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Colonoscopy fear

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Posted 9/5/2014 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
how do I do this , I was just recently diagnosed with IBS and
my wife and doctor which I hate doctors with a passion and for good reasons want me to go for a colonoscopy .
well ......
are they kidding ??
I already have a god awful hatred for doctors in general and don't trust them in the least .

I was just looking on you tube about the big " C " procedure I call it when your supposed to get when you turn 50 and omg !!!
those doctors and nurses are SUCH LIARS !!!!
I mean the way the sugar coat it .
and after talking to 1 of my friends who had one not long ago said he will never ever do it again due to complications ,afterwards
oh my god the way they sugar coat the procedure is just crazy ... my wife can push all she wants , with my phobia of doctors .... its a sure bet that's not a procedure that will be happening to me no way no how , and after talking to my buddy and hearing the nightmare he went threw , they way they did nothing to help him other then to tell him to go to the nearest ER ,,,, OMG Really ?? trash bags .
took him almost a mo. to recover from that god awful procedure
yeah ill def be avoiding that . that's for sure .

how in the world do I face this ... I don't see it happening I really don't .
Posted 9/5/2014 8:08 PM (GMT 0)
F.,

I have never heard of a colonoscopy indicated for IBS. Unless you are simply in need due to age...or they are trying to rule out an IBD such as Crohn's or UC, I don't understand why you would need this procedure.

Other than the advice I gave you in the your thread...

...all I can additionally recommend that you look into an anti-anxiety med pre-procedure.

Otherwise, again I think you could benefit from therapy to work out your negative feelings regarding the medical profession.

S.C.
Posted 9/5/2014 8:25 PM (GMT 0)
its because im closing in on 50 . that's why
as for the medical profession in general as I noted on another tread I have had several bad experiences with doctors in the past and I detest and loath them to the fullest which over the years has formed into a phobia .
Posted 9/5/2014 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to the over-50 club (or the pretty-close-to-50-club?)

I was informed by my PCP that yessireee, you betcha, it's that time for me as well!

Now, before you panic, hear me out....

From what I understand, the procedure itself is generally not as bad as we fear. That being said, the more "traumatic" aspect tends to be the prep that needs to be done before-hand.

I'm not a big fan of what this procedure entails either, but given the option, I'll tell you this: I would rather know and treat something, if it's even found at all,....than to risk not knowing and getting to the point of no return. If that were to happen, I would always regret that I had the chance to "fix myself" but chose not to.

Think of the big picture.....










M.


PS: Besides, you can get a video of it to show your friends.... ;)
Posted 9/5/2014 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
I get where your goin and all and yes I heard the same attempts of comfort from my wife and the doc , darn I can't stand him
But that doesn't change the fact that , that procedure torn up to of my buddies and put 1 in the ER
I don't know about all that
Posted 9/5/2014 9:31 PM (GMT 0)
There is always a risk of anything we do. There's a risk every time you get in your car.

But if you exclusively focus only on the bad moments, you're missing just how many times this procedure is done without problems,....how often you get in your car and are just fine....

You're picking and choosing selectively what to focus on and that is increasing your anxiety.

Try to *also* encorporate the positive experiences and successes.











M.
Posted 9/5/2014 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
I have a serious problem with doctors to begin with , and after hearing nightmarish stories and seeing it my own eyes what they went through ... Just steers me away worse ,
Posted 9/5/2014 9:37 PM (GMT 0)
Then you need to expand your horizons and speak with people who did *not* have a "nightmarish experience." Because they're out there.

You're choosing to *only* listen to those 2 bad stories and not open your eyes up to all the other positive experiences.













M.
Posted 9/5/2014 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
That maybe true however for every good experience there is there is an equally bad 1 from that procedure , plus according to what I have read there is a high risk involved , not just some but high risk of damage , infections etc etc
Ummm exactly where's the benefit in that I ask ?
As it was stated there's risk with everything and this is true but I'm alittle concerned about going in there and then winding up in the ER like my buddy did and be sick for a month after
Just something about that bothers me I'm sorry and especially with my past bad exp with doctors that makes it worse
Posted 9/6/2014 3:17 AM (GMT 0)
I had a colonoscopy in March and had no problems whatsoever. I had bad anxiety beforehand about the prep and it was a piece of cake. I'm sorry your friend had a bad experience with the procedure but I had no problems whatsoever and have heard about many more who did not either. If you need to do it, peace of mind means a lot and I would suggest switching doctors. That might make you feel a lot better. you should have faith in your doctor and he should be looking out for your best interests. I love my gastro and trust him completely.
Posted 9/6/2014 4:11 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry your friend had such an awful experience! Complications are possible but definitely not the norm.

I've had two colonoscopies and neither has been at all traumatic. As long as you're knocked out you won't feel any pain and, as someone said above, the worst part is the stuff you have to drink to clean yourself out beforehand. Golytely is a full gallon and it's hard to get it all down, so Halftylely is a better option. I was in the hospital when I had my second one and they made me drink the whole gallon. I'll admit I dumped some of it down the commode when no one was looking!

But the procedure itself was a snap. It can detect gastric disorders up to and including colon cancer, so it can be a lifesaver.
Posted 9/6/2014 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
I have had 2 colonoscopies and 2 endoscopies in the past year. I myself had a digestive issue that they couldn't figure out til this past time.. Imagine my frustration having to do it twice but I am glad I did. They finally figured out I have ulcerative colitis.. The procedures are a piece of cake and you are done before you know it.. The colonoscopy prep is the only thing that sucked. I am only 41 but I also had a few polyps and thankfully not cancerous so that was a relief too. I get where your coming from though not liking doctors already and with any procedure there are risks.. But think of the risks we take of not getting checked out because were afraid.. The earlier something is found the better. I wish you the best of luck and maybe talk to the doctor and they can help you relax before it's scheduled..
Posted 9/6/2014 4:48 AM (GMT 0)
I just had a colonoscopy a few months ago to rule out Crohn's and UC, and trust me, the most disturbing part of it all is the "prep". I was not anxious at all really when I went in. It felt like no sooner they put me to sleep, they were waking me up. And let me tell ya, I was STARVING! So I went and got a Cheese Steak!

Please don't be worried about it. It's not bad at all! I promise!

((Hugs)) Fox
Posted 9/6/2014 8:11 AM (GMT 0)
Fox , do u have a serious phobia with doctors or the medical perfession like I do ?
I hate doctors , can't stand them thanks to several bad experiences
I have zero trust in doctors , zero I don't care how much they lie , how much they sugar coat it , fact it there is high risk associated with this procedure as with anything else and with my luck with doctors I would prob wind up in the ER , and on anti biotics like my buddy did for several weeks when those butchers torn him up ....
I honestly don't feel this will be a procedure that I will be taking that type of risk doesn't seem worth it to me . Especially when I have seen many incl 2 of my personal friends that flat out say never again never .
So many people sugar coat it and say it's nothing etc however , can anyone tell me what benefit it give those that suffer complications other then none . And they just submitted to being tore up inside in my opinion .

Post Edited (Flaguy48) : 9/6/2014 2:34:35 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/6/2014 8:30 AM (GMT 0)

hazelnut86 said...
I had a colonoscopy in March and had no problems whatsoever. I had bad anxiety beforehand about the prep and it was a piece of cake. I'm sorry your friend had a bad experience with the procedure but I had no problems whatsoever and have heard about many more who did not either. If you need to do it, peace of mind means a lot and I would suggest switching doctors. That might make you feel a lot better. you should have faith in your doctor and he should be looking out for your best interests. I love my gastro and trust him completely.

I have zero faith / trust in doctors Nor have I ever had a good repore with one of them . That's what makes this all the harder please knowing that 2 of my friends were torn up by doctors doing this procedure and 1 wound up in the hospital , now my hatred of doctors is really bad . As I said there are many out there that this procedure may have been a walk in the park for but there is an equal amount of people out there that it hurt and wound up a nightmare for . Knowing that makes it all the harder to relax when the thought in your head is this is gonna turn out badly going in .
Posted 9/6/2014 8:34 AM (GMT 0)
Flaguy, sounds like your mind is made up then. Best of luck with your decision. Sending you well wishes and Positive healing thoughts.
Posted 9/6/2014 8:43 AM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't exactly say it's made up I would say it's more of a fight because I'm being pushed to do this , and hearing the good and bad and already having no trust in doctors to start with is making this all the harder to face , so it's a combination of issues at the start and yeah after seeing how badly my personal friends wound up after 1 of them wound up in the hospital cause they tore him up and to this day he swears it was a waste , just for those butchers to make money off the ins company his words and he will never do it again
Makes this all the harder imagine how it makes me feel already having a dislike for doctors and hearing man are u crazy your gonna let them butcher u ...
Posted 9/6/2014 8:53 AM (GMT 0)
Like I was told of course colonoscopys are a risky and invasive procedure why do u think the doctors lie so much about them and sugar coat the topic so much , because of the risk / fear / phobias associated
Posted 9/6/2014 11:44 AM (GMT 0)
OK mate, had this done less than a year ago, I think you are worried about being knocked out and not waking back up am I right? This was my concern so I researched this and found out that a lot of people in the UK had this done without being knocked out. So I got to the hospital and told the nurse I wanted demerol, she looked at me like I was crazy, but when I got back to the doctor he said really? He said :"That's how I did mine". I was wide awake for the entire procedure and even laid on my side and watched it on tv screen. The only part that even felt uncomfortable was when the camera has to make that first turn, I had some gas but on pain scale I would rate it a 3 outta 10. The doc also explained to me that shelias have to be knocked out due to their colons being different. Anyways, hope this helps you out. The prep is way worse than the procedure. Good luck and God bless you.

Cheet
Posted 9/6/2014 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
No I have more of a concern of being torn up like my 2 friends did
And find that I subjected myself to a lot of problems like what happened to my 1 buddy that wound up in the hospital after
And to this day both swear it will never happen to them again
Yep that's a big concern of mine the procedure didn't help them in anyway it caused them both more harm then good
Posted 9/6/2014 3:24 PM (GMT 0)
I had a colonosopy last March, because I turned 50. I hate tests of any kind because I don't like waiting for results. Waiting for results to me is a HUGE anxiety inducer. I wasn't afraid of the colonoscopy because they tell you right away. The prep was not fun, I crap and puked at the same time, no fun. But the procedure a piece of cake, Glad I did it, now less to worry about.
Posted 9/6/2014 3:46 PM (GMT 0)
Flaguy,

We are here to support each other through our shared struggles with anxiety.

You have received much advice and encouragement in the threads that you have started here.

I have been reading (and initially) responding to all of them, and it appears to me that we are not able to further help you.

You've been given many good options, but seem only interested in venting your distrust and hatred toward the medical community.

As I mentioned several times, I believe you need therapy to help you work through your feelings on this issue.

You are certainly entitled to your feelings and opinions...but I am afraid we can't help you further, and you will need to go elsewhere to continue your venting.

Good luck to you,

S.C.
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