[yellowted]

I am scheduled to have a colonoscopy on Friday, have spent the past three days in agony because i can't take my codine in prep for friday, I am supposed to have someone stay with me for 24 hours after the procedure the problem is i am a full time wheelchair user and i live alone in an unadapted house with no family support, my carer only works 20 hours per week and i have already used half of these. My few friends are either too busy or ill themselves. I am scared that they will refuse to do the procedure if they find out i have no one to look after me. I am also scared as this will be my first time under sedation and although i know things are not right inside me i am scared they will say nothing is wrong, as this is all i seem to hear from my doctor. I really want to take my cuddly snowman with me but do not want to draw attention to my need for comfort as i know i will have to prove strong enough to look after myself.

[bebop]

my understanding about this procedure is it is mild sedation so you should wake up pretty quickly. my stepmom had it done and we went out to eat right after. she was fine the rest of the day. hope that helps a bit.

The worse part of a colonoscopy are the effects of the medication you take the night before. The actual procedure is painless (granted, you're sedated) and there are no effects afterwards. (You will be hungry though.) All patients are required to have someone take them home after the procedure. Why do you require someone with you for 24 hours afterwards? Perhaps you might speak with your MD and ask if the colonoscopy can be done in a hospital - rather than in the MD's office - so that you are watched for the required 24 hour period afterward as your body re-adjusts to the codeine. I hope the procedure goes well and they discover what is causing the pain. Please provide us with updates when you are able.

[googley]

I had one of these and the worst part about it was the prep. There was no pain associated with the procedure itself. I also only had to have someone to drive me home. I was almost all the way normal by the time I was ready to leave (though I wouldn't have wanted to drive home). I don't understand why they want someone to stay with you for 24 hours unless they are worried about the sedation interacting with another condition. You have to spend some time in recovery afterwards to let your body expel the extra air they use to do the colonoscopy. Good luck. I was terrified about the test, but it ended up being a breeze.

[yellowted]

thanks unhappyguy sorry it is being done in hospital, but here they do it as day surgery they only keep you in for 2 hours afterwards and say you must have someone to accompny you home by car or cab and stay with you for 24 hours till the sedative completely wears off. I have arranged hospital transport to get me there and home, on the hopes i can get away with saying my PA is coming to the house to stay with me, but scared i will be found out as i am no good at lying, the pain is due to other problems i have and will be under control once i can take codine again, I am not worried about the procedure as i know i won't feel much, I am quite excited at seing my innerds on the screen! it is more the fact that having gone through the before stuff i do not want it cancelled at the last minute because i am on my own, and the not knowing my reaction to the sedative. I know i never have the injectins at the dentist even when i had root surgery because i react badly to it.

[lynn P.]

(((yellowted))) - I felt sorry when I read you feel alone and scared. I had one of these and agree with others - the prep is what's unpleasant. I hated every minute of that awful tasting liquid and starving myself. I usually eat what I want and never been on a diet. Here in Canada, its always done in the hospital and you're fully sedated but wake up after and no pain ...except for gas. We do have to get a ride home though. Could you stay one day in the hospital?

I pray the doctors will find out the source of your troubles but hope its nothing serious. Go ahead and take your cuddly snowman with you - who cares what they think. I even like to hug my daughters stuffies once in a while. I'm sorry you feel alone.

[yellowted]

Originally Posted by googley

I had one of these and the worst part about it was the prep. There was no pain associated with the procedure itself. I also only had to have someone to drive me home. I was almost all the way normal by the time I was ready to leave (though I wouldn't have wanted to drive home). I don't understand why they want someone to stay with you for 24 hours unless they are worried about the sedation interacting with another condition. You have to spend some time in recovery afterwards to let your body expel the extra air they use to do the colonoscopy. Good luck. I was terrified about the test, but it ended up being a breeze.

thanks googley, i think my nerves have got the better of me, i am sure i will be fine, think i just needed telling it. i am not sure why 24 hours either, maybe because i have poor core stability and am unable to move around unless i am harnessed in my wheelchair, or perhapse because i will have start my codine again and that makes me a bit drowsy at the best of times. not sure which.

[Travelinglady]

I agree with the other folks. I have had a number of colonoscopies, since colon cancer runs in my family. It's just the prep that's the aggravation. Taking all that stuff to clear out the colon. The doc just has me briefly under sedation, enough to get the job done, (and I am asleep, so I don't see my colon), and they wake me up right afterwards. And I just need a ride home.

Can you talk to your doc about these concerns? Maybe they can do something differently. And do take your "comfort" along. Whatever gets you through!

I've had several colonoscopies due to colon cancer in the family. I absolutely detest the prep. Absolutely the worst part of the whole thing. 24 hours of supervision is not at all the norm for this test. Why don't you clarify with your doctor ahead of time the reasoning for that? It may be a precaution due to your other health issues, but you won't be feeling sedation for that long. There just isn't that much sedation involved.

[googley]

I don't know what type of sedation they are planning on doing for you. I know when I got it done is was twilight sedation (i think that is what it is called) so you are awake and (usually, but not for me) you don't remember anything that happens when you are done. Are they planning on putting you under completely? Ask your doc. If they are planning to put you under completely see if they can do twilight sedation instead so the effects aren't as long.

[Umbral_Seraph]

The prep is by far the worst part, with the worst part of the prep being that drink; I swear, it was like drinking salty, lemony oil. I was completely sedated, so I didn't get to see the screen but the report did have pictures. They won't let you drive home but I don't know why they don't want you to be alone for 24 hours. Well, I hope things go smoothly!

[ECHOES]

yellowted, sending caring thoughts your way for today. I hope all is well and you'll let us know how you are feeling, when you are able to do that.

[yellowted]

thankyou so much Echo for your caring thoughts, they certainly worked. the procedure was not too bad, they removed a 4cm polip which is being sent to the lab for testing. Hospital transport brought me home , i went straight to bed and slept most of the afternoon. My tum still feels a bit crampy like a bad womans monthly, but apart from that i am ok.

Thankyou to everyone who responded so kindly to my post, it made such a difference to know others were thinking of me and willing to spend the time to reassure me
hugs to you all

[ECHOES]

Thank you for your update I'm glad it went well and that you got to go home to your own bed to rest. The anxiety and the anesthesia can really leave a person feeling spent!

I hope your tum feels better soon. Light diet for now probably would be best.

Rest well !!

[googley]

I'm glad you got through this and are on the other side. I hope that the testing shows everything is benign. I'm sorry you had pain, that really sucks.

[yellowted]

got my results yesterday, the 4cm polip that they removed was an adenomatous polip in other words a polip which has the potential to become malignant. fortunately mine had not yet changed, though due to its size (usually they are less than 1cm) it would probably have turned malignant if it had been left a few more months! My tummy still is not right, throwing up after supper with severe cramps, temperature of 102'F etc so being booked in for endoscopy, CT scan and some other test i can't remember. I will also have to have a colonoscopy again next year too!
will keep you updated as the results come in

[lynn P.]

Thanks for the update ((yellowted)). Thank God it wasn't malignant and this is a good lesson to everyone, how important it is to get one of these tests after a certain age or if there's a strong family history. Do you think your sickness now is in any way related to this test?? Having an endoscopy is too bad a test. I hope you feel better soon.

[yellowted]

no I think my sickness is due to my being a full time wheelchair user and my internal muscles giong haywire like the others have! I am still being sick and in lots of pain (feels like a cowboys horse has run over my back then lassooed me round the middle and hung me from a tree by the lassoo!), spent Saturday evening in A&E, was sent home with IBS meds which ease it for a while but as soon as they start to wear off it comes back with avengence, phoned my GP this morning because i wasn't even keeping down water, she has prescribed some lactulose as she thinks it could be a blockage in my bowel/colon, and has booked me in to see her on Friday to see if it has helped, if not I think another trip to hospital is in the pipeline!

[Travelinglady]

Yellowted, are you okay? What happened? Thinking of you.....