Scared about going for colonscopy :(

[kirstyjane1987]

hey

I've had Ulcerative Colitis for ten years now and my gastro nurse has decided its time i had a "routine" colonoscopy. Although i had one when i was 13 i really cant remember it!

They're going to "sedate" me even though i'd much rather be fully put to sleep!

I was just wondering if anyone from the UK has had one recently as i'm really scared and nervous about getting it done as i do not deal well with pain, hospitals or needles etc.

but please tell me the truth as i'd rather know what to expect!

Thanks x

[gypsywomen]

my daughter had it done like you she was scared ,, but after she said it was fine

[nomorepanic]

Hi Kirsty

Have a read of the posts in this forum (colonoscopy) and you will see loads of different stories about it all.

I have had one before and it was unsuccessful as I have Crohn's disease and abcesses on the bowel.

The prep day is very bad lol.

I had half sedation and not the full thing as well

[rckclmbr]

i'm not from the UK, but i did have a colonoscopy back in January, so i thought maybe i'd reply just in case i could help.

basically, the prep is the worst part. i did it while i was already suffering from some kind of GI thing so it was doubly harsh ... but still, it's not as bad as i was expecting (the prep). it might have helped that i had been on a liquid diet for several days prior, so there really wasn't a whole lot to "clean out" with the prep.

the best thing i can say for the prep is to make sure you stay hydrated! i'm not sure how they do it differently in the UK, but for mine they had me mix the laxative Miralax into Gatorade ... which helped me stay hydrated with electrolytes throughout the prep process.

i did the prep - which was more annoying than anything else - and then watched stupid things on tv until i fell asleep.

in the morning my mom took me to the colonoscopy place where i waited, shaking nervously, for a good hour before they called me back.

at that point, it was all kind of a rush -- one nurse was starting my IV while another was asking me medical history stuff while another was having me sign a bunch of paperwork.

i told them how nervous i was, and they were very nice and reassuring ... when they got me into the room, they laid me on my side on a pillow, told me they were starting the anesthesia, held my hand, and told me i was just going to take a nice nap.

the next thing i remember was waking up with hiccups! (because i had an upper endoscopy at the same time so there was a lot of air in my stomach!)

so i woke up with my mom beside me and the nurses asking me what i wanted to drink. i had some fruit punch, i think.

and they made me stay a bit longer while the rest of the IV emptied because when i came in i was a little dehydrated from having been so sick for a week beforehand.

when i got home, i just drank some water and went to sleep.

i ate soft foods that night - things like applesauce and soup - and didn't really have any problems at all.

some people experience bloating and gas from the air they use during the procedure, but i didn't have that.

they did remove a polyp during mine and took some biopsies, so unfortunately i got freaked out when i experienced a small amount of blood in my stool afterwards - but they gave me paperwork that said to expect that.

anyway .... that was my first colonoscopy. now i have to have them every 5 years.

it wasn't NEARLY as bad as i had feared, and i am a TERRIBLE anxious wreck when it comes to things with my gut!

you'll do great!

[kirstyjane1987]

thank you soooo much guys. im still nervous but slowly starting to calm down really appreciate the feed back x