Flexible Sigmoidoscopy - NHS experience

I'm a 24 year old female with a lifelong experience of what I've always described as IBS.

After around 6 months of some crazy symptoms and several doctor visits, blood and stool tests flagged up minor inflammation so I was referred to have a flexi sig.

I suffer hugely from health-related anxiety, and I believe most of my symptoms are psychosomatic, but for peace of mind I decided I'll go ahead with it just in case I'm dying of bowel cancer or something :shrug:

My flexi sig was today, and I can honestly say it was a pretty painful experience for me. They offered me either Entonox (gas for pain relief) or sedation (IV administered medication to make you feel a bit loopy and relaxed, but does not provide pain relief) - or both.

I opted for gas only as I hate needles, have terrible veins and figured I didn't mind being fully aware as long as I had pain relief on hand.

I was rolled into the treatment room and was asked to lie on my left side. The first minute or so of the scope making it's way up my rectum was not painful at all, just felt very weird and induced that i-need-to-poop-RIGHT-now feeling.

After the first bend, I experienced a few waves of bearable cramps. These cramps suddenly got VERY intense, and I was moaning on the table, breathing in all the gas and not feeling any pain relief until whatever air that was in there was released. I mean, you would've thought I was giving birth in there.

I don't want to scare anyone, but basically guys, moral of the story is: get sedated. Everyone has a different experience, some people don't experience much cramping but some people have a nightmare of a time (me), and I kinda think Entonox is placebo bullshit when it comes to internal examinations. If you are anxious, it'd be better off being a bit out of it during the procedure so you're not focusing on the pain, and probably won't remember much afterwards anyway (this is the info I got from other ladies on the ward - all of which had sedation and were shocked about my painful experience).

The pain subsides immediately after they're done and you've released all the air they've pumped into you, and after the procedure you'll feel bloated and gassy for a few hours, but this is nothing.

My results showed no inflammation or anything abnormal at all, they didnt even take any biopsies. It is possible to have a painful experience with a healthy colon (although statistically unlikely) but I would not take the risk of gas only!

Hi,
I had a similar experience, when I had mine they didn't offer any pain relief or sedation. It hurt a lot I ended up holding the nurses hand and asking them to stop.
I think that with IBS people have sensitivities to pressure so the feeling of gas would be uncomfortable for most people but for IBSers it can be more like very painful spasms

I'm glad you got through it and everything is ok for you

I went through one a couple months ago and all I can say as well is have the sedation. It was very uncomfortable imo and I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. I'm only 36 and apparently it's pretty rare for someone of my age.

I have had both a flexi sig and a colonoscopy. The flexi sig was horrific - no pain but I had an awful hot sensation come over me and the feeling that I was about to pass out. Tried to tell the nurse but could't speak, then the bleepers on the heart machine started going off. This all stopped when they pulled the camera out. However, let me tell you, if you need a colonoscopy, that was a totally different kettle of fish I was sedated for that, and I chatted all the way through about allsorts of rubbish like I was a bit drunk haha. Felt nothing. x