Colonoscopy without Anaesthesia - any advice ?

I had a scope last month. I was told I would be sedated however either the sedation didn't work or else it did and they only meant to relax me. Anyways I was awake, but relaxed, for the whole procedure. Never felt any discomfort, watched the monitor and heard the GI talking to the nurses about their holidays. Saw him remove a polyp. Got wheeled back to the room after 15 mins or so. Home an hour later and played 9 holes of golf (very well!!) that evening.

I'll never fear scopes again. By far the worst part is the prep.

@Somedude .... would you do it again without sedation ?

@ Pluot Thank you so much for your message - I hadn't thought of it that way. When I told the doc I wanted to do it without anaesthesia, the Xanax was then her suggestion. I'm currently living overseas and there is a language barrier between me and the medical staff so I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. You've really put my mind at ease for tomorrow, thanks a million.

Colonoscopy without Anaesthesia - any advice ?

Yes. Don't do it.

Seriously, other than "manning up", there is no decent reason on earth to skip the anaethesia. If you are healthy, you will be over the sedative in half an hour; if you are not, then you will need the sedative to get you through it. During my 4th colonoscopy, I woke up in agony and begging for more sedative! They tried to refuse at first, saying it was nearly over, but then they relented and gave me some more. It was still desperately painful as I dimly recall, but it was soon over.

I dunno if this is true, but I have heard stories of people screaming in pain during a colonoscopy and not remembering a thing afterwards. I hasten to add colonoscopies are usually painless, but that is for healthy people, not people with desperately crapped out colons.

What were they saying about the secretary? Enquiring minds want to know... >_>

Superb. Although I feel a bit for the poor secretary, there's nothing like b*tchy gossip for entertainment :p

The first time I had a scope it was with sedation and it was great. I went in feeling scared and nervous and fell asleep and woke up in the hopsital bed post investigation. Since then I have changed hospital and every scope I have has not been with sedation of any kind. I hate them. They are uncomfortable and they make me feel so nervous beforehand. I always ask for sedation but they say they are not happy to give it to me. I always just chat to the nurse and look up my arse on the screen. Not ideal but what can you do. The nurses are always very nice.

I think it depends somewhat on the state of your colon. When my first scope was done I had severe pancolitis. My sedation was inadequate and the pain was really bad, particularly when they inflated the colon with air. Since then I've made sure I was adequately sedated; my doc recently changed me from Demerol and Versed to Propofol because she said my reactions indicated I was still feeling pain, even though I didn't remember it. Now I wake up bright and ready to go, which is fabulous.

I'm sure it will be interesting to watch, and good luck with it.

Not too sure if its too late, still for future readers.

Except one, all my scopes were done without anesthesia. I have to admit, it is not fun, at the same time, it is not THAT big deal. If your pain tolerance is low then opt for anesthesia, otherwise its OK. One importan thing is, do not stress that you will poop or something. If you feel like letting something out, feel free to do so (because nothing will come out except air and/or mucus).

What hurts is not scope but the air pushed in to let the scope go further. That hurts and depending on your anatomy and the doctor, they may push more or little air. My GI in Sweden was an expert and it really did not hurt much. I used to undergo scope and then would go to work. The one in the US is not that great. Last time, she pushed a lot of air inside and that hurt my tummy all day long. It is pain, no doubt about that but you will be fine in few hours. Stay home and do not eat much. Drink fluids after colonoscopy. And of course, do not eat / drink anything before the scope.

The best part of it is, you will see whats actually inside so you have a first hand clue what it looks like inside and how you should tackle it. The reports you get afterwards are useless.

And as Judy mentioned, if you are too much inflamed, every time the scope tip passes through that region, it will hurt. I don't remember exact number of scope but 15 minimum so far. Out of which one under sedation, one where the colon was slowed down by injection. Rest all without sedation or anxiolytic.

And yes, I will do it again, for 2 reasons
- My craptastic insurance is no guarantee to cover it and I am always afraid of next premium/bill.
- I get to see how it looks like inside.

Good Luck, don't worry much about it.

Pain tolerance is a funny thing. I walked on a broken tibia and fibula for two months, thinking it was an unusually bad flare of my arthritis. But the semi-sedated scope was not something I'd do again. Maybe my resistance to pain was lowered by the sedatives I was given, I don't know.