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[Mrs Bennet]

Good morning Marge......how kind of you to post......i am still awaiting for colonoscopy appointment.....i am beside myself with anxiety.....i have a catch up telephone appointment with the doctor tomorrow so will relay my concerns again.....she has referred me as I checked on my patient access ......i am dreading the procedure and of course keep thinking the worst.....
Thank you again for your concern xx

[marge]

I'd be exactly the same; health anxiety has a lot to answer for.  I do hope you hear about your appointment soon and can put all this behind you.

[Mrs Bennet]

Thank you Marge
Flipping health anxiety 😟
😘😘

[Julia Dizzy]

Hi Mrs Bennet, I am having a colonoscopy done next week and feel very much the same as you, quite bad stomach churning anxiety etc etc and not looking forward to it, but my recent stool sample test showed blood in it for the first time ever, which was a real shock. I've opted for gas and air at the moment but will see how it goes.
Have had a partial bowel investigation years ago with no sedation and that was ok, just felt a bit weird!

I'm trying to be positive and hope for the best, as I do have a chronic anal fissure which flares up now and again so possibly it could be that?

I'm on the week "low residue diet" now in preparation and eating "beige" food. (not great when I normally eat healthy!!) I just want it all over and done with but I know I will worry the whole time until it's done and get the results.

Fingers crossed we are both ok, sending big hugs xx

[Kathleen]

Hello ladies.

I have had two colonoscopies with sedation making the  procedures completely pain free. The beige food diet is not great and I  mainly lived on crumpets lol. The prep that you take beforehand is also a bit rubbish but it does the job of clearing out the bowel so that everything is on display! I was able to look at the screen while I was being examined  and the doctor explained everything so I got a diagnosis straight away.

I'm sure other ladies will be along to add their experiences and hopefully you will feel reassured.

Take care.

K.

[Mrs Bennet]

Good morning Julia Dizzy.....Kathleen
Thank you both for your posts......
Julia isn’t it awful this constant fight or flight feeling.... butterfly tummy
I don’t know which part of the procedure I’m more scared of....think i will opt for the sedation...... though i am a very small frame and seem to be sensitive to most meds so hopefully it won’t knock me out completely 😳
I am trying my hardest to be positive but doubt always seems to creep back in ......thank you both so much for your wise and encouraging words ....
Will be thinking of you Julia.....let me know how it goes .....much love Mrs B
Xx

[Julia Dizzy]

Thank you Mrs Bennet, I'll let you know  and Kathleen, if you don't mind me asking how were you after the sedation? How long did it take to get out of your system...I know you have to stay in hospital after the procedure for a while if you've had it. I don't want to feel groggy for days?!
 
I'm not sure whether to have it or not and just manage with gas and air, although I know I will be very anxious so maybe I should!

Erkkk day 3 of bland food and Sennakot each night...what joy, can't wait until its all over 

[shrosphirelass]

Thinking of you both, Mrs Bennett and Julia Dizzy. I completely relate to the anxiety. My sister has IBS and she has had several colonoscopy's. She has tried mild sedation, full sedation, gas and air and nothing. She now opts for nothing as she says she feels in control and there's no after effects. The sedation made her feel very dizzy and out of it. If it was me I would have no hesitation in having sedation. I've got a low pain threshold and get really anxious which I'm sure makes everything feel much worse.

Good luck with what ever you decide. It will be good when it's over and hopefully you get the ressurance that everything is absolutely fine.

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

Julia Dizzy -  The sedation was by wrist cannula and only really lasted an hour or two after the procedure as I recall. I certainly didn't feel groggy, just nicely relaxed. I think I was in recovery for about thirty minutes then my husband drove me home. I think the drug used was liquid diazepam and I had no after effects at all.

I honestly believe you won't have any problems with the sedation or the procedure as these examinations are routinely performed and the staff are well practiced.

I also  hated the bland diet and I couldn't wait to get back to enjoying real food.

Wishing you well and keep us updated.

K.

[Mrs Bennet]

Julia Dizzy…….i have been thinking of you……hope you are ok ….😘

[Taz2]

Hope everyone is doing ok. The sedation I had was like a memory drug. I was apparently fully awake and following instructions the whole time but couldn't remember any of it. No wooziness after though obviously I couldn't drive. Most strange. I think it was called Midazolam. Worked very well for me. Conscious sedation...just remembered the term   

Taz x

[Kathleen]

Hello again ladies.

On both occasions the sedation I had didn't affect my memory at all. I was chatting to the staff and following events on the monitor. I recall what was said each time which is how I know the diagnosis was Ulcerative Colitis during the first colonoscopy and a normal colon on the second procedure.

Mrs Bennett - If you have the same sedation as me you will be relaxed, pain free but alert and you will be able to ask questions of the team.

Take care ladies.

K.

[shrosphirelass]

Wished they used that for hysteroscopy, Tazz! Hope you've had your proceedure Julia dizzy and that you've got yours soprted Mrs Benett

[Julia Dizzy]

Hi there ladies, I had my colonoscopy at 9am this morning with sedation (cannulla - which took 3 nurses to get in my rubbish veins), along with gas and air as required. I was conscious all the time if felt a little drunk at first. I knew everything that was being said and done and I was talking to the nurses.  It didn't diminish the discomfort of it going round the corners much, but it was bearable.
I was so anxious my BP was through the roof and didn't settle 'til after the procedure. It took 45 mins to do all the paperwork, consent, cannula etc prior to it, which didn't help the anxiety. Last night was just awful with the Moviprep, talk about dynamite, it finally settled down about 12.30am but I couldn't sleep really as was so worried.

Unfortunately for me I was on the table for an hour for the procedure. They found 2 polyps which were removed and a narrowing of one part of the bowel which they were concerned about. They took a biopsy of that part too. I couldn't really feel that going on.

After I had been in recovery and had tea and toast, I waited an hour for the surgeon to see me. They had rung my hubby to come and get me so he was waiting in reception for an hour, probably wondering what the heck was going on.

They said I had to have a CT scan next week and they did blood tests.
 
The 'C' word was mentioned unfortunately (prior to actually getting any results) and they said I would probably need to have an operation to remove the narrowed part of the bowel and join it back together again. This is in order to prevent any future blockages which could occur. They will plan the way forward once they have all the results.
They also said I had diverticular disease which is apparently very common wear and tear as you get older.

Needless to say I was completely shocked and scared and felt sick and shaky, as certainly wasn't expecting anything like that.
I was there for about 4 and a half hours altogether, but hopefully Mrs Bennet, yours won't be anything like mine, so please try not to worry, the staff were all marvellous and caring. So its going to be a long and worrying few weeks for me.

Let us know how you get on too, lots of luck. xx

[Kathleen]

Hello Julia Dizzy.

I am pleased that you have had your procedure but sad to hear that you still have a way to go before you can relax. My neighbour had a narrowing of her bowel removed about ten years ago and made a full recovery. Some cancer was detected but again easily dealt with by medication. As you say Diverticular disease is very common so you are probably in the majority there!

It seems that you are being well looked after and you can be confident that your hospital have everything under control.

Wishing you well and sending hugs.

K.