It’s not as bad as some people think:
A breeze was an overstatement. I can honestly say that if it made medical sense to get one done every year, i would have no problem with it. It was easy and breezy.
Once I got into the Gastro Room where they did these, they told me that they were going to knock me out, and I would get a nap and wake up like nothing happened . They were right. One minute I’m talking rugby, the next I’m waking up, picking up the conversation where I left off and being told to “dispell [sic] the air in my system”.
No where else can you rip off some huge farts and have 3 nurses and a doctor, while maintaining a very professional demeanor, tell you that you aren’t done yet and demand that you let loose a few more.
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{ 8 comments }
Can I just note, for the record, that Mark Cuban is …a man.
Every colon is God’s own creation, but men typically have the easiest time during and after colonoscopy procedure.
Thin white,premenopausal women, on the other hand, can have a terrible time. Some do better with a pediatric scope.
Other than having smaller sphincters, how exactly do thin white premenopausal women manage to have a tougher time with this procedure??
I am so tired of hearing about the wonderful health care in Cuba on this blog.
I have colonoscopy every year or two and usually forego the anesthesia so I can watch the video monitor as I am scoped. After reading the recent article about how the time spent scoping a person has a lot to do with whether anything is found I like a good, long look, not a quicky. And everyone experienced know it is the prep, not the scope, that is the tough part.
Anonymous 4:03 PM
Is your name Emily Latella?
anonymous 4:03pm may be Emily Litella.
But, he/she is right that the laxative job on your bowels before the procedure is the worst part from the patient’s side. The commode will be your closest friend
in the 24 hours before the study.
There’s also concern that the ingredients in the laxative that’s used may raise blood pressure too much.
“Is your name Emily Latella?”
And I would appreciate you not dispelling my name! What are you, Cuban doctors?
I’m not sure how Anonymous can go through a colonoscopy without some kind of analgesia. My colonoscopy started out OK (I faked being wide awake until the doctor gave me another shot to really knock me out) but then something went wrong as he was trying to snip out a small polyp. It felt like he was using ice tongs and vicegrips to rip my guts out. Anesthesia or no, I came wide awake shouting “More sedation” “Shit!” and “Doc, that REALLY hurts!” “Just 15 more seconds” sez the Doc. It seemed like 15 minutes until he finally pulled the scope out of my butt.
Now, I’ve had three kidney stones in my career, and I would say that the pain was right up there with them. I know everyone wants everyone else to think “It’s a breeze”, so that everyone else will have one too – for their own good, but my colonoscopy HURT LIKE HELL and I was sore for days afterwards. And no, I do not have colitis or IBS. The doctor told me I wouldn’t remember anything. Oh, Yeah? Maybe I should forget to pay the $750.00 my insurance didn’t cover….
Two drugs are usually given for colonoscopy: a little pain-killer (fentanyl or meperidine); and an “amnesia” drug usually Versed (midazolam) which is given under the guise “something to relax you” not true. it’s given so that you can’t do much except bear the agony and they hope that the drug will make you forget a terrible event. It doesn’t work on a lot of people; check out the website versedbusters then decide if you want this awful stuff and a possible lifetime of nightmares. If you have an experienced endoscopist who will take time to let the excess air out, you might not even ask for the pain-killer….I write on the consent “no sedation”. painkiller only if I ask for it…and I have one yearly with no problems….too many patients abused with versed and it’s the drug most often used..
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