First time surgery

[Deskgrunt50]

Also thanks. And I’m definitely getting it done. I just didn’t think I’d be nervous as the big day approaches. But the, uh, flood gates open in a couple of weeks.

 

[Bud_Bundy]

I've had 3 colonoscopies. As others have said, the prep is the worst part of it. No getting around it. The procedure is painless. My second one, I didn't even realize I had gone under. I guess I woke up near the end and asked the guy when he was going to start. He laughed and said he was amost done. I'm good now until 2027

 

[TigerVols]

Elsewhere on the site is a colonoscopy thread that I found extremely informative.

 

[Songbird]

Thx. Good to hear real-life experience.

Nurse said to count backward from 10. I was out at 8.

 

[outofplace]

Not surgery, but I have a colonoscopy coming up. And I’m oddly nervous about it.

I know what’s coming with the prep and I’m prepared for that awfulness.

I haven’t been put under since college when I got my wisdom teeth out. And it was a terrible experience. I woke up in the middle of it. And the anesthesia made me violently ill after. Throwing up repeatedly with a mouthful of stitches and gauze is something I don’t recommend.

I’m sure the nerves are irrational. Tho, a close friend had an colonoscopy and some mistake led to significant bleeding and he passed out on his bathroom floor. He had an emergency trip to hospital and could’ve bled out.

I’m sure that’s not gonna happen. But it’s there in my stupid brain.

I’ll get propofol, which I’ve heard is a pretty great nap. But something about getting knocked and being totally helpless is unsettling to me.

I know some folks here have been through this it. My fear is unfounded, right?

The fear is understandable given your own experience and what your friend went through, but as others posted, the procedure itself is no problem at all. I had a little trouble when I was knocked out for a corneal transplant 20 years ago, but had no such problems with my colonoscopy five years ago. (Yeah, I know. I'm due and will have my next one this summer.)

The process that day can be unnerving if you go in worried about it. Keep reminding yourself this is routine stuff. I thought the positioning before they put me out was embarrassing/funny. It also gave me some sympathy for my GI doctor. Not a view I'd want.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I thought the positioning before they put me out was embarrassing/funny. It also gave me some sympathy for my GI doctor. Not a view I'd want.

Haha so true. All day long, they get views no one else would ever want.

 

[dixiehack]

Spare a thought for the post-op nurse who has to check the box saying you successfully farted before they can send you home.

 

[ChrisLong]

I've had maybe 10 colonoscopies and a number of endoscopies (down the throat stomach exam). Mostly, both of these are done at the same time -- I jokingly remind them not to mix up the scopes.
About 25 years ago during a colon procedure, I was sedated, but not put out. I watched on the monitor as the scope went through my intestines. "Hey, what's that brown spot? What does that bump mean?" It was not a problem. For the most recent, I've been totally out, as had been mentioned above.
I have no fear of these exams anymore, just do it and let me go home. But I need to get my cataracts removed very soon and I'm feeling a lot of anxiety over this.

 

[outofplace]

I've had maybe 10 colonoscopies and a number of endoscopies (down the throat stomach exam). Mostly, both of these are done at the same time -- I jokingly remind them not to mix up the scopes.
About 25 years ago during a colon procedure, I was sedated, but not put out. I watched on the monitor as the scope went through my intestines. "Hey, what's that brown spot? What does that bump mean?" It was not a problem. For the most recent, I've been totally out, as had been mentioned above.
I have no fear of these exams anymore, just do it and let me go home. But I need to get my cataracts removed very soon and I'm feeling a lot of anxiety over this.

Oddly enough, my GI doctor told me the insurance company won't let them do the colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time any more. I asked why and he made a gesture about money.

The last thing I want to see is whatever that camera is seeing.

 

[ChrisLong]

Oddly enough, my GI doctor told me the insurance company won't let them do the colonoscopy and endoscopy at the same time any more. I asked why and he made a gesture about money.

The last thing I want to see is whatever that camera is seeing.

Hmmm. I didn't know that, but it kind of fits. I've heard that clinic doctors can only treat one thing per visit. If you have a wrenched knee and a sore throat, it takes two appointments.

 

[Deskgrunt50]

I was going to do the endoscopy at the same time as well, but the doc told me the billing for the anesthesia has been a major issue. We have great insurance but it was still a coverage issue.

Not sure if that’s the issue across the board, but it’s definitely why I’m not getting both.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

I woke up about halfway through my last colonoscopy. I thought it was bad, and didn't like opening my eyes to an internal view of my nether regions.

I clearly remember asking if I was supposed to be awake for this, and the doc's reply was absolutely dropping with condescention: "(Sigh) ... You're fine."

 

[dixiehack]

The guy who did the anesthesia for my endoscopies had me down for the count in an instant and I was awake for absolutely nothing. When you finally get wheeled in to see him he has the classic rock cranked up to the max, which is fine by me. It did make me a touch nervous that the last thing I heard before taking the mask was Spirit in the Sky.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

FWIW, I've had an endoscopy done at the same time as both of my colonoscopies, the most recent just a few months ago. So whatever issues exist, they aren't universal.

 

[MileHigh]

I just had my second one a few months ago.

The prep sucks.

The procedure itself could not be easier. The propofol kicks ass. Puts you under quickly, great little nap, no side effects at all. I had to get teeth pulled when I was a kid, and I also puked for hours after I came to. Absolutely none of that here. Groggy for a few minutes after I woke up, then totally fine.

Your friend's emergency ass bleed is very much an outlier. My experience has been really easy and really smooth both times.

Will also echo this having had four of them.

 

[BYH 2: Electric Boogaloo]

The guy who did the anesthesia for my endoscopies had me down for the count in an instant and I was awake for absolutely nothing. When you finally get wheeled in to see him he has the classic rock cranked up to the max, which is fine by me. It did make me a touch nervous that the last thing I heard before taking the mask was Spirit in the Sky.

Better than Tears In Heaven, Last Kiss or Fly To The Angels.

 

[Brooklyn Bridge]

I had an appendectomy a while back and after passing out at home, I don't remember a thing. Woke up in the hospital to the doc saying the appendix has to come out and then again several hours later in the recovery room.

The colonoscopy wasn't a big deal, but since my appendix was out, I had to get it done at the hospital, rather than an outpatient clinic.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

No pun intended, but my colonoscopy went a lot smoother than my three wisdom teeth coming out,

I was out cold for my colonoscopy. Not so for my wisdom teeth. There weren’t many oral surgeons who were in-network with my insurance. The surgeon I found said he didn’t do nitrous oxide and he would only be using Novocain. Not thrilled, but he did have excellent reviews on the usual online ratings sites. His waiting room was spotless, with some nice exotic fish in this huge tank.

When he started , he was struggling to shoot the Novocain in and when he did, it hurt like hell. Then he was yanking me all over the dentist chair. At several points, he was, “I think we’ll have to do this in the hospital.” Now you ****ing tell me, Doc? When my wisdom teeth are half-in, half-out?

Finally got the teeth out as I had just started my new job and didn’t have many sick days to burn, didn’t want to have to finish the extractions in the hospital and told the guy to just get the ****ing teeth out already.

Later, I had a bad molar removed, but went to a different surgeon that was further away from home, but still in-network with insurance. Their waiting room looked like it hadn’t been cleaned in years. I was nervous as hell, but they put me out and I woke up with gauze in my mouth and feeling a lot better than I did with that other guy.

 

[I Should Coco]

Fly To The Angels.

A classic late-1980s power ballad!

Also a textbook “do not attempt” on karaoke night.

 

[Dog8Cats]

Two colonscopies. Will echo everyone who says the prep is rugged, the procedure serene.

My mistake after the first one was not getting my blood sugar back up AS SOON AS I COULD after coming to. If you're ever looking for an excuse to drink the "hard stuff" when it comes to soda (you know, the good-tasting soda that doesn't have Diet in its name), this is it.