Sleep Apnea Patient Killed by Colonoscopy

Probably a combination of Versed and fentanyl.

I've always had versed and demeral. I think I have had 5 endoscopies and 3 colonoscopies. With versed you are actually awake, but don't remember anything....it's called conscious sedation. You can react to commands by the doctor but you will not remember afterwards.......You are in La La Land.

I'm 32, so the routine scopes are still a few years off. I had to have surgery a couple of years ago, though... before I was diagnosed but after I knew I had issues (put off diagnosis... stupid). My anesthesiologist knew my full history... he's my brother. He works at the community hospital where the surgery was scheduled, but he wasn't supposed to knock me out. He's very protective, and probably would have been around for the surgery anyway, but it's a conflict of interest for him to actually work on me. As it turned out, the other anesthesiologists were unavailable when it was time...

He did know I was likely apneatic, and he kept a close eye on it. He administered himself, not allowing his anesthetists to do it... He also started my IV himself, and watched almost the entire surgery.

Everything went well, and that particular problem is behind me...

Yep, Versed and demerol were "the favorites" for years but fentanyl in gaining in popularity over demeral in many areas.

I "think" I remember being told or reading that demeral has some sedating properties of its own and that fentanyl does not. And I think the same is true of phenergan losing its popularity in favor of zofran for similar reasons.

I would like to give this tip to anyone who is planning a colonoscopy in the near future..

Be sure you get the safest (evacuation) preparation you can.. do some research..

I told my doctor I wanted the safest prep possible.. NOT the easiest or quickest one..

I found the one you do in one evening and next morning is better than the one all day..

It tastes AWFUL.. however if you buy two liters of gingerale or your favorite drink you like to taste.. (you will not be swallowing it)
it will be much easier on you...

this is what got me thru it..

I drank x amount ounces of prep...at the sink, then I quickly took a swig of gingerale, swished it around in my mouth and spit it out
in the sink... that got the horrid taste out of my mouth.. I had to drink so many ounces every fifteen minutes or something like that.. in the evening
and finished it off in the morning.. I could not have done this without being able to swish around the gingerale and spit it out.. made it so much
more pleasant! Some people are so affected be the after taste of the preps that they throw it up.. so anything you can do to reverse the after
taste will help A LOT!

Everything went well, and that particular problem is behind me...

Thought you slipped that one by, didn't you? Nope.

I had an endoscopy yonks ago, and had some or other "La La Land" drug. An anesthetist (?), a relative, told me at the time that there's an amnesia quality to it, so you can react and comply with the doctors requirements for the test, but not remember anything afterwards. Success depends on the skill of the doctor, the drug being related to your weight, dose-wise - although as I said, this was yonks ago, that may have changed.

I have a slight memory of the procedure - very fleeting, and I can never grab hold of it fully. May be a good thing!

They now have a prep called HalfLytely. It tastes just as bad but you only have to drink half the amount of the previous GoLytely (yeah, right!) and NuLytely preps. Some patients have said that drinking that sewer water thru a straw placed to the back of your mouth reduces the taste as well. For most everyone the prep is the worst part of having a colonoscopy. I agree wholeheartedly with that!!!!! It certainly is for me.

Rooster, the guy in your avatar may have Ehlers Danlos - a condition that sometimes includes either very stretchy or very brittle collagen or a combination of unusual collagen disorders. This guy has the stretchy kind. Here's another example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCJKHVvQaq8

Like elena88, I was awake during the procedure. It's less painful than really bad diarrhea.

Like elena88, I was awake during the procedure. It's less painful than really bad diarrhea.


I would suggest however, that anyone that didnt want to be "put out"

ask for the pain killers..

If I do it again, I will ask for pain killers....

I dont want to discourage anyone from getting one, just hoping that its not painful for you..