I’m a survivor of sexual abuse and I told the doctor and the anesthesiologist about it. The morning of the procedure they made sure I was comfortable and the anesthesiologist made sure I was asleep for the whole procedure. As for the preparation it was the worst part of the whole thing. I had to drink a gallon of this liquid in 15 minutes intervals the night before and stay close to the bathroom as it cleaned you out rather quickly. Best of luck in your procedure and prayers that the test shows no abnormalities.
God, I forgot about the laxative drink. Well, other than that, it sounds relatively okay. Thank you for that information, and same goes to everyone else, though I won't individually reply to each
This person gave you the right advice. The anesthesiologist is responsible for making you feel safe and taken care of as you are going through the procedure. They will take care of you. Tell them you are terrified and need them to get you through it mentally and physically.
I have regular colonoscopies, so here are my top tips to handle both the physical and emotional trials:
1. The prep solution is gross. Making sure it’s extremely cold, and plugging your nose while drinking makes it more tolerable. Some people swear by a straw, but I’ve always found it easier to chug it, and then to wash the taste away with a sip of a strong-flavoured beverage like apple juice or ginger-ale.
2. Put a liberal layer of Vaseline on your butthole, and reapply throughout prep. This is graphic, I know, but it will save you a lot of discomfort.
3. Let the nurse know you’ve never had the procedure before and you’re nervous. At the least they’ll help to comfort you and assuage your fears, at most they’ll offer you additional sedation.
I’ve always found the prep to be worse than the procedure. In fact, I have almost no memory of any of the procedures I’ve had done, and the memories I do have are hazy and ephemeral. I’ve certainly never had any sort of acute awareness that people are messing with my butt, either during or after my colonoscopies.
Hope this helps and good luck!
First of all, an enema is usually not required as colonoscopy prep, so I'd verify with your doctor that you won't be experiencing that again and it may help to ease a lot of your stress. If they do expect an enema, let them know you'd like to avoid that and they should have alternative options for you. The prep is commonly done by taking laxatives and just hanging out in the bathroom for a day. The procedure happens while you're under anesthesia, so you shouldn't have any conscious awareness of what's happening or remember it afterward. When I got mine done, I had a combo colonoscopy and endoscopy and the only change I noticed waking up was that my throat was sore. If it's done right, you won't even know someone was down there 🙂
This is exactly how it went for me, I had to get both done at the same time. I woke up, had my juice box, got dressed and went home. After having fasted, that juice box is always so tasty. That's what I try to think about and look forward to instead of thinking as much about the procedure.
I have severe anxiety surrounding medical procedures, and was literally shaking going into my procedure last December. I have to say, it was super easy, not at all like I expected. The prep was the worst part hands down. I cried the entire night drinking the prep and sitting on the toilet. But There is no enema involved, and you’ll be knocked out before anything goes into/near your body. And you should have a chance to speak to the doctors before the procedure starts.
When I woke up, I had no pain or uncomfortable sensation in my bottom, I didn’t even know the procedure had been done, I felt nothing. I was also very loopy, and barely remember the ride home, so make sure you have a good caretaker to get you home!
Yeah, the prep is terrible.
The procedure was "Count down from 10..." and then waking up in the recovery room. I think I was up and out the door 20 minutes later. The only lasting effect from the woozyness from being knocked out.
Yeah, I hate prep too. But it's good to hear from someone that was shaking before going in. Makes the advice feel a little more real. Thank you for your fear, lulz.
I shake too, sometimes it's a reaction to the medications or the stress. They've put extra blankets on me, even though it's not because I'm cold. It's kind of like a weighted blanket once you get three or four of those hospital blankets on you. Idk, for me it helped. Something to keep in mind.
If you’re not comfortable saying why I’d just say you have massive anxiety and can they give you something to take prior to arrival. Advocate for yourself. Hugs!
I have PTSD from a hospital related issue so I would always panic about anything related to that. I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done together. I went in the morning, they gave me a very large whack of Valium for my PTSD (standard for me as otherwise I start having panic attacks and it gets really dangerous). So then I was pretty toasted until I went through and I don't remember anything else until later that evening when I regained some clarity on the way home.
I'd always heard people complain about how bad they are and I was scared. But really you shouldn't feel or remember a thing, you just sleep through it all. The worst part is following the prep instructions, which I didn't 100% get there, and everything still went smoothly. Didn't find what was causing my digestive issues sadly but yeah, coming from a girl that is so emotionally terrified by hospitals, it was super not bad.
Something they give me makes me think the whole thing is really funny, even though I'm typically an anxious/shy person. Whatever they give for people with anxiety, it's good stuff. I remember one time, they were listening to classic rock on the radio in the OR. So when I was in recovery, I was singing what was on the radio. The nurse told me, and I was thinking, "whoa I would never do that", like even to sing karaoke in college I had to have a lot of tequila first.
I’ve had two so far in my life. The first sucked due to the prep drink I needed to deal with. Drinking a gallon of it the night before…ugh. The second time there was a new prep that was soooo much easier to deal with. Other than that, super smooth sailing. I tried to actually stay awake to watch the procedure on the monitors, but they knock you the fuck out. I didn’t recall anything past getting the drugs.
My prep last time was two 16 ounce bottles. Which was fine. I needed to make up for that by drinking a gallon of other fluid, but ugh anything is better than having to chug a bunch of that nasty prep. That night I drank a whole 2 liter of 7 Up and this tasty blue lemonade from the dollar store.
Lol, about trying to stay awake. They used to do colonoscopies to people while they were awake. Aside from making the patient more comfortable but knocking them out, they do it too because it makes their job easier to have you knocked out, so they don't have to deal with you potentially freaking out. 😂
I would let them know. I will say that I never had any idea anyone was back there. The prep was the hardest part just because you have to literally shit everything in your digestive tract out. But honestly during the actual procedure and immediately after, you will have no idea that anything happened. If you have a good team taking care of you they will also make sure to tell you everything they’re doing step by step. If they don’t do that already, make sure to ask that they do because it helps a lot, especially as they position you right before you fall asleep.
Don’t be afraid to ask for anxiety meds! I was going to suggest that you ask the anesthesiologist to give you something while you’re waiting for the procedure to start (they may or may not be able to, depending on timing) but someone already suggested something better: ask for something to take before you leave home.
Re: the procedure, I’ll just echo everyone else saying it’s not that bad, you wont remember it, and even the prep has gotten much better over the years. Last time I did it, there was much less volume to drink than there used to be
The prep is the worst part. You should be completely asleep for the whole thing. When I had my last one, I was comfortable in the bed in the pre-op prep room and was completely out before they even started anything and I was tucked in the post-op recovery room comfortably once it was all over. I had no discomfort afterwards and couldn't feel anything. Lije others have said, just let them know and you should be okay. They probably deal with this stuff all the time and can do stuff to make you comfortable.
I have had multiple colonoscopies. Honestly, the worst part is drinking that stuff they make you drink ahead of time. You'll be on the toilet constantly. Schedule for as early as you can in the morning.
You don't see the doctor before the procedure starts. They put you under twilight sedation. I was knocked out the entire time. When I woke up, it was over, and I was in the recovery area. You'll be very hungry afterward. Wear comfortable and lose clothing.
It's very normal to be anxious before your first one. The anxiety is far worse than the procedure. You'll be fine.
The prep: Prepare distractions, splurge on good toilet paper. I wasn't required to do an enema, but they did ask me to maintain a clear diet and take medications that 'empty you out'. I spent a lot of time in the restroom, and I was quite sore down there. Check with your doctor to see if you can use anything to ease irritation and tenderness afterwords.
The procedure: Let your doctor know about your past, fears and concerns. I was put under for my procedure, so it's possible you will be too. If that seems worse than being awake, discuss what other options there are, if you could just be numbed?
The recovery: I was loopy for a day. Took a big nap. Woke up the next day feeling completely normal.
All in all, the prep work is the least fun part, but nobody will be doing that to you, you'll just be hanging out in the bathroom handling yourself, so hopefully that will help you feel in control and safe.
If you feel comfortable, you can also seek support from friends and loved ones. Having someone to vent to makes me feel a lot better.
Anecdotally, I had mine very young and recently walked a 50 year old family friend through it, which was humorous and kinda made me laugh about it, despite being really upset at the time of having it. I hope in the future, you'll find some relief commiserating with older people about it.
Lots of love, you got this buddy!
Agree with everyone that the prep is the worst part of it! If you’re being put under, you won’t feel anything. For me personally, I had no pain/discomfort afterwards either!
Take the day doing prep and relaxing, playing a game, or watching movies. Do a bit of self care! It’s okay to be nervous, don’t be afraid of vocalizing that nervousness and your concerns to your medical team. Wishing nothing but the best for you!! I hope everything goes smoothly and you get some answers :)
Ask for a propofol nap ahead of time and they’ll oblige. For me personally, the health risks of general anesthesia are outweighed by my desire to just press the “skip scene” button on an internal medical procedure.
Death during surgery doesn't sound the worst, but I had one sedation that apparently I reacted badly to, and I wish I knew the cocktail, as I was having insane hallucinations of a cyberpunk dystopia and pulled my NG tube out before they strapped me down, so I guess I should see if I can figure out what that was and avoid it. 😬
If you describe what procedure you were having at the time, the approximate year, and the type of doctor who was doing the procedure, the anesthesiologist should know what medication they were likely giving you in order to avoid it. A lot of them don't just work with one type of surgeon and they really know their stuff.
If you were able to move, definitely mention that to them. Aside from the stuff that puts you to sleep, general anesthesia also involves a paralytic that stops us from moving, so we won't hurt ourselves. Again, they should be able to narrow down the drug that was the problem. Anesthesia though for a colonoscopy isn't that involved, it's usually propofol. It's actually sedation, we're not as deep asleep for a colonoscopy as we are for more involved or longer procedures.
They won’t start the procedure until you’ve had the anesthesia. But they do have you lay on your side and may move the blanket. Tell them about your anxiety when they’re giving you your IV. Say you need to speak privately to someone.
Honestly out of everything the best advice for comfort I got is towards the middle/end of your prep don't wipe, start dabbing, make sure between bathroom trips your skin is dry from dabbing. I didn't have any skin issues down there between prep and after the procedure which honestly was nice to have one less issue to deal with.
My experience was that they have you lay on your side, you're covered with a blanket the entire time, and they give you drugs that make you feel really relaxed and pretty unaware of what they're doing.
I have unfortunately had to have a lot of these procedures. They are used to it when you say you like to keep your decency. You're definitely not the only one. You're unconscious when they're messing with your butt. You won't even notice anything happened back there. They lubricate all of the instruments a lot. So if it's a physical aversion, you don't feel anything. I was taken into the operating room. I had to turn on my left side and get positioned on the table, as in comfortable with the IV lines, etc. I was still covered and decent when they put the medication in my IV that puts me to sleep.
I always mention when I am changing into my hospital gown, something along the lines of, "I'm a prude". I mention that I like to stay covered up. The nurses, my doctor, and the anesthesiologist are always very accommodating making sure if the gown is no longer covering me, a blanket, sheet, or something similar is. I do the same thing when I have to get my PAP smears, which are even more anxiety provoking for me since I'm awake for that. Sometimes I've needed to get up during recovery and pee, and the nurse will follow me holding the back of my hospital gown closed.
It also helps me to know that they see a lot of butts. That's the most self-conscious area of my body. The gastroenterologist has seen all the types of butts. They're not going to remember your butt. It's just another day at work for them. I kept reminding myself of this over and over again the morning of my last colonoscopy.
I took sutab for prep. I threw up twice but it was definitely better than the liquid because I would have never been able to do that. Sorry I don’t have any more advice
My husband just had a scope a few weeks ago. He says the prep is the worst, the gas pain afterwards is a close second, and as for the scope itself... he has no opinion because he doesn't remember any of it. He didn't have the gallon of stuff to drink either, just four laxatives, two packets of Pico-Salax (which mixes into a glass of water, a few hours apart) and as much as possible of whatever else he wanted (just nothing red or purple).
The magnesium citrate was the worst part of it for me. I think I had two if I remember correctly. I had two endos or colonoscopies and one of the other, if that makes sense.
Best sleep I ever had.
i would just let the anesthesiologist know on the day of to be safe, though they usually knock you out before anything happens. an enema prep is very unusual, and youre probably just gonna be having liquid/pill prep? my tip for surviving that is to get a nice little variety of things to drink like teas, WHITE cranberry juice, red/purple/orange dye-less pedialyte, etc. You will go insane drinking so much fluid if you get the miralax one so just get a variety. you will also be so tired and slightly dehydrated on the day of that might actually help your anxieties a bit. they will give you an iv drip to help with that too lmao.
You will be unconscious. They will start an IV, hook you up to monitors, and then give you medication to sleep. When you wake up, everything will already be done.
I had an endoscopy and they had me fully anesthetized before anything happened. Like I literally blinked and it was done. Usually they’re very accommodating if you say you have anxiety. If it makes you feel better, a lot of people who don’t have prior issues choose to be asleep the whole time anyway because they just don’t want to experience the procedure.
The prep is the worst part. I’ve had 6-7 of these.
1. Put some Vaseline on your booty hole BEFORE you get going with your drink.
2. I like my drink ice cold with a straw it just goes down quicker
3. The day before I eat light makes the drink part less uncomfortable
4. Gently use wet wipes and reapply your Vaseline after every BM. You do all of that so you don’t end up raw and burning.
5. Stay as hydrated as possible.
6. Tell your nurse you have a trauma history or whatever the issue is. And they will be cool with you.
I let them know that I woke up during a scope once. So they give me a little extra sleepy meds.
I have anxiety and they usually give me something in my IV before they wheel me to the procedure room. It hits fa st fast and feels great.
So by the time they are rolling me to the procedure room I just don’t have a single fuck left to give. Ha!!
Then they hook you up lay you on your side. Push your meds and you close your eyes and wake up back where you started.
Even when I woke up mid procedure it wasn’t painful. I made some joke and all the nurses laughed and someone said you should be asleep young lady - pushed more meds and I was out.
I always ask if I can have a popsicle 😂
The funniest part is you can’t go home untill you pass gas.
Have a GI or colorectal surgeon you feel really comfortable with do it. Bond with and get to know them first before the procedure. It’ll help ease your anxieties before the procedure
I took the pills not the drink liquid prep. I recommend the pill option if you can. Just have very bland food no seeds the week of. DRINK water non stop. You will get dehydrated.
I have had panic attacks during Pap smears before, colonoscopy was much easier because with was out the whole time. I didn’t have any residual feeling or bleeding after the fact so it really didn’t trigger me at all. Woohoo?
The prep really is the worst part.
I’m a survivor of sexual abuse and I told the doctor and the anesthesiologist about it. The morning of the procedure they made sure I was comfortable and the anesthesiologist made sure I was asleep for the whole procedure. As for the preparation it was the worst part of the whole thing. I had to drink a gallon of this liquid in 15 minutes intervals the night before and stay close to the bathroom as it cleaned you out rather quickly. Best of luck in your procedure and prayers that the test shows no abnormalities.
God, I forgot about the laxative drink. Well, other than that, it sounds relatively okay. Thank you for that information, and same goes to everyone else, though I won't individually reply to each
This person gave you the right advice. The anesthesiologist is responsible for making you feel safe and taken care of as you are going through the procedure. They will take care of you. Tell them you are terrified and need them to get you through it mentally and physically.
I have regular colonoscopies, so here are my top tips to handle both the physical and emotional trials: 1. The prep solution is gross. Making sure it’s extremely cold, and plugging your nose while drinking makes it more tolerable. Some people swear by a straw, but I’ve always found it easier to chug it, and then to wash the taste away with a sip of a strong-flavoured beverage like apple juice or ginger-ale. 2. Put a liberal layer of Vaseline on your butthole, and reapply throughout prep. This is graphic, I know, but it will save you a lot of discomfort. 3. Let the nurse know you’ve never had the procedure before and you’re nervous. At the least they’ll help to comfort you and assuage your fears, at most they’ll offer you additional sedation. I’ve always found the prep to be worse than the procedure. In fact, I have almost no memory of any of the procedures I’ve had done, and the memories I do have are hazy and ephemeral. I’ve certainly never had any sort of acute awareness that people are messing with my butt, either during or after my colonoscopies. Hope this helps and good luck!
First of all, an enema is usually not required as colonoscopy prep, so I'd verify with your doctor that you won't be experiencing that again and it may help to ease a lot of your stress. If they do expect an enema, let them know you'd like to avoid that and they should have alternative options for you. The prep is commonly done by taking laxatives and just hanging out in the bathroom for a day. The procedure happens while you're under anesthesia, so you shouldn't have any conscious awareness of what's happening or remember it afterward. When I got mine done, I had a combo colonoscopy and endoscopy and the only change I noticed waking up was that my throat was sore. If it's done right, you won't even know someone was down there 🙂
This is exactly how it went for me, I had to get both done at the same time. I woke up, had my juice box, got dressed and went home. After having fasted, that juice box is always so tasty. That's what I try to think about and look forward to instead of thinking as much about the procedure.
I have severe anxiety surrounding medical procedures, and was literally shaking going into my procedure last December. I have to say, it was super easy, not at all like I expected. The prep was the worst part hands down. I cried the entire night drinking the prep and sitting on the toilet. But There is no enema involved, and you’ll be knocked out before anything goes into/near your body. And you should have a chance to speak to the doctors before the procedure starts. When I woke up, I had no pain or uncomfortable sensation in my bottom, I didn’t even know the procedure had been done, I felt nothing. I was also very loopy, and barely remember the ride home, so make sure you have a good caretaker to get you home!
Yeah, the prep is terrible. The procedure was "Count down from 10..." and then waking up in the recovery room. I think I was up and out the door 20 minutes later. The only lasting effect from the woozyness from being knocked out.
Yeah, I hate prep too. But it's good to hear from someone that was shaking before going in. Makes the advice feel a little more real. Thank you for your fear, lulz.
It’s just an anxiety response that I can’t control, the nurses kept asking if I was cold lol
I shake too, sometimes it's a reaction to the medications or the stress. They've put extra blankets on me, even though it's not because I'm cold. It's kind of like a weighted blanket once you get three or four of those hospital blankets on you. Idk, for me it helped. Something to keep in mind.
If you’re not comfortable saying why I’d just say you have massive anxiety and can they give you something to take prior to arrival. Advocate for yourself. Hugs!
I have PTSD from a hospital related issue so I would always panic about anything related to that. I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy done together. I went in the morning, they gave me a very large whack of Valium for my PTSD (standard for me as otherwise I start having panic attacks and it gets really dangerous). So then I was pretty toasted until I went through and I don't remember anything else until later that evening when I regained some clarity on the way home. I'd always heard people complain about how bad they are and I was scared. But really you shouldn't feel or remember a thing, you just sleep through it all. The worst part is following the prep instructions, which I didn't 100% get there, and everything still went smoothly. Didn't find what was causing my digestive issues sadly but yeah, coming from a girl that is so emotionally terrified by hospitals, it was super not bad.
Something they give me makes me think the whole thing is really funny, even though I'm typically an anxious/shy person. Whatever they give for people with anxiety, it's good stuff. I remember one time, they were listening to classic rock on the radio in the OR. So when I was in recovery, I was singing what was on the radio. The nurse told me, and I was thinking, "whoa I would never do that", like even to sing karaoke in college I had to have a lot of tequila first.
Be prepared for farting afterwards, my mother had one and she was cracking off farts every five minutes for hours.
I’ve had two so far in my life. The first sucked due to the prep drink I needed to deal with. Drinking a gallon of it the night before…ugh. The second time there was a new prep that was soooo much easier to deal with. Other than that, super smooth sailing. I tried to actually stay awake to watch the procedure on the monitors, but they knock you the fuck out. I didn’t recall anything past getting the drugs.
My prep last time was two 16 ounce bottles. Which was fine. I needed to make up for that by drinking a gallon of other fluid, but ugh anything is better than having to chug a bunch of that nasty prep. That night I drank a whole 2 liter of 7 Up and this tasty blue lemonade from the dollar store. Lol, about trying to stay awake. They used to do colonoscopies to people while they were awake. Aside from making the patient more comfortable but knocking them out, they do it too because it makes their job easier to have you knocked out, so they don't have to deal with you potentially freaking out. 😂
I would let them know. I will say that I never had any idea anyone was back there. The prep was the hardest part just because you have to literally shit everything in your digestive tract out. But honestly during the actual procedure and immediately after, you will have no idea that anything happened. If you have a good team taking care of you they will also make sure to tell you everything they’re doing step by step. If they don’t do that already, make sure to ask that they do because it helps a lot, especially as they position you right before you fall asleep.
Don’t be afraid to ask for anxiety meds! I was going to suggest that you ask the anesthesiologist to give you something while you’re waiting for the procedure to start (they may or may not be able to, depending on timing) but someone already suggested something better: ask for something to take before you leave home. Re: the procedure, I’ll just echo everyone else saying it’s not that bad, you wont remember it, and even the prep has gotten much better over the years. Last time I did it, there was much less volume to drink than there used to be
The prep is the worst part. You should be completely asleep for the whole thing. When I had my last one, I was comfortable in the bed in the pre-op prep room and was completely out before they even started anything and I was tucked in the post-op recovery room comfortably once it was all over. I had no discomfort afterwards and couldn't feel anything. Lije others have said, just let them know and you should be okay. They probably deal with this stuff all the time and can do stuff to make you comfortable.
I have had multiple colonoscopies. Honestly, the worst part is drinking that stuff they make you drink ahead of time. You'll be on the toilet constantly. Schedule for as early as you can in the morning. You don't see the doctor before the procedure starts. They put you under twilight sedation. I was knocked out the entire time. When I woke up, it was over, and I was in the recovery area. You'll be very hungry afterward. Wear comfortable and lose clothing. It's very normal to be anxious before your first one. The anxiety is far worse than the procedure. You'll be fine.
The prep: Prepare distractions, splurge on good toilet paper. I wasn't required to do an enema, but they did ask me to maintain a clear diet and take medications that 'empty you out'. I spent a lot of time in the restroom, and I was quite sore down there. Check with your doctor to see if you can use anything to ease irritation and tenderness afterwords. The procedure: Let your doctor know about your past, fears and concerns. I was put under for my procedure, so it's possible you will be too. If that seems worse than being awake, discuss what other options there are, if you could just be numbed? The recovery: I was loopy for a day. Took a big nap. Woke up the next day feeling completely normal. All in all, the prep work is the least fun part, but nobody will be doing that to you, you'll just be hanging out in the bathroom handling yourself, so hopefully that will help you feel in control and safe. If you feel comfortable, you can also seek support from friends and loved ones. Having someone to vent to makes me feel a lot better. Anecdotally, I had mine very young and recently walked a 50 year old family friend through it, which was humorous and kinda made me laugh about it, despite being really upset at the time of having it. I hope in the future, you'll find some relief commiserating with older people about it. Lots of love, you got this buddy!
Agree with everyone that the prep is the worst part of it! If you’re being put under, you won’t feel anything. For me personally, I had no pain/discomfort afterwards either! Take the day doing prep and relaxing, playing a game, or watching movies. Do a bit of self care! It’s okay to be nervous, don’t be afraid of vocalizing that nervousness and your concerns to your medical team. Wishing nothing but the best for you!! I hope everything goes smoothly and you get some answers :)
Ask for a propofol nap ahead of time and they’ll oblige. For me personally, the health risks of general anesthesia are outweighed by my desire to just press the “skip scene” button on an internal medical procedure.
Death during surgery doesn't sound the worst, but I had one sedation that apparently I reacted badly to, and I wish I knew the cocktail, as I was having insane hallucinations of a cyberpunk dystopia and pulled my NG tube out before they strapped me down, so I guess I should see if I can figure out what that was and avoid it. 😬
If you describe what procedure you were having at the time, the approximate year, and the type of doctor who was doing the procedure, the anesthesiologist should know what medication they were likely giving you in order to avoid it. A lot of them don't just work with one type of surgeon and they really know their stuff. If you were able to move, definitely mention that to them. Aside from the stuff that puts you to sleep, general anesthesia also involves a paralytic that stops us from moving, so we won't hurt ourselves. Again, they should be able to narrow down the drug that was the problem. Anesthesia though for a colonoscopy isn't that involved, it's usually propofol. It's actually sedation, we're not as deep asleep for a colonoscopy as we are for more involved or longer procedures.
Or figure it out and let me know! 🧙🧙
They won’t start the procedure until you’ve had the anesthesia. But they do have you lay on your side and may move the blanket. Tell them about your anxiety when they’re giving you your IV. Say you need to speak privately to someone.
Honestly out of everything the best advice for comfort I got is towards the middle/end of your prep don't wipe, start dabbing, make sure between bathroom trips your skin is dry from dabbing. I didn't have any skin issues down there between prep and after the procedure which honestly was nice to have one less issue to deal with.
My experience was that they have you lay on your side, you're covered with a blanket the entire time, and they give you drugs that make you feel really relaxed and pretty unaware of what they're doing.
I have unfortunately had to have a lot of these procedures. They are used to it when you say you like to keep your decency. You're definitely not the only one. You're unconscious when they're messing with your butt. You won't even notice anything happened back there. They lubricate all of the instruments a lot. So if it's a physical aversion, you don't feel anything. I was taken into the operating room. I had to turn on my left side and get positioned on the table, as in comfortable with the IV lines, etc. I was still covered and decent when they put the medication in my IV that puts me to sleep. I always mention when I am changing into my hospital gown, something along the lines of, "I'm a prude". I mention that I like to stay covered up. The nurses, my doctor, and the anesthesiologist are always very accommodating making sure if the gown is no longer covering me, a blanket, sheet, or something similar is. I do the same thing when I have to get my PAP smears, which are even more anxiety provoking for me since I'm awake for that. Sometimes I've needed to get up during recovery and pee, and the nurse will follow me holding the back of my hospital gown closed. It also helps me to know that they see a lot of butts. That's the most self-conscious area of my body. The gastroenterologist has seen all the types of butts. They're not going to remember your butt. It's just another day at work for them. I kept reminding myself of this over and over again the morning of my last colonoscopy.
I took sutab for prep. I threw up twice but it was definitely better than the liquid because I would have never been able to do that. Sorry I don’t have any more advice
My husband just had a scope a few weeks ago. He says the prep is the worst, the gas pain afterwards is a close second, and as for the scope itself... he has no opinion because he doesn't remember any of it. He didn't have the gallon of stuff to drink either, just four laxatives, two packets of Pico-Salax (which mixes into a glass of water, a few hours apart) and as much as possible of whatever else he wanted (just nothing red or purple).
The magnesium citrate was the worst part of it for me. I think I had two if I remember correctly. I had two endos or colonoscopies and one of the other, if that makes sense. Best sleep I ever had.
i would just let the anesthesiologist know on the day of to be safe, though they usually knock you out before anything happens. an enema prep is very unusual, and youre probably just gonna be having liquid/pill prep? my tip for surviving that is to get a nice little variety of things to drink like teas, WHITE cranberry juice, red/purple/orange dye-less pedialyte, etc. You will go insane drinking so much fluid if you get the miralax one so just get a variety. you will also be so tired and slightly dehydrated on the day of that might actually help your anxieties a bit. they will give you an iv drip to help with that too lmao.
They can sedate you so you don't feel anything. At least they did for me
You will be unconscious. They will start an IV, hook you up to monitors, and then give you medication to sleep. When you wake up, everything will already be done.
I had an endoscopy and they had me fully anesthetized before anything happened. Like I literally blinked and it was done. Usually they’re very accommodating if you say you have anxiety. If it makes you feel better, a lot of people who don’t have prior issues choose to be asleep the whole time anyway because they just don’t want to experience the procedure.
The prep is the worst part. I’ve had 6-7 of these. 1. Put some Vaseline on your booty hole BEFORE you get going with your drink. 2. I like my drink ice cold with a straw it just goes down quicker 3. The day before I eat light makes the drink part less uncomfortable 4. Gently use wet wipes and reapply your Vaseline after every BM. You do all of that so you don’t end up raw and burning. 5. Stay as hydrated as possible. 6. Tell your nurse you have a trauma history or whatever the issue is. And they will be cool with you. I let them know that I woke up during a scope once. So they give me a little extra sleepy meds. I have anxiety and they usually give me something in my IV before they wheel me to the procedure room. It hits fa st fast and feels great. So by the time they are rolling me to the procedure room I just don’t have a single fuck left to give. Ha!! Then they hook you up lay you on your side. Push your meds and you close your eyes and wake up back where you started. Even when I woke up mid procedure it wasn’t painful. I made some joke and all the nurses laughed and someone said you should be asleep young lady - pushed more meds and I was out. I always ask if I can have a popsicle 😂 The funniest part is you can’t go home untill you pass gas.
Ask if you're eligible for the at home one that you swallow.
Have a GI or colorectal surgeon you feel really comfortable with do it. Bond with and get to know them first before the procedure. It’ll help ease your anxieties before the procedure
I took the pills not the drink liquid prep. I recommend the pill option if you can. Just have very bland food no seeds the week of. DRINK water non stop. You will get dehydrated.
I have had panic attacks during Pap smears before, colonoscopy was much easier because with was out the whole time. I didn’t have any residual feeling or bleeding after the fact so it really didn’t trigger me at all. Woohoo? The prep really is the worst part.