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View Full Version : Colonoscopy next week, V.scared



rescueremedylady
05-06-10, 08:26
Hi everyone, I'm new here.
For years I suffered panic attacks, agoraphobia and just general daily anxiety. This followed a traumatic childhood and then my mum left home when I was a teenager and it had a profound effect on me. It lead to years of problems. In the last 2 years or so things have really improved. I'm able to go out and about much more now and no longer feel the same level of anxiety.

I'm 39 now.

Last year I had an awful year and I went through a WHOLE year of dental misery with an undiagnosed problem, followed by treatment (when it finally was diagnosed) which was new to me and v. scary. All treatment turned out to be much better than I'd feared but the year took it's toll. The anxiety was bad all year. Then (with the offending tooth gone) the start of the year saw a change and the anxiety levels dropped and I started to feel really really good again.

I then had a return to some bowel problems I'd had twice before (both times it had cleared up and all was okay, this is the third episode in 3 years) This time I decided to go to the doctors and I was referred on to a doctor at the hospital because I'd had some bleeding. I've had this before, but it cleared up completely and I felt well.

The doctor used a small camera and has now said I need a colonoscopy as things look inflamed.

Now the anxiety is back big time, I'm so scared of having an awful diagnosis. Most of all I'm so scared that I might have to tell my children that I've got cancer. The doctor said he didn't think it was cancer and it didn't look like cancer, but I'm so scared. He thinks it might be colitis, I've resisted the temptation to look it up and scare myself even more.

One of my children is only 5 and is very clingy with me. That's what I'm finding so hard. I might be really ill and she might lose me. I can't bear the thought, I'm in floods of tears all the time. Then at other times I think that whatever this is I've lived with it for a while and I feel well. Then I think I've left it too late and I have daydreams of the doctor telling me that it's cancer, but it's inoperable.

I have a colonoscopy at the end of the week and am just almost paralysed with fear. Scared of the procedure and even more scared of the news I'll get.

Any positive stories about colonoscopies?

pollyanna
05-06-10, 10:19
Hi

i dont have any experience of colonoscopies , but i didnt want to read your post and not leave a message of support( almost had one in january, but didnt, its a long story...), , your feelings are totally understandable, i am absoutely terrified at the prospect, but in my case it wasnt neccessary to go ahead with it, but i can totally understand and sympathise with how you feel.

there are lots of reasons why the bowel can be inflamed, with cancer probably being the least likely, but it of course is what we all fear the most.
If you didnt have it done, would you then worry about what ifs???, you have to weigh it all up.
there are lots of people on here who have had one and hopefully they will be able to tell you a lot more about it,

thinking of you.

Take care

P x

zippy
05-06-10, 11:46
I am having one on monday,i have to be up for 8.30 and you have to take a solution the day before to clear your bowels out. I had one a few years ago and its nothing to worry about and it didnt hurt or anything.
I am having one because i have had loose bowels,nausea,no appetite and numerous other symptoms and i am also having a chest x ray on monday.
Good luck, i am sure you will be fine xx

Sammy J
05-06-10, 19:19
I had a colonoscopy a few months ago as I've had endless problems with my stomach (which are psychosomatic apparantly). As I am afraid of the sedation I decided to have it done without, and have also had an endoscopy without sedation.

To be completely honest, even without sedation, it was not that bad. I did scream twice as the camera went 'round the bends' but the doctors (all female) stopped and repositioned me. I watched the whole thing on the screen (not everyones cuppa tea but I was interested) and managed to have a good laugh and banter with the doctors.

When it was over they told me there and then all was fine, wheeled me off for a cuppa and a sandwich and then I could go home. With sedation you have to stay in for an hour or two.

The worst bit is the vile stuff you have to drink the day before the procedure.

Am sure you will be fine sweetie :)

Sam

Kerry B
05-06-10, 22:59
I have had a few Colonoscopys as I have Crohns Diease, they give you an Injection of Valium so you do really feel it. But at the time when I had mine I was not suffering with Panic Disorder like I am now so If I had to have one now I would be panic x

nomorepanic
05-06-10, 23:02
I have Crohn's too Kerry and had a sigmoidoscopy to confirm it.

I had a colonoscopy with half the sedation so you could ask for that.

nomorepanic
05-06-10, 23:04
Also we have a forum dedicated to this so have a read in there...

http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=72