Hello,

I came across this post a week ago where I had the appointment for my first colonoscopy for today and it did help me a lot to make me an idea on how could a colonoscopy be without sedation, so I though to post my experience here instead creating a new post about the same subject and also try to help to some else in the future. 

I'm 42 and I've been suffering for a few weeks a mix of loser stools and constipation and an intermitent disconfort (like gas) in my abdomen so that plus a family colon cancer history my GP referred me for a colonoscopy.

The trubble is that this week I'm on my own and didn't have anyone to pick me up and stay with me overnight also I didn't want to bother friends with this, so I decided to don't have sedation and drive in and back myself. I have to say that all went fine, better than expected I had mild disconfort sometimes (wouldn't call it pain) I think, apart the corner turns, is also because when they pump sometimes CO2 to be able to see inside increasing the preassure and that causing disconfort....anyway it was fine in this sense and they didn't find anything too worrying apart a few diverticula around the colon which it'll mean a radical change in my diet increasing the fibre in order to try to avoid getting worst, aparently it is very common disease where most of the time don't give any synthoms and people live with this all their live without knowing it.

I would have much preferred to have nothing (like is normal) but after my week waiting for this test and worried about the issues they could find I consider it good news and quite positive experience.

I think the message here is that (on my view) the colonoscopy is a really good and valuable test no only to detect cancer but to detect many other possible issues at time and be able to treat them before it's too late. It is performed by fantastic and very professional people, it is not painful (I had not sedation) of course it is a bit uncomfortable but I would do it again in future without any problems. 

Hello,

I came across this post a week ago where I had the appointment for my first colonoscopy for today and it did help me a lot to make me an idea on how could a colonoscopy be without sedation, so I though to post my experience here instead creating a new post about the same subject and also try to help to some else in the future. 

I'm 42 and I've been suffering for a few weeks a mix of loser stools and constipation and an intermitent disconfort (like gas) in my abdomen so that plus a family colon cancer history my GP referred me for a colonoscopy.

The trubble is that this week I'm on my own and didn't have anyone to pick me up and stay with me overnight also I didn't want to bother friends with this, so I decided to don't have sedation and drive in and back myself. I have to say that all went fine, better than expected I had mild disconfort sometimes (wouldn't call it pain) I think, apart the corner turns, is also because when they pump sometimes CO2 to be able to see inside increasing the preassure and that causing disconfort....anyway it was fine in this sense and they didn't find anything too worrying apart a few diverticula around the colon which it'll mean a radical change in my diet increasing the fibre in order to try to avoid getting worst, aparently it is very common disease where most of the time don't give any synthoms and people live with this all their live without knowing it.

I would have much preferred to have nothing (like is normal) but after my week waiting for this test and worried about the issues they could find I consider it good news and quite positive experience.

I think the message here is that (on my view) the colonoscopy is a really good and valuable test no only to detect cancer but to detect many other possible issues at time and be able to treat them before it's too late. It is performed by fantastic and very professional people, it is not painful (I had not sedation) of course it is a bit uncomfortable but I would do it again in future without any problems.