Has anyone done colonoscopy? How painful it is?

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NedNoodle83@reddit

Why mostly for women? We all have mouths and arses lol.

I've had both and an endoscopy is far more unpleasant than a colonoscopy.

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Far-Stranger-270@reddit

“We all have mouths and arses”

Down with this sort of thing!

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TraLawr@reddit

I can second this.

The colonoscopy had times when it was painful tbh, but I'm glad I went through it. The consequences of not having it can be much worse in the long term.

The day before, not being allowed any food and drinking the clear out stuff is quite unpleasant too.

I do recommend taking any sedation and gas & air that's available, don't make it harder on yourself than it needs to be.

And look forward to the sweet time when it's all over and you can eat again!

Good luck.

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Guz123@reddit

khazi

u/TraLawr any issues from drinkin the prep ?

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Ok - lesson of the day: always take the drugs!! I had an endoscopy, they put me out for it and the hardest part was getting in the awkward position for the procedure (which wasn’t a big deal at all) and didn’t even have a sore throat or anything after. Need a colonoscopy next - hopefully it’ll be just as easy! I have heard the prep is NOT fun - but maybe I’ll lose a couple pounds! Oh, and, you know, find out I don’t have cancer lol

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RoughExtension5922@reddit

Had mine today and it hurt. I'm not saying people don't feel much pain, because there's a lot of people online who say it's painless. BUT there are a lot of people (like me) who found it to be a horrible experience.

I wasn't offered any sedation, only had gas & air which did nothing. I am a man who has tattoos on his rib and ankle, had head surgery for 7 hours whilst awake, piercings and therefore I classify myself as someone who has a high pain tolerance.

But this was horrendous, I was crying it was so painful. I could feel my insides moving around and it felt like I needed to explode. Maybe they used too much air? I'm not sure. I don't want to scare you because to reiterate, there's a lot of people who feel nothing, but there's others who vouch never to have the procedure again. Push for sedation if it's offered, it's a horrible, horrible experience

The trapped wind and bloated stomach after was horrible. I feel pins and needles all around my groin, the urge to fart but cannot is painful, the stretched stomach is sore...it's all just horrendous. I truly cannot believe how bad it was and I know I'm not in the minority

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Careful-Knowledge770@reddit

I know this is really old but I’m here because I feel freaking lied to! Literally everything that I read said that the prep was thé worst part. NO. The colonoscopy was unbelievably painful. I’ve had two unmedicated vaginal childbirths and this had me in tears the entire time. What the actual fuck. I don’t know if the meds just didn’t work or what, but I felt every damn turn and twist of that camera.

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clizzle19@reddit

I had a colonoscopy a few months ago with no sedation. Wasn't even half as bad as i thought it would be, just a bit uncomfortable when they put air in and going round the bends. Was only there for about 90 mins.

The prep is the hardest bit but even that wasn't that bad.

Edit: Thinking about it the prep wasn't the worst the worse thing about the whole thing is the anxiety leading up to it. If you have problems which i assume you have otherwise you wouldn't be having it. I was thinking all the time "what if they find something bad what if i have cancer" was a scary kind of 2 weeks waiting. Thankfully in my case just a couple of small non cancerous polyps.

Was a huge weight off my mind afterwards. Id advise if you need to have one please don't put it off because you are scared as it could literally save your life.

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Vanilla-Oddment@reddit

Thank you 🙏

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Only-Commercial8810@reddit

just to ask you ... did they remove your polyps there on spot or you had to go back in again?

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clizzle19@reddit

Yeah there and then, easy peasy

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Guz123@reddit

u/clizzle19 i take ssris for anxiety can i do the prep ? is it ssafe ?

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hayleymalayley@reddit

I'd like to add my two cents here.

I just had a colonoscopy today. I had to do the movi prep bowel cleanse. Drinking that stuff was vile but manageable. I had to drink a litre of it split into 4 so 250mls every 15 minutes. I needed the loo about 1hr 15mins after the first drink. I will add that by the last drink I felt very full and sick. Then I had to do it again the next day. No eating for 24 hours and only clear fluids allowed. I had sedation which was basically a tiny bit of something to kind of unclench everything. It wasn't a lot. They gave me fentanyl and told me I could have gas and air if I get pain. I had an inflamed terminal ileum which is the last part of large bowel connecting to the small bowel, so he really had to travel all the way through to get there and it's quite twisty and bendy. Well, I will tell you know I felt it. The entering was not too bad but the travelling through the pipe and having to bend round the corners and stretch me, hurt. It wasn't slightly uncomfortable, I cried out in pain. They didn't give me any gas and air so I had to struggle through and every time there was a bend it HURT, like he had to count and then shove it round while I was doing deep breaths. He had to take biopsies, I watch this be done. Like a little claw that dug a piece of my flesh out and you see the blood. He took five. Didn't feel that really, felt a slight tug. Anyway, then I spent the rest of the day throwing up from the fentanyl. I would not have it again and by everyone else's comments it isn't supposed to hurt like that. Maybe it's because I'm small ? 5ft petite woman. Maybe it's because I can feel my insides and that's a rare thing. I am very in tune with my body. If I needed another I would request to be put to sleep. Now I'm a bit better sickness wise but getting cramping pain all over bowels.

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Crochet-panther@reddit

I’m female and had colonoscopy with sedation, was absolutely fine, I was quite happily lying there watching psychedelic patterns appear on the walls. I was terrified going in but honestly once I had it done I’d have them again no issue.

The only downside is the prep drink!

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Guz123@reddit

u/Crochet-panther why the prep any side effects vomiting or something as i have anxiety i dnt want it to worsen....

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Crochet-panther@reddit

No side effects, but the one I had (and most of them from what others have said) tasted absolutely vile.

Basically you have to drink two litres of something which in my case tasted like someone had heard about lemonade and tried to create it without using anything but artificial flavourings. And as it kicks in you then spend hours on the toilet expelling everything your bowel has even thought about.

My top tips are use a straw to minimise contact with taste buds, put a table in your bathroom so you have somewhere to put the pitcher of stuff, glass etc, take a book or other activities in with you and stick up with wet wipes because normal toilet paper feels like sandpaper after a while.

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Guz123@reddit

u/Crochet-panther even if i have gastritis is it safe ? and second wont this allow to loose too much electrolytes ?

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Crochet-panther@reddit

I’m not a doctor so no idea, ask the consultant who orders the test if you’re unsure

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oneweasel@reddit

I spent about a month before mine desperately reading people’s experiences and I wish I’d have known this was a possibility even if it’s not a lovely thing to hear:

My colonoscopy was the most pain I have ever been in, even with conscious sedation and gas and air. I thought I was going to die and that they must have punched right through my colon, but no apparently that’s just how it feels - just how I imagine using a machete or a white hot poker as a dildo would feel. The sedation didn’t take away the pain, but rather made everything else distant until the only thing I could feel or be aware of was the pain, nothing else existed for me. Needless to say they didn’t get anywhere close to finishing it before my screams grew so loud they had to stop.

I’ve broken and dislocated bones, got tattoos, piercings, endometriosis- nothing came close to this. I’m female, 4ft10, 95lbs and 25 years old with possible IBD - so maybe some of these factors played a part in how painful it was for me.

The chances of it being this painful for anyone else is slim, thankfully, so you shouldn’t let this stop you from getting it (this stuff saves lives, get it done)- but I wished someone would have given me a heads up that this was a possibility

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Guz123@reddit

u/oneweasel any update all good results ? ughh this made me afraid as i take anxiety meds and heightened anxiety issues was the prep easy ? and what do u mean by " The chances of it being this painful for anyone else is slim "

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oneweasel@reddit

Prep was not at all as bad as people say, as someone who is also wracked with anxiety and on antidepressants (if you’re even slightly concerned about mixing the meds and sedation it sounds like it’s fine but definitely give endoscopy a call and they’ll put your mind at ease like they did for me). It’s briefly unpleasant (as shitting liquid usually is) and then it’s over and you can relax and get some sleep. I binge watched Taskmaster 😂

As for it probably won’t be as painful for you - I found out today that they think my endometriosis has spread to my bowel which is apparently pretty common (but not always) for hurting like a bitch! So if you don’t have endometriosis you already have a much better chance for a good experience!

Even better news is that if you say stop they absolutely will. The doctor asked if I just needed a break or if I was done, when I said done he stopped no questions asked. I was wrapped in a warm blanket and wheeled to recover and the pain faded crazy fast into just a dull ache. They absolutely will not make you carry on if you can’t! You always have the option!

I’be now agreed to another one under full sedation, so if on the rare chance it is difficult for you there might be other options. So I’d recommend breathing deep, trying your best and remember even if it feels awful 1) you can stop anytime and the pain goes immediately and 2) it’s for a good cause! Best of luck to you!

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Accurate_Purple1635@reddit

Had endo and colo at the same time, sedated me, didn't feel a thing. Honestly the worst part is the moviprop shit they give you to drink, I had to be force funneled it because it made me gag so bad I couldn't even force myself to drink it.

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Guz123@reddit

funneled

any vomiting from prep because i have anxiety issues and am under meds u/Accurate_Purple1635.... is it allowed to drink half of it ?

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AboutWithNemo@reddit

Sorry to jump on an old topic. I just have a question.

When I told a bunch of people I was going in for a Flex Sig, someone told me that they have to first check you to see if you have piles etc before sticking the camera in. I seemed to remember that I have one large external hemmaroid near my anus and also a small bit of skin at the top of my anus that sometimes bleeds when I go toilet (not all the time, depends on how big what I'm passing is).

I know the real answer is to wait and see but I'm just a bit curious if people know whether these things are likely to cause them issues when doing the exam.

Sorry and cheers