LastPlace

This week I am scheduled to get a 5 year follow-up colonoscopy and wanted to drive myself to the doctors office to avoid bothering friends. Friends have told me that to drive I would simply need to ask the doctors office not to sedate me during the procedure.

When I went by to pick up the materials from the doctors office and mentioned that I wanted to stay awake you would have thought I had said I was planning a mass murder.

They freaked. When I said I knew a doctor who has had this done they said it was absurd.

Has anyone ever had a colonoscopy done awake, and if so, how was it? I may still opt for being awake just to aggravate the very unpleasant nurses.

stapfam

Agreed- way off topic. Don't do it- Get a a few drinks inside you- but then you won't be able to drive in any case.

HAMMER MAN

dont' know either.
I have to call and scheduled myself for my first one.
not looking forward to it at all.

bobkat

Ouch! Yep, it can be done with you awake, but this is 2007, not 1807! Without sedation it can often be difficult to get around the spleenic or hepatic flexures, which makes the whole examination worthless. Also, with a patient fully awake it can be hard to deal with stuff like polyps, necessary biopsies, etc. I personally prefer sedation and have someone drive you home.

The Weak Link

Umm.....I do 'em for a living.

You can't operate a motor vehicle for 24 hours after receiving sedation. Period.

I have done those procedures on unsedated patients. Think "natural childbirth", where the woman begs for an epidural about ten minutes into hard labor. We're pretty skeptical.

Note: picked up lots of early curable cancers this year. Get your colonoscopy. Do yourself a favor and get one, under sedation. Life is hard enough as it is.

LastPlace

Hammer Man,

My first one was no big deal. The only hard part is fasting the day before. My friend drove me over, I had something injected into a vein on the back of my hand, I went to sleep and then woke up. Afterwards we had lunch.

The nurse did manage to miss the vein, possibly because she was talking on a cell phone, but that was corrected and it was lights out.



stapfam,

Sorry, no alcohol allowed. Maybe I could give the nurses some to mellow out their attitudes.

bobkat

Well said, weak link!

LastPlace

Weak Link,

Sorry to hear you say that, but it is probably the path of least resistance. Thanks for all the help guys.


Now its off to get a MRI of my neck. Isn't this a great way to spend a week of vacation?

pkgman

I think it's great we're talking abut this, most men don't.
I was very, very, very, apprehensive and put off the test 5 years longer than I should have. I finally gave in at 55. Good thing I did.
The test turned out to be a breeze. In my case, too, the first nurse missed the vein, an unforgivable act! You come in very dehydrated from the cleansing routine the day before so the veins are harder to find than usual.
Take the sedation. It'll make for a nice break in the day.
Finally, one word of advice "Charmin".
pkgman

Jet Travis

Listen to this man. The procedure under sedation is quite delightful.

HopedaleHills

La la land is the only place to be when getting one of those done.

mud

Maybe you could get the Doc to make a DVD and share with us!
Mud

fprintf

I just turned 40 but noticed this thread under the "new posts" search. Forgive the intrusion but I had one done two years ago. The procedure itself was quite pleasant. Here is how mine went:

Dr.: Ok Mr. Hall, we are going to start the procedure now. We are inserting the scope now.
Me: Ouch. But Doc, I can feel everythi....
Me: (next immediate thought) Wow, so this is the recovery area. How long have I been out?

I have no idea how long the procedure took or anything. Lights out.

Now the prep work is brutal. Some people do fine with it. Not me. I was getting examined for bleeding which they thought was from a flared hemarrhoid but wanted to be sure. Going to the pot and wiping every 10 minutes was quite painful. Also I do not think Sprite will ever taste quite as delicious again since they recommended mixing Sprite with the cleaner-outer RX.

The Weak Link

We use something called Miralax combined with Gatorade. It goes down good.......

DnvrFox

With me, the problem is not so much the procedure (we are meeting with the colonoscopy guy next week) but the veins! Last week I got stuck 5 times while trying to get a draw for blood work. I had to return the next day for anothe tech to finally do the draw.

However, the worst is inserting an IV.

1. I waited 2 hours in a Kaiser clinic while 3 teams of "experts" tried to get an IV in prior to my going to the hospital in an ambulance for my atrial fibrillation. They never succeeded.

2. When I had my AFib repair done in CA, I went to a lab in Sunnyvale for a very special and necessary CT Test. I had warned them in advance about my IV insertion problems, but no one ever believes you. They are all so sure that THEY can do it. They messed around with several folks trying, and never were successful. I went home.

The next day, I went back, and a cardiologist tried - again without success. Finally I told them that they might be able to use my foot. They finally had to after contacting UCLA medical center and getting a protocol.

3. And on and on. I have missed out on a couple of other CT and MRI contrast scans because of this problem.

Then they tell me I have "bad veins!" Bad for them, maybe, but good for me - at least so far.

One med tech recently told me that I must have a plaque build up. I think he forgot that we draw blood from the veins, not the arteries.

Anyway, back to colonoscopy - we will give one a shot in the next few weeks. Not one of life's better moments, though, I guess.

MNBikeguy

Good that WL saw this post. Doesn't get any better than right from the Doctor's mouth.

Also, from someone on the other side of the table, take the drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. Just thinking about this process requires drugs....

wrafl

Had it done couple of times and I was sedated and starved when they woke me up and the nurse say's, "All done and you'll hear from the doctor soon". They make sure you got someone with you before they perform it so you have someone to drive you home. But on those 2 occassions, I drove home after I snatched the car keys from the lady. The doc and nurse wouldn't know.

MNBikeguy

Another thought.
How long will you be expected to be off the bike?
(I had mine done in the winter).

Terrierman

I must be one of the few people around the twilight stuff they normally use does not have the desired effect upon. I remember struggling with the doc and the nurse. Not a pleasant memory. I had one done at 50 and they found and removed five yes 5 polyps. I have my next consult for the procedure scheduled for this August. From here on out it's honest to pete general anesthesia for me and colonoscopy. BFD, it's worth it to me to avoid colon cancer.

The Weak Link

1) You were DUI and could have gotten tossed in jail.
2) Get in a traffic accident and you might as well give your house keys to the victim. No way to wiggle out of it. None. It's on your consent form and on the discharge papers. Can't plead that no one told you.

Just sayin'.

linux_author

- i found mine to be a delightful experience... my doctor is a Sikh, replete w/turban, beard and mustache...

- went for my procedure, got prepped, then wheeled into the exam room... i find the doc munching on a Happy Meal™ and reading the sports page of the local paper ... the two nurses are pinching each other, giggling, and playing grab-a**...

- one of the nurses looks at me w/the surgical cap and squeals, "Ooh! He looks like a Frenchie! Let's take his picture!" ... she grabs the business end of the scope, waggles it in front of my nose, and takes my picture...

- i don't remember a thing after that... except when waking up in the recovery room... my doc leans over, gives me a big smile, and says [in a very India-Brit accent], "Dood. You need to eat more fiber."

:-)

The Weak Link

Talk to your doc about Diprivan (monitored anesthesia care).

wrafl

I realize the consequences but I was careful to drive and after a nourishing meal they give you after the procedure which ain't enough. The nearset restaurant you can find despite it's poor selection on the menu, it's not called eating but devouring to make up for lost nourishment. Anyone going through with that deserves a big meal after going NPO for 24 hours and flushed inside out. I don't look forward to it again in another 3 years.

JanMM

Childbirth without drugs is possible and not absurd (speaking as a dad who withnessed, not experienced it, twice.) Colonoscopy without conscious sedation is another story, something you don't wanna do. (Listen to Weak Link and the others.)
My experience as a nurse who has seen lots and lots of patients come back from colonoscopies is that nobody ever says anything bad about the procedure. They don't remember nothin' unpleasant. Could it be because of the drugs? Yep!

Portis

Did you have this done at the 7-11 store?