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My experience was it was the best most refreshing nap I have ever had. I woke up desperately wanting more of the sleep drug so I could sleep so soundly again. It was marvelous. I certainly understand how Michel Jackson got addicted to it.
My thread title is a bit misleading. I am due for a colonoscopy and could get one, but it is something that has me very apprehensive.
It's not the prep or fear of the unknown. It's the fear of the known. My first and last colonoscopy was 10 years ago and it was a disaster. I remember waking up in the middle of the procedure in such extreme pain that I was begging them to stop and hearing the doctor talk in frustration and having to cancel the procedure.
He later told me that my colon is abnormally long. Extremely long. So long that he ran out of scope. No wonder I was in pain with that entire tube stuck up all in me. I never wanted to go through that experience again.
But poof, 10 years have flown by and I really need one especially since I've had chronic bloating for most of the year. What should I do in my circumstance? Would virtual colonoscopy be a good option instead? I am uneasy about that procedure because it sounds like a lot of radiation is involved and I've already had some CT scans and countless x-rays in my time.
Get a recommendation for a better doctor and medical practice. Ask around and do your research online on the feedback others have given that doctor. Then narrow it down to a couple doctors. Make an office visit and explain you are concerned about a repeat of this bad experience. See how the doctor answers to your concerns and which one you feel would do the better job for you.
I can understand your trepidation...and maybe this sounds crazy...but consider getting only very minimal sedation or anxiety-reducing drugs for the procedure. Research has shown that when the procedure is done without sedation there is lower risk for punctures, etc. and that's because the doctor is going more slowly and working more gingerly because YOU ARE AWAKE!
Unethical doctors can squeeze in more patients if they can go fast and may be rougher...you need a doctor who does a higher percentage of procedures without sedation. It might be hard to find because at least in the US, people have been brainwashed to believe they're crazy to not be sedated - in Europe there is far less reliance on sedation.
At least consider it...you can have sedation "at the ready" if you need it and it only takes a minute or two to administer and they can continue the procedure - and perhaps just having a doc who is experienced at unsedated will get you a better experience. Just don't delay too long because your health is important!!
Nonsense. You want to be under sedation. It is the exact opposite, the doctor can work slowly and take their time and not have to deal with a patient who is in pain which is distracting to the work.
You could try praying and have faith that God will make it all better for you...or put your faith in science and say "Hey, Doc, turn up the sleepy-juice this time, I woke up in the middle last time."
I woke up during the first one. When I went back the following year, I just told them that I would prefer not to have that happen again. They cranked up the juice and it was fine.
I had mine without an anesthetic because I don't like them and because I wished to drive immediately after. There was some discomfort but no pain. When I had a second I did it the same way based on experience.
I lived fifty miles from the hospital and was late because I had to wait to leave until my evacuation was finished. The doc was then doing another so I had to go home and come back later. I was quite hungry and thirsty after I finished, but I drove home again picking, up my animals along the way before I ate. I do recommend that you board your pets for the day since a sloppy doc can perforate the intestine and kill you.
You need a colonoscopy because of chronic bloating? Sure about that?
Also, in Canada earlier this year:
"...Colonoscopy should not be used for routine screening of colorectal cancer in patients with no symptoms or family history of the disease, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care advises in updated guidelines issued Monday..."
My first one was a disaster. Doc perforated my intestine. My bunghole swelled up to the size of a grapefruit until I couldn't stand it and needed emergency surgery on a Sunday evening to repair it. Could have died had I let it go much longer--sepsis.
I can understand your trepidation...and maybe this sounds crazy...but consider getting only very minimal sedation or anxiety-reducing drugs for the procedure. Research has shown that when the procedure is done without sedation there is lower risk for punctures, etc. and that's because the doctor is going more slowly and working more gingerly because YOU ARE AWAKE!
Unethical doctors can squeeze in more patients if they can go fast and may be rougher...you need a doctor who does a higher percentage of procedures without sedation. It might be hard to find because at least in the US, people have been brainwashed to believe they're crazy to not be sedated - in Europe there is far less reliance on sedation.
At least consider it...you can have sedation "at the ready" if you need it and it only takes a minute or two to administer and they can continue the procedure - and perhaps just having a doc who is experienced at unsedated will get you a better experience. Just don't delay too long because your health is important!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by eastcoastguyz
Nonsense. You want to be under sedation. It is the exact opposite, the doctor can work slowly and take their time and not have to deal with a patient who is in pain which is distracting to the work.
At least I have something to back up my post- this is the most accessible:
"How safe is this practice?
My colleagues and I were eager to discover how safe deep sedation is during colonoscopy. Colonoscopy carries its own (small) risks, independent of risks from anesthesia. With this new practice of deep sedation for colonoscopy, how do risks of 30-day complications from colonoscopy change? We looked at three kinds of risks: We expected to find an effect for risks associated with the colonoscopy procedure (like perforations) and with receipt of anesthesia (like complications due to the anesthesia); by contrast, for heart-lung risks (like stroke), we expected to find no effect with anesthesia services.
In research, size matters. Previous studies were too small to find rare outcomes, like the complications that we studied. To maximize our ability to draw conclusions, we examined a large set of claims data on more than 3 million colonoscopies nationwide in adults aged 40 to 64.
Overall, we found a link between use of anesthesia services (indicating deep sedation) and a 13 percent higher risk of any complication within 30 days: specifically, higher risk of perforation, bleeding, abdominal pain, complications due to anesthesia, and stroke. The risk of puncturing the wall of the colon was higher by 26 percent with anesthesia services only in those patients who had at least one polyp removed. This suggests one possible explanation: When patients are awake, they can tell the doctor that they feel undue pressure on the wall of the colon, thus preventing perforation; and when they are unconscious, they can’t give any feedback to their doctor."
As I said originally, you can have anesthesia "standing by" - just because you want to start without sedation doesn't mean you have to stick to that if you're writhing around in pain! ....not that it's likely - but you can feel more at ease knowing you can have sedation if you really need it.
My experience was it was the best most refreshing nap I have ever had. I woke up desperately wanting more of the sleep drug so I could sleep so soundly again. It was marvelous. I certainly understand how Michel Jackson got addicted to it.
Lol, this just ain't right! 😄
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