Colonoscopy 1 week today and I'm scared!! What can I do to make the whole thing a bit more bareable?!

[Emmy-89]

Has anyone else had a colonoscopy? I'm worried about the procedure, it's a week today!! Is there anything I can do to make it not so unpleasant? I also have to have camera down the throat on the same day and am dreading the whole thing and the prep! Thanks for reading!

[Poorlypatient]

It is not so bad.I think the thought of it is worse than the actual procedure.the prep is not good and you will have to make sure you are near a toilet when you start drinking it.the camera going down is the best bit and I would advise sedation for the colonoscopy.It really doesn't take long and you will be fine as soon as it is over.Good luck with it all and let us know how you get on.

[Gritta58]

Hi there, I had a colonoscopy last Saturday, I had conscious sedation plus gas and air, it isn't very pleasant but doesn't last long. I did ask during it for my sedation to be topped up which they did. The people doing it are very caring and supportive and if you ask them to stop then they do. If I had another I'd definitely ask for stronger sedation. I had no problems afterwards. Good luck. Just ask for the strongest sedation they can give.

[Redhead80]

Please make sure you are sedated. I opted for no sedation as I didn’t want to feel out of it when I got home to my kids. It wasn’t a very nice experience. X

[Gettingoldnow]

Hi there,I can only comment on the colonoscopy .firstly stop getting anxious as I did .secondly get in some Huggins wipes the water based ones to use after bowel movement as its kinder on the rear than toilet paper .also use Vaseline or similar to use in case you get sore.i did this for the rear end from advice I got on hear and had no problem at all in that department.its a must to drink plenty of water and clear the colon out.it helps a lot .lastly I made a mistake of googling everything .i went terrified and basically for me ( everyone is different) found it a doddle ,no pain at all .they gave me a mild sedative and was talking to the nurse all the time and watching it on to monitor .all over so quickly .nice cup of tea and biscuit and husband there to take me home. If I had to have it again I would with no hesitation.you do hear stories from others that it was a nasty experience .and I don't doubt it .but for me I was well looked after .my worst bit was drinking the picolax and rushing to the toilet.please don't worry .i am the worlds worst baby for procedures .it will go ok and do let us know your experience .it will be for the good of your health in the end.

[Burles in reply to Gettingoldnow]

All advice given is most helpful. I was adviced to add lime juice to the drink to clear your bowels as it tastes awful

[Gettingoldnow in reply to Burles]

Never heard about the lime juice .would have thought it would aggravate the colon .was it hospital advice just curious

[Burles in reply to Gettingoldnow]

Not at all. Helped reduce the awful taste

[Sandramaylee in reply to Burles]

hi, I have one every two years and it's fine. Just 3 tips add lime to your drink, drink it through a straw that way you don't get the full taste as it's vile and last but not least be sedated and than after it's done you feel great as all the rubbish in your bowels has gone

[Mhl1]

I have had 3 colonoscopies ,the last one a month ago,and although the prep is unpleasant the procedure is nothing to worry about,if you have sedation you will be able to communicate,but will remember very little.

I was given citramag as the prep,and had no problems drinking it as it tasted great,rushing to the toilet isn’t fun but it dosent last for ever.

[Hidden]

Agree with Gettingoldnow. The worry before hand is far worse than the procedure. Taking the prep isn’t pleasant but having had diarrhoea for donkey’s years, it was manageable, just hunker down with a good book or tv for the day. Staff are always brilliant, had sedative but found myself having a conversation with the doctor carrying out the procedure, asking questions etc. I think your dignity is the thing that hurts the most, lol. Good luck, hope all goes well.

[Hiddenaway]

Lime cordial is well worth it and drink it theough a straw too as it makes it go down easier.

So you have a balanced view point I had full sedation and was totally fine. Mild sedation didnt work for me as i was aware of everything around me. It didnt help that they didnt talk through what was happening and just started the procedure. It was painful and hence i went back for full sedation. If it does hurt they will stop or you can just asl them to stop and they have to.

[Windywoo123]

I was a nervous wreck before i had mine & my blood pressure was so high they were going to postpone it, but I can honestly say it was ok & the stress I was suffering was far worse than the actual procedure. Good luck & stop worrying.

[Hidden]

Hello Emmy-89

Definitely make sure you put squash in the bowel prep to make it more palatable. However, you can't drink anything red as it can stain your intestines. Also, you can suck boiled sweets too - again not the red ones! Also drink the awful stuff through a large straw - the bigger the better so it doesn't touch much of your mouth! Make sure you have PLENTY of water based wipes and Vaseline and stay near the loo! The prep really is worse than the procedure!

I had the camera down without sedation - big mistake! It was the worst thing I've ever had so do make sure you're sedated for that too!

Good luck, hope all goes well

Sue 🍀🌺💐

[gingerrodgers]

I had a colonoscopy earlier this year and was honestly dreading it ! My honest comments are it wasn’t as bad as i thought it would be, have sedation if offered. Now the drinking stuff 🤔 i read everything about it and started off with a pint glass and a straw! By the time i had 3/4 pint of the stuff left i really didn’t think i could cope but i decided to sack off the straw and just drink-and it worked

better. I tried juice with it but it was worse. So for the 2nd lot i used a smaller glass chilled water and just drank ! Its not nice but it was better for me . Good luck and i hope all goes well x

Ow loo wipes and Vaseline and keep the loo door open and vacant 👍

[Snappy-Dragon]

I'm going to have a colonoscopy on the 7th November and like you I'm not looking forward to it.. but a half hour of discomfort is overridden by the idea of (and please pardon the pun) getting to the bottom of my bowel problems. I was a Sister in A & E for many years and have seen the procedure from the professional perspective. The guys doing it will make you are comfortable as possible. It isn't the most pleasant experience.. I know it's something I'd not volunteer for, but I'd prefer a colonoscopy to a gastroscopy any time. Of the two I think a gastroscopy is more unpleasant, but again.. the staff will be reassuring and caring.

Please let us know how it goes. I send you my very best wishes xx

[dachshund]

People are responding it wasn't so bad for them. That was not so for my colonoscopy. I have had both procedures on separate days. Be sure to ask for "High Sedation" especially for the endoscopy. You should not have to undergo the two procedures on the same day. I doubt they will actually do an endoscopy as well as a colonoscopy on the same day. Prep is unpleasant but doable.

They were unable to complete the colonoscopy procedure when I had it because they did NOT give me enough sedation. However, just to let you know that a much easier procedure can be done as an x-ray examination if you can't tolerate the colonoscopy, though the prep is similar and you have to go through it all over again!! The only difference is that they are unable to remove polyps if they find them with the latter, which is called colonography.

Good luck with it all and don't get bossed around................

[Purplewoman in reply to dachshund]

Sounds like me endoscopy they couldn’t find a vein and had to just have spray and colonoscopy he said he found a vein but obviously didn’t and had to stop , I then had a virtual colongraphy like you which was more bareable

[valita08]

I had a colonoscopy and an endoscopy at the same time last month and let me tell you , i totally understand your fear beacuse i was terrified and i was researching 24/7 but i literally felt nothing ! And when i woke up i only had a bit of a sore throat .. when you get the two done at the same day they give you general anesthesia so you feel nothing ..

the prep is the bad part but what kept me from messing it up is that i really didn't want to go through it again just beacuse they couldn't see anything so i knew that i needed to have an empty bowel and it was difficult for me beacuse i have a lazy colon but just follow the doctor's instructions and a tip from me is to eat food high in fiber before the prep so it would make it smoother and easier for you and have baby wipes beacuse after a few visits to the toilet.. the toilet paper is just too rough and don't stress out about it beacuse it's going to be just fine and i hope i helped you a little with my experience beacuse i can totally understand where you're coming from

[valita08 in reply to valita08]

Plus having them done at the same day was so much better beacuse i had 2 endoscopies in the past and they always couldn't get to see everything beacuse i would be too tense beacuse the anesthesia isn't that high and i would gag and try to get the tube out so having general anesthesia was good for me beacuse they finally saw everything so don't worry about it beacuse this makes you get high anesthesia and you won't remember anything , good luckk

[Neil119]

Stay calm the staff are good - must use gas + an injection - it helps alot - good luck

[sleepycat49]

The colonoscopy isnt bad. You'll be asleep, and probably for the camera too. The bad part is pooping your brains out the night before, so everything is clear. After that its a piece of cake. Dont worry, stay calm, and it doesn't hurt.

[IBSLori]

I had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago. I too was anxious about the procedure due to the fact I suffer so much with IBS and did not want to add more to my challenging experiences. Surprisingly enough compared to my normal struggles, it was fairly easy. Yes, I was very hungry but other than that it was relatively painless, although the proximity to the toilet is very necessary. You will do fine. AND you may find some answers.

[Frankie1955]

Hi Emmy

I had a colonoscopy 3 years ago. The procedure was fine but the preparation not brilliant. I recommend you drink it walking up & down - don’t sit - it’s quite a heavy mixture. You will be fine. Do have a sedative- all be over before you know it!!

Regards Frankie

[Hidden]

I had mine last year in August and felt really well following the bland diet for 2 days and felt absolutely fine taking the prep, just got bored that I couldn't even have a cup of tea. The procedure I actually found relaxing as I was sedated and I felt cosy and comfortable in the bed.

[Beezwax]

Definitely ask for sedation (it isn’t always given routinely and you have to have someone to take you home afterwards). I have had 2 colonoscopies and the sedation was great. I was awake and felt fine, very relaxed from the sedation. I guess it depends what they give you.

Good luck.

[Lhendrie11]

Try not get anxious ! My sedation did not eork 😑but i did not know i could ask for gas and air

[Emmy-89]

Thanks so much to you all for your replies! It's much appreciated and all very helpful! I feel a bit better about it now and will post an update after the procedure!!

[Molly100 in reply to Emmy-89]

Hi Emmy

Just to let you know I have just had one on Friday and it def was not as bad as I thought. I had sedation and watched the screen while he was doing it. I would say the after bit is worse as they blow your stomach up (you don't really feel it) and now I am suffering from sore tummy but more uncomfortable than painful. I would suggest that after you maybe eat bland easily digestible food. So good luck, and really don't worry. My husband also had it a few weeks ago (we like to do things together!!!) and again he was worried but thought it was not as bad after.

[jself]

I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy on the same day too! It really wasn’t bad. I was given propofol and I don’t remember a thing. I can tell you the worst part was the prep and it honestly wasn’t too bad. I was given Suprep and it just tasted like really salty cough syrup.

[Deronda77]

I had mine a year and a half ago in uk and it was camera down throat aswell. As I'm sure everyone has said prep worse part just from exhaustion - no pain. My drink tasted awful after a bit - think sea water. So did as much as I could until I started to gag it up. Didn't finish it all but apparently it was all clear although I did follow the pre diet strictly and started an hour earlier on drink than needed. Took a good few hours to work than like a tap every 10mins ftom 11pm at night to procedure at 9am! So exhausting and would really recommend sudo cream.

Was a wreck going into procedure actually sobbing as so terrified but everyone nice and the minute the sedation hit out like a light. No memory of stomach camera. Slight memory of colonoscopy as they struggled getting camera round one my loops and I kept saying ow and then they'd stop, move me and I'd drift off again to the nxt ow! I know those bits hurt but due to sedation I had no anxiety or care once they stopped pushing. Weird! Only ended up being partial but all clear and fine when woke up although high as a kite for a while. Don't be put off by the ow I would have again and i am a total coward! and not unusual I don't think to be have loops they can't get round.

Good luck you will be fine x