Worried about flexible sigmoidoscopy

[Lizlemo]

I’ve got a flexible sigmoidoscopy on Friday and am so stressed about it - anybody had one? Is the movi prep as bad as I’ve heard?

They’re looking to see how bad the endo on my bowel is (I don’t really have any symptoms, they found it when I was having keyhole surgery to remove what they thought was a dermoid ovarian cyst but which was actually an endometrioma).

I think I’m more anxious about this procedure than I was about the actual operation!

Any advice gladly received.

Xx

[HikerGirl]

Hey Lizlemo, completely understand your worries. I had a sigmoidoscopy 4 weeks ago and was super nervous as I get really bad bowel symptoms (constant bowel bleeding, constipation, so much pain!). In the end, it was really ok! The prep was super easy, I’d been backed up for days so it was actually a relief. The procedure itself wasn’t overly uncomfortable, I had no sedation or gas and air (just took a couple of paracetamol in the morning). He took samples of my bowel which they have to scrape out and even this was ok. All in a all a great experience.

A couple of words of caution.... don’t try to go back to work for the rest of the day as the bowel ‘clearance’ doesn’t stop for a few hours after...

Also, and this may not happen to you as you don’t have any bowel symptoms - but for me, I was in an excruciating amount of pain for roughly 10 days after the procedure. My bowels were NOT happy that they’d been messed around and the normal pain got intensified to an unbearable amount. My bowels are bad at the best of times so I think they were just having a bit of a barny over the disturbance

[Lizlemo in reply to HikerGirl]

Thanks so much for responding. I think it’s the ‘clearance’ I’m most worried about!

[HikerGirl in reply to Lizlemo]

Ah in that case it’s fine! I didn’t find it uncomfortable at all

[Cactus80]

Hi, I'm in the same position at you. I'm waiting on my sigmoidscopy also, hopefully hear soon as ive been waiting over 3 months so far. I'm a bit apprehensive too as my rectum is kinked and thinking could be painful. My bowel symptoms getting worse and affecting me on a daily basis. Hope you get on ok. Let us know how you are xx

[Lizlemo in reply to Cactus80]

I will report back on Friday how it goes! The low fibre diet so far is boring but totally doable. Drinking the movi prep is my big worry as heard stories of terrible tummy pains etc. Will let you know...

[Cactus80 in reply to Lizlemo]

Oh the dreaded bowel prep!!! Not had one before. Good luck but I'm sure you won't need it xx

[catsandyoga]

I had a sigmoidoscopy a couple of months ago now and it honestly isn’t as bad as you anticipate.

I had the clean prep stuff to take but couldn’t get along with it and unfortunately it made me vomit rather than go to the loo. But I tried to take as much as I could before my body said no, but i didn’t have enough to get the desired effect so on the day of the procedure I was given an enema instead. That helped to clear things out.

The procedure itself was slightly uncomfortable as they’re trying to get the camera around the bends but I didn’t have any sedative or had and air so wasn’t groggy afterwards. It’s a bit like having a painful gassy belly or period cramps.

They went in looking to see if my endo had gone through the wall of my bowel and they found an agitated area which they took biopsies from, but I didn’t feel that at all.

It was all over before I knew it and I was having tea and biscuits to recover.

Hope it all goes well for you, but try not to worry about it xx

[Lizlemo]

Thanks for sharing your experience - hearing other people’s stories does help me mentally prepare!