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I woke up during my colonoscopy yesterday.....

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/16/2010 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
...........and I lost it.  Before the colonoscopy AND endoscopy, I told my GI I had somewhat come to in the past and to be sure and dose me up good.  Well, I awoke during the procedure and it was not like it was blurry or anything like that.  I knew what was going on and I tried to remove the device from my rear and I screamed pretty loudly over the course of a 30 second period.  That's the last thing I remember.  They apparently dosed me hard after that because I was home at 9:30am and slept till 4pm, then went to bed at 9pm and slept till 7am. 

This is not to discourage anyone from doing this procedure.  I would do it all over again even if I knew I was going to wake up during it. 

Has anyone else ever experienced this?

Posted 3/16/2010 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
Yes i've had maybe 10 to 12 colonoscopies in the last 15 years and it was one of the first ones,i wasn't given enough to put me out and i remember thinking get that ANACONDA out of me[little joke-no BIG JOKE].Actually i was awake for a couple of seconds and they put me back out.I had another one where they overdosed me and i was throwing up nothing for hours-bad experience
Posted 3/16/2010 6:09 PM (GMT 0)
I was up for a flex sig once by choice. But I have never come to when they put me out. Closest was after the procedure, I woke up needing to poop and the nurse would not help me to the bathroom (darn IV bag) and told me it was just gas and to let it out...YEAH RIGHT.
Posted 3/16/2010 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
I request to be awake, although lightly drugged, during my c-scopes. I want to see the monitor.

I've never had an endoscopy, however.

What meds were you given for the procedures?

It's unfortunate you had a bad experience....were you in a lot of pain when you were screaming? or was it just the fear of the whole process?

When do you go back for your results?

quincy
Posted 3/16/2010 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
I was awake during my last colonoscopy. I took long, slow breaths and tried to relax as much as possible during the procedure. It was painful. I'm not sure why my GI didn't put me under. He didn't even give me anything for the pain. But I suppose it's much better to be awake than to wake up in the middle of it, disoriented and in pain. Maybe, he's experienced people waking up in the middle of it and has decided not to put anyone under unless they really can't handle the pain.
Posted 3/16/2010 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
I came semi-awake during my very first scope. I was flaring badly and the pain was excrutiating! For that reason, I specify that I want heavy sedation. I don't care if I sleep for two days, I never want to experience that mental trauma again.
Posted 3/16/2010 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
Wow Quincy, that's very brave of you.  Yes, when I awoke, I felt pain and was severely uncomfortable.  I remember screaming to them as I was trying to remove the device, "It hurts!  Get this out of me!  Please!!!!"  I couldn't imagine being semi-conscious during a colonoscopy. 

I was given propofol I believe, but when I came to, they injected benadryl to knock me out again. 

My wife and I go back in two weeks to get the results of the biopsy. 

I keep thinking though, what if I awoke during the endoscopy?  Wow, kinda scary...

Posted 3/16/2010 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
I have never been asleep for a colonoscopy! They are always done under twilight sedation and I watch on the monitor.

Sue
Posted 3/16/2010 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
     I am always out for the colonoscopy.  As a matter of fact, they have to wake me up...lol.  For the sigs I am always awake except for last week when the doc requested a stat sig for the following day.  I am flaring badly and he put me out.  Only thing is, he must have forgotten to tell me not to take the Fleets enema.  Maybe that or I should have just used my common sense.  It burned like Holy Heck, like a blow torch up my butt.  Of course I couldn't do it.  Results looked like raw meat....red and swollen..ugh.  Make sure the next time you remind your doctor to give you enough sedation to KEEP you asleep throughout the test.
Posted 3/16/2010 6:42 PM (GMT 0)
Geez, you folks are crazy staying awake for your colonoscopy's.  Can they not record the procedure and send you a copy?  Anything but awake...
Posted 3/16/2010 6:45 PM (GMT 0)
Well, you can't ask questions to a cd....

Seeing what's going on as an active participant is so worth the crappy clean-out...lol.

q
Posted 3/16/2010 6:50 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah I was awake for my last colonscopy although I was slightly sedated - I remember having a conversation with the doctor as he showed me the area that was inflammed although I think I remember then going off on a tangent and talking about something completely random! I was told by my girlfriend that I was rambling on about how much I wish I was a doctor as they wheeled my back into the recovery room. Hahah good times.

I think it is cool seeing inside of you as they look around. The pain is bad in places but not too bad.

I was also semi-conscious when I had an endoscopy (was performed alongside my first colonoscopy to diagnose my UC). That is not fun at all as you choke a lot and a bit of bile came up. Trust me, an endoscopy is far worse than a colonoscopy!

Oh and I also had a sig with no sedation whatsoever (that one was pretty painful).

It seems to me most people seem to be getting a lot more sedation than I do - maybe my doctors just don't like me??! Hahaha LOL.
Posted 3/16/2010 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
or trust you can handle it.....

I was given a higher dosage of Versed two scopes ago....it left me feeling too mentally distressed because what I experienced and tried to remember didn't connect. I was severely ticked. The doc gave me a very small dose in conjunction with the Fentanyl....worked fine.

I also go out during the day afterward...nice breakfast and maybe some shopping or just veg at home depending on my mood. The time with too much Versed, I was more agitated.

I can see that an endoscopy wouldn't be fun....the thought of choking would freak me out. Light sedation might help....hmmm, hope I don't ever need one..eek.

q
Posted 3/16/2010 7:01 PM (GMT 0)
I think I was given one when I was diagnosed just for the sake of completeness. My doctor suspected UC but I suppose wanted to do an Endoscopy just to be sure that it wasn't something else. I suppose it makes sense.

Thankfully won't be needing one of them any time soon (touch wood)!
Posted 3/16/2010 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
I was sedated but awake during my colonoscopy. Not by choice.. I wasn't given a choice... I thought that's just how it was. I wasn't diagnosed yet and hadn't found this forum yet, so the research I had done on colonscopies all referenced sedation but not being under, so I just thought that's how they are always done!

I was very nervous and didn't watch the monitor at all, I had no interest in seeing it. However, for my flex sig (7 months later) I was much calmer about it even though I wasn't sedated at all, and I watched the monitor. It wasn't bad at all except for one short moment where it was very uncomfortable. Mind you, it turns out I had no inflammation at the time so obviously would be a lot easier.
Posted 3/16/2010 7:37 PM (GMT 0)
I'm always slightly drugged but they never seem to give you enough. I guess they are a bit leery giving seniors too much. I can usually look at the monitor but I don't really want to 'see' anything. It just looks like a load of multi-coloured jelly anyway though I suppose I'd recognize a polyp if I found the need to.

I think coming-to, fully awake would be a bummer but struggling to rip out the scope could make it even worse. Just the scream should have been enough to alert them for more dope!

I've had a few endoscopies also when I had duodenal ulcers. I found them far less intrusive as c-scopes.

Post Edited (Mackster) : 3/16/2010 1:40:11 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/16/2010 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
It wasn't until I started with my current GI when I moved that I was put completely asleep for a colonscopy.

My old doctor just used heavy sedation, and I could watch the screen and thought it was really interesting. The scope was terribly uncomfortable but tolerable since I knew it would be over soon.
Posted 3/16/2010 11:49 PM (GMT 0)
I think I could handle not being asleep but I really don't want to. I've only had one and they did a colonoscopy and a endoscopy during the same visit, and I was out. I woke afterwards choking and they thrust a machine puffing albuterol everywhere into my face which actually made it worse, then they wheeled me over somewhere else and I said I had to poo, so they gave me a bedpan but no privacy, and then I really had to go, so I said so and I guess they all thought I was being crazy and pushed me down on the bed but I shoved the nurse and ran to the bathroom and pooped blood on the floor. So my post-colonoscopy experience was actually worse, lol
Posted 3/17/2010 12:44 AM (GMT 0)
both of my colonoscopies ive had so far ive been awake the hole time. they sedated me a bit with valium. it hurts like hell i dont know its cause im skinny but i feel everything and it doesnt feel good. im so happy when they are done,
Posted 3/17/2010 2:27 AM (GMT 0)
cyn555, is that an intentional spelling error? If it is, nice one!
Posted 3/17/2010 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
I am normally always awake, but thanks to all the happy juice I don't feel very much except when they round a tough bend on the way up.  I too love watching the monitor- along with the happy juice, the time seems to fly by (a 20 minute procedure can seem like 3 minutes).
Posted 3/17/2010 8:07 AM (GMT 0)

Christine1946 said...
Results looked like raw meat....red and swollen..ugh.

Ah. That could be another reason I was not given any medicine. I was flaring only at the very bottom of my rectum and only very mildly. The rest of my colon looked great. Of course, the procedure still hurt real bad. And I had a ton of gas afterward.
Posted 3/17/2010 12:37 PM (GMT 0)
Personally I can't see why be put under for a sig. If I am going to be put under then I would much prefer a full scope. I have never been asleep for a sig. Yes it's a little uncomfortable but it's over quickly (and yes I've had NUMEROUS sigs while flaring). Now for the colonoscopy, heck yeah give me those drugs! :) My first scope ever (and my diagnosing scope) they put me in a twilight sleep and never ever again did I want that. It hurt so bad that they had to keep upping the meds. Now when I have my scopes I am put under. I just shudder to think about waking up in the middle of one!
Posted 3/18/2010 5:22 AM (GMT 0)
Yikes. I've never been given the option to be completely out - they did my entire colon during my first colonoscopy, and I was sedated enough that I felt no pain, but because I was drugged (but still conscious enough to watch the screen) it was like someone was anally raping me. The second time I had a flexible sigmoidoscopy and was given absolutely nothing. The cramping was awful - I was told to "breath through it".
Posted 3/18/2010 6:18 PM (GMT 0)
Mine have always been twilight sedation, so I have not been fully asleep. I think it sucks, but it isn't as bad as the flex sigs because they don't give me anything for those. At least they are quick.

But they also end up giving me more sedation because I am "too" awake when they start-they really don't need to do that. I always tell them I just take a bit more time than most to metabolize the sedation and if they just waited a little longer before starting, it would be fine-but they don't listen and then I get more sedation and end up sleeping the entire day away.

In that way, the flex sigs are easier-I mean it is agonizing when in a flare, but then it is over and I am out the door.

I hate procedures.
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