colonoscopy

[LSAT]

Apparently, I was conscious during mine, but very relaxed, and totally amnesiac.
I am told I never stopped talking.

I certainly believe that....

[mecheng]

I was fully awake for mine and watched the process on the monitor with the camera operator. As said the clean out before and the de-gassing was the worst. I do not know why there is a need to really put you out. I found it quite fascinating to watch and not painful at all, but we are all different and others may find it scary.

[49er]

I was fully awake for mine and watched the process on the monitor with the camera operator. As said the clean out before and the de-gassing was the worst. I do not know why there is a need to really put you out. I found it quite fascinating to watch and not painful at all, but we are all different and others may find it scary.

I am definitely going to do my next one without sedation. I seem to be very sensitive to meds and have heard similar remarks to yours that doing it this way is not horribly painful.

49er

[Janknitz]

I took my machine with me just in case, but never needed it. And of course, I made sure they were aware before the procedure. I never needed it, but it was nice to know it was there ""just in case". Sometimes there are complications that require a hospital admission and I think it's better to have it then regret not having it.

I was really dreading my colonoscopy but it was no big deal, and--because my father had colon cancer--it''s going to be a regular necessity for me to be checked.

Even the prep was OK, because I did not do as suggested and drink a lot of sugary drinks to mess with my blood sugar. I had plenty of probiotics in the days leading up to the procedure, when it came to clear liquids I sipped broth and tea, and I drank my miralax powder in electrolyte water (plain, unflavored water with sodium and postassium). As a result I didn't turn into a raving hypoglycemic maniac, and was very comfortable throughout the prep.

[cathyf]

I have a colonoscopy on Monday, the same doc as did mine 5 years ago. They told me to bring my machine with me just in case, but 5 years ago I was awake during it (conscious sedation.) I think that the cpap is if something goes wrong and they need to put you under general to fix it, and then you would need it for the recovery room.

[PST]

I really hope the original poster will come back and let us know that he or she got scoped. As a dozen people have already said, we have sleep apnea and we've had our colonoscopies without a hitch. The procedure sounds unpleasant and scary, so it is easy to seize on a convenient excuse to put it off. But the consequences can be dire.

This hits close to home for me. I was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 49, which was the first time I had a colonoscopy. Over the years, I have lost a wife, an aunt, a cousin, and a close friend to the disease. Early diagnosis and treatment is great. It worked for me. But the best and most remarkable thing about colonoscopy is that it actually prevents cancer. The doctor excises the polyps where cancer develops using a tool in the scope itself, and a cancer you were fated to have a few years down the road is literally nipped in the bud. So chriml, if you are still following this, please don't let apnea prevent you from going forward with your procedure. Then tell us how it goes.

[Wulfman...]

I have had sleep apnea for 10 years and I need to go for a colonoscopy. I have it scheduled but forgot to tell him about the sleep apnea. I almost want to cancel the procedure. Can I have the procedure with this problem? Thank you for your help.

Sure. I also encourage you to have "the procedure" done. I also had one done in 2011 and took my CPAP with me and used it during the colonoscopy. No problems.


Den

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[carojae]

I had a colonoscopy last April. They had me bring my cpap and even set up a oxygen feed into it.

[chunkyfrog]

My youngest brother died of colon cancer, he was only 52.
That is way more scary that an evening on the "throne", which actually is the worst part of a colonoscopy.

[chriml]

Thank you everyone. I go on Feb 9 and i will bring the machine in case. I will post back after that and let evryone know how it went. Thank you!

[Sir NoddinOff]

Thanks for the info on this guys... I'm due for a 'Backdoor TV' session in a few months. You all answered a lot of questions for me. I also hope the original poster comes back and updates us.

[cathyf]

I had a colonoscopy last April. They had me bring my cpap and even set up a oxygen feed into it.

So, do you have SleepyHead graphs for your session? I'm curious what conscious sedation looks like in the data...

[chriml]

I went to see the doctor today and told him about my sleep apnea. I'm suppose to get it done on Feb 9 th. He said I would not be able to get sedation with sleep apnea unless I was hospitalized. I do not want to be hospitalized so now i have to decide if I should do it without sedation or not get it done. I am 51 and have had no problems so far. Could anyone tell me how painful it will be without the sedation? I am starting to panic and had having this sleep apnea it sucks. Thank you

[Wulfman...]

I went to see the doctor today and told him about my sleep apnea. I'm suppose to get it done on Feb 9 th. He said I would not be able to get sedation with sleep apnea unless I was hospitalized. I do not want to be hospitalized so now i have to decide if I should do it without sedation or not get it done. I am 51 and have had no problems so far. Could anyone tell me how painful it will be without the sedation? I am starting to panic and had having this sleep apnea it sucks. Thank you

I don't know what your problem is with that. Mine was done in the "outpatient" section of the hospital and only took about 25 minutes for the actual procedure time (took that from my CPAP data that I downloaded) and maybe another half hour for the prep and post procedure stuff.

They did a "local" which they could turn on and off if they needed to awaken me, which they did at one point early into it.
The actual "procedure" wasn't all that big of a deal......it was the "cleanout" for the day or two beforehand that was the worst for me.
Some people have had it without sedation, but that's not something I'd consider.

If it turns out that you have some polyps or cancerous situation that you ignore, you're going to think that THIS procedure should have been done and it would have been a piece of cake compared to what the consequences of not having it were.


Den

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[OkyDoky]

Even if you are at a hospital it will probably be done on an outpatient basis. They have everything to take care of you. You will go asleep and wake up wondering if anything was done. The worst part of the procedure after the prep is having the IV started. I'm going for my 3rd at the end of the month.