A couple of questions about a Colonoscopy...?

Question

My mother is going for a consult for a colonsocopy. She is scared out of her wits and thinking of cancelling the consult!...Im trying to ease her mind but im not sure what to say...Could someone please educate me on the subject? Will she be able to drive herself home afterwards? Is it painful?..etc..etc...
Thanks!

Answer 1

The worst aspect of a colonoscopy is the preparation. Your bowel must be completely empty. Therefore, beginning the day before, you can't eat any solid food. Then, you have to drink a rather large quantity (a gallon) of a foul-tasting liquid that will result in about 3 hours of the most insane diarrhea you can imagine. The colonoscopy itself isn't painful. You are given ":twilight sedation". That means you won't remember anything about it. It's just as if you are asleep, except that you can hear and respond to directions. That's about it.

Answer 2

She'll be loopy and will only be released to the person driving her home, not a cab. Here's what I have to say to her:
Dear mom: I had my first colonoscopy last year, and during the month before it, I knew in my heart I was going to cancel the appointment because, well, jeez, I just couldn't stand the thought of how it all starts out. I wasn't bothered about the idea of the camera going around my intestines, having seen so much of that on TV, it's just not a threat. I couldn't deal with knowing the Dr. was going to insert something into my behind (please, we haven't even dated . . .). As the day got closer I struggled with my thoughts, knowing it was a smart thing to do, but I simply didn't want to. So, I turned my focus onto the Dr. I thought," yeah, he's seen a lot of bums, he sure doesn't care and won't remember mine once it's moved on." Then I started really appreciating what he had to do, getting through medical school, to be in a position to help me (us) this way. I realized, "this is the way he wants to help people, this is what he chose to do, and he cares enough to perform this service that he's not grossed out." When I stepped away, mentally, from my point of view, and considered a different perspective, my fear and trepidation subsided . . . it was reduced to simple embarrassment, which was much easier to deal with. Hey, they've got the best medication for that! Trust me! No pain, no remembrance of the duration of the procedure; the nurses were responsive to my jokes (before the meds), they had a great sense of humor and after all was said and done, I can honestly say it was no big deal. I expect I'll have to go through these steps again, tho', when it's time for another one, because really, ICK !!! The stuff I used for cleaning out the day/night before was only a few ounces of yucky, salty stuff (gag, ptooey), and a lot of water, THAT's the bad part, the worst part. Ya' gotta' make up your mind to get it down, then sit on the toilet!

Now, cut and paste this into a Word document (or somewhere), and print it out for your mom.
ps/I'm no young kid, I'm a BABY BOOMER! Rock on!

Answer 3

A little info I think should be considered about this drug Versed ( Midazolam ) that is used for Sedation for many medical procedures..Sedation and General Anesthesia are not the same and quite a few people being given Sedation
think they are being given General Anesthesia!

There is simply no good or valid reason to ever purposely induce amnesia during a medical procedure. It is only a recent development in medical thinking that amnesia is somehow a "benefit" to the patient. On occasion some
some patients will remember a bad experience. Forgetting does not mean it did not happen!!
I feel that if people were aware of the effects of this drug they would Opt For Another Drug!
Erasing someones memory of what was done to them is wrong!!
In fact, many people who use Versed for " IV Sedation,Conscious Sedation" Twilight Sedation, during a procedure are Awake For The Entire Procedure but remember nothing, often Believing They Were "Out" the whole time.

Versed (Midazolam) is an amnestic. It is also commonly used for minor procedures like setting broken bones,colonoscopies,endoscopies, dental procedures like extractions,conscious sedation,twilight sleep, so that patients won't remember pain and discomfort.HOWEVER THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THOSE SENSATIONS WILL NOT BE EXPERIENCED!!!!

A note from an anesthesiologist
I agree that using midazolam alone in painful situations is wrong. I've heard people getting colonoscopies and screaming, and maybe they remember, maybe they don't.

A note I got from someone on Yahoo Answers who did have a bad experience..This is very disconcerting... My sister said she heard me screaming from the waiting room but assumed it wasn't me. When we left we heard another female patient screaming. I did a lot of research since your post, thanks so much for the info.

Here is a note from a Dentist Who uses Versed
I've used Versed 1000+ times during oral surgery procedures and I've never had a complaint. It's a miracle drug because it is safe and it causes you to not remember an unpleasant experience. My answer to him is isn't it better to have not experienced the pain than to have forgot it. No wonder you have had no complaints they have no memory of the procedure.....

I feel that giving a drug for amnesia is cruel I would not want it done to me!

A strange development in medical thinking that it's okay for a patient to have
pain as long as they don't remember it and think they slept thru the procedure..


Here is a link for some info

http://www.freehelpforcancer.com/manages-meds/sedation

Answer 4

Colonoscopy is the minimally invasive endoscopic examination of the large colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions. Virtual colonoscopy, which uses 2D and 3D imagery reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans or from nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) scans, is also possible, as a totally non-invasive medical test, although it is not standard and still under investigation regarding its diagnostic abilities.

GO TO:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonoscopy

Answer 5

no she will need to be driven home because they medicate her and she may fall asleep while the do the procedure. My husband had it done and she won't feel any pain if she stays awake she can watch this is what my husband did. Before hand I forget what it was called but she'll have to drink it the day before to clean her system and she'll be going to the bathroom alot but not to worry about having anything left in her system because there is also suction that will clear it out of there when they are looking.

Answer 6

Do not let her cancel. The worst part is getting cleaned out before the procedure. She will need someone to drive her home because she will be given something to relax her. It can be a little uncomfortable, but it's not to bad during the test itself. My mom had one done at christmas time and found she had stage one colon cancer , it was removed and now she is cancer free.

Answer 7

your talking about an colonoscopy not a colposcopy right! your talking about the rectum? tell her not to worry a second, it's just a consult nothing bad can happen there. in that appointment she needs to share her concerns so they can perscribe her something to calm her nerves the day of the procedure or they can answer ANY question she may have, no need to worry . GOOD LUCK

Answer 8

She cannot drive herself home, it is not painful, she might not enjoy fasting for 24+ hours.

My mother recently had a colonoscopy and they made her drink a solution to clean her system before the procedure and it made her want to vomit supposedly.

Answer 9

there is not pain involved at all...you are given a drug that makes you unaware of what is going on...she should probably not drive herself as the effects of the drug can last long after the proceedure....the worst part of the colonsocopy is the prep the night before....all the drinking and well the "cleansing of your colon" ...go with her and be her support if shes over 50 she should have this done.

Answer 10

its not painful if they sedate you first...and if so...then she cant drive home by herself...the procedure was nothing...the not eating and drinking that vile stuff first was painful...

a good friend of mines mother kept putting off brain surgery cause she was deathly afraid, and for good reason...now she is a vegetable in a wheelchair in an old foks home at 54 years old...cause she didnt do it....

sometimes the test is nothing compared to the consequences of not taking it...