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Something to note. You do not have to be "sedated" for colonoscopy. I have had two and requested no sedation for the last one. It is mildly uncomfortable, but not painful. The "sedation" is not really anesthesia, but rather a drug that messes with your short term memory (and makes you goofy). If you don't like the idea of somebody messing with your brain circuitry, ask not to be sedated. Do get the anesthetic though.…
Does anyone have recommended reading for basic cancer knowledge? I'm 32, know nothing, no family history of cancer AFAIK, but I have a large family and I want to start preparing and getting information. Thanks in advance!
Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…
Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…
Please don't romanticize invasive diagnostics. If you want to advocate for the occasional bowel purge or using anesthetics to sleep have at it though. But also, general anesthesia should be avoided as much as possible, it's not a trivial matter.
Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…
I didn't know it was painful enough to require anesthetic. Consider me mildly more relieved.
Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…
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> Plus if you’re awake you can actually watch the scope going, it’s cool! Not painful at all. For sure! My first colonoscopy I was sedated and enjoyed watching the screen. In fact, I remember I was making HILARIOUS jokes the entire time. I could not remember them afterwards though. My second colonoscopy my doctor sedated me again, but put me further under for reasons that remain a mystery. Also, a year ago we buried…
> In fact, I remember I was making HILARIOUS jokes the entire time. I could not remember them afterwards though. This is the primary purpose of the "sedative". I had samples taken from the interior of my stomach via a machine that went down my throat. It was an intensely unpleasant experience; you're trying to vomit for most of the time the cable is there. Anesthesia was not even recommended, but they really wanted m…
Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…
Cannot confirm; my girlfriend had a sigmoidoscopy (similar) and she experienced it as traumatizing and violating. I don't believe she got any anesthetics admitted; pretty sure it's not standard. Please don't romanticize invasive diagnostics. If you want to advocate for the occasional bowel purge or using anesthetics to sleep have at it though. But also, general anesthesia should be avoided as much as possible, it's n…
The movicol prep stuff they give you isn't ideal either; you've got to drink a lot of odd tasting fluids that then give you basically explosive diorama which can be awful in itself. It also causes some people to explosively vomit as well (it's designed to make your body want to eject it asap) which really isn't fun when it's trying to escape both ends at once.
The actual procedure isn't amazing either. A camera down either end is uncomfortable at best ranging to extremely painful (short term) as they try and get round the corners in your bowel. There's also the potential it to go wrong in some nasty ways or for odd side effects, and at absolute best, you're still stuck on a table trying to make polite conversation with 2m of camera tube stuck up your bum.
Can confirm your refusal to confirm; none of it's a thrilling or trivial experience.
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Recommend anyone considering this to ask your doctor about using a sedative instead of general anesthesias. As best I can tell general anesthesia for colonoscopy for low risk appears to be a cultural custom especially prevalent in the northeastern USA. Anesthesia has many more possible side effects than sedatives and ought to be avoided unless needed (this applies to any unneeded treatment). Plus if you’re awake you…
Second this. There is evidence that anesthesia causes brain damage. This shows up in the data most for babies and small children, and the elderly, where you can see it on IQ tests and chance of dementia. It's more pronounced with multiple surgeries. It may be that it's damaging everyone's brains, but it's just not as noticeable for adults. One study with twins showed about a 1.5 point IQ loss from a major surgery. Of…
God damn it! I get upset when reading this article! The doctor mentioned at the beginning of the article is obviously not doing his job! "Don't worry about it?!" "you don't need another physical exam!?" Making assumptions without examination is incredibly unprofessional and carries with it potential critical consequences. If you have an issue and bring it to your doctor and your doctor fails to follow up with an exam…
(It runs in the family apparently; my grandmother on my mom's side was from a large family, with seven or eight siblings. They all died of colon cancer. She got it too, but since she went to the doctor with her symptoms instead of staying at home, they were able to remove part of her colon before it got really bad and she lived for many more years.)
Moral of the story: go to the doctor if you're bleeding from unexpected places.