Actually it takes no more time to do a scope without sedation than with, unless the patient it resistant. I have had a half-dozen colonoscopies done without sedation and the discomfort is minimal (I realize that is not true for folks with more active disease or for women, whose internal plumbing is more complex.) My GI has told me abuot one in 100 patients opt for the no-sedation route and do well, and that he himself has his screening colonoscopies done without sedation. There have actually been some studies done (this may eb the article CrohnieToo is referring to) showing that most patients who experience a colonoscopy without sedation would opt to do it again and rated the discomfort as mild to moderate. I agree that the upper endoscopy is different; I'd choose sedation for that, as the gag reflex is very uncomfortable. I nkow every time I post something like this here it draws a series of "no way!" posts, but a colonoscopy on a relatively normal GI system is really not a terribly uncomfortable procedure. My last one was just before Christmas and the nurses were tossing pieces of holiday candy to me while we watched the screen and joked.