it was uppermost in my mind. I'd have another colonoscopy if needed but I would ask for increased sedation and it is now also recorded in my hopsital notes.
I hope when you get the results of yours all will be well.
As Scotsgirl said everyone's experience of this seems to be different. For myself the sedation was fine and although I was offered gas and air if necessary I didn't feel the need for it at all.
To be honest I think I was a bit more "out of it" than I thought I was. I would have said I remembered it all but, looking back, I was told it took about half an hour and I would have said nearer ten minutes!
Anyway the really important thing is the outcome and I truly hope your's is nothing to worry about.
I'm 25 and have just had a colonoscopy, I was reading the previous replies on here before going in, it made me very anxious and was expecting the worst (I understand everyone is different). I wasn't offered a full sedation just the one you have awake, or gas and air, the nurse told me that none of them make it pain free and both do the same thing so I just chose the gas and air as it was less invasive and meant I could leave quicker when done. The camera was thicker than I expected so I before he started I was puffing away! No pain at all for me and no painkillers, just felt like trapped wind or a little baby kicks inside. I was watching it on the screen so that was fascinating, also had a few subtle laughs at the nurse while puffing if you are panicking like I was don't, give it a chance it may not hurt at all like mine and if it does just let them know! Good luck ️
Hi Scotsgirl. I am glad that all went well for you. My first colonoscopy was also a breeze, second one not as great.Third the same, Fourth one, apparently I have scarring due to surgery etc and it is making it more diificult for the tube to pass round. Hence sever pain. I would say that in general with no complications that it should be ok. I was quite proud of myself after the firt two. Hmm, The problem with all this is that evryone assumes you must be delicate, or a bit of a whimp. This is certainly not the case.
I am having my first ever Colonoscopy today and I am still nervous, I've had about 4 hours sleep, the bowel prep was gruelling as I had to drink two litres of the stuff in one evening as my appointment is at 10am. I was not suprisingly sick twice with it but it wasn't much and I got it all down!
Wish me luck for today, I am not looking forward to it.
Of course you're not looking forward to it. That's perfectly normal! The preparation is no fun either but is essential I'm afraid is necessary to get the best results from the examination so has to be done. I know you will have read through everyone's experiences and you will have seen how wildly they seem to vary but one thing that I think you can be sure of is the caring and sympathetic attention you will get from the staff. They will get you through it! And one last piece of advice. Take the sedatives offered (no shame in doing that, I did!) and have someone there to bring you home. Best of luck and please let us know how it goes.
Hello everyone, this is my first post. I don't wish to put anyone off having a colonoscopy as, at the end of the day, it could very well save your life and not everyone will experience what I have.
My experience:
I have had five colonoscopies done over the course of a few years, with each one more painful than the one before, despite painkillers and sedation. The prep ranged from Picolax (not unpleasant) and vile stuff I had to drink over a period of 2 hours, twice a day. The pain duriing each was excruciating and something I wouldn't wish on anyone.
After my first one I ended up with a small puncture in my bowel, which was soon taken care of.The next three were clear, no problem except for the excruciating pain. At my last one, again very painful, they discovered a large polyp at the top of my bowel, which they thought at first might be an early cancer and which unfortunately they couldn't remove via the scope. They will 'keep an eye on it' which will mean more colonoscopies in the future.
I will never have another one without anaesthesia. I don't consider myself a wimp in any way (I have had both my legs removed below the knee in the last two years, carried out under spinal anaesthetic, fully awake). My sister had an extremely painful procedure where they had to stop, it was so bad. They then rescheduled her for a colonography.and I'm wondering if this is freely available? No pain involved!
As many here have pointed out, we are all different. I wish only the best of luck to anyone facing this and hope for a painfree experience for you..To those who have had minimal to no pain, I'm very happy for you.
Just had my colonoscopy today. The preparation is a bit of a drag with the laxative and fasting, but no huge deal and something we just have to do I suppose. I must admit that the actual examination was more uncomfortable than I had thought it would be. I was given a choice and went for gas and air to control the pain, but this was not strong enough for me - it was too uncomfortable. I think I was a slightly difficult case for them. Then they gave me sedative intravenously which really did the trick. From then on it was ok, I was still aware but it was much easier. I'm totally fine now, just a few hours after. My advice would be to go for the sedative which made a big difference to me.
All in all it wasn't too bad, and of course it is very much worth while. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
I empathise with you. My procedure too had to be abandoned. They got so far and said that part of the bowel looked healthy and they managed to get a biopsy but I too was very disappointed.
