I understand that no sedation is standard in Europe. I’ll take the drugs.
The first SuPrep wasn’t terrible. Things went out smoothly about 30 minutes after the drink and stopped after an hour. I took it at 6pm. It’s 10pm now and I’ll try to sleep. The alarm is set for 4am for Round 2.
They told me it was going to sting when they injected my anesthesia - I assume propofol from that comment and how easily I woke up. But I didn’t feel it. I remember being fine, then the room spinning briefly, then waking up.
Good luck, @hajario! Hope your day is as easy, and your news is as good, as mine was.
All gowned up and waiting for the IV.
See you on the other side.
I’ve never had to deal with the excess lube - maybe they do that before I wake up!
For me the propofol is the best part. I mean, I’ve never done any other drugs, it’s the only fun I ever get! (but I absolutely understand your reasoning in avoiding it!! )
I’m done. One 10mm polyp found in the sigmoid so I’m back in five years. Also first degree hemorrhoids which surprised me. The polyp is a little bigger than the last ones. They had to put a clip on it which I’ll pass in the next couple of weeks. They said not to get an MRI for the next few days.
I got fentanyl and Versed so twilight sleep and I got to watch the process. Time to eat
Yay on a mostly-good outcome!
Your polyp must be the pedunculated (stalk) kind, if they clipped it; I’d actually never heard of that. I grow the sessile (flat) sort.
Michael Jackson loved the drug.
I’m jealous. There are all sorts of medical things that are more complicated when the sedation is a problem. Which it is for me. But fortunately, it’s a very minor problem for colonoscopies, and comes with some fringe benefits, like not needing to arrange a ride.
I had a pedunculated polyp on my last test. I remember because in the propofol haze I thought he said badonkadonk. 
So “we have removed a badonkadonk”
I bet you woke up.
Don’t know about the rest of Europe, but propofol is the standard for Switzerland.
Me as well. Fortunately small enough that I only go every 5 years. Based on family history (my dad, whose father had colon cancer), I’ll probably go every 5 years until I’m 80.
The standards vary a lot by country
Unsedated colonoscopy: A neverending story - PMC)%5B9%5D.
In Finland only 6% of colonoscopies are performed with sedation[8], whereas in Norway the mean sedation rate is 37% (range 6%-97%)[9]. A recent Italian survey reported that 45% of patients underwent colonoscopy without sedation or analgesia, 44% were sedated by intravenous benzodiazepines with/without narcotics, and only 3% were given propofol[10]. In a study which included 33 district hospitals in Portugal, sedation was used in 25% of the procedures[11].
And this is why we do this! Congrats on nothing worse.
Fascinating article!
@puzzlegal , do they establish an IV on you beforehand in case of emergency?
I need to remember to ask how they do the inflation at our clinic. Someone mentioned once that with CO2, there is less tendency to have massive farts, and indeed I have not had those since my very first one. I feel cheated!!
My recent one had a 1 cm (10 mm) polyp as well but I grew that one in less than a year, which is why I’m still on a yearly schedule - that’s a size where the cancer risk really soars. My procedure in 2012 had an even larger one than that, 18 months after my first scope, which got me another one 4 months later, to make sure they’d gotten it all, and another one 6 months after that. That was a fun year.
I expect I’ll go every year or three until I’m well into my 80s, with this history. I think the general advice is until 70 or so if you’ve had good results, and up to about 85 otherwise. Dunno what would happen if one at 85 turned up dangerous polyps - I hope that, if I was otherwise in decent shape, they wouldn’t cut me off!! My doc did once tell me he had a patuent in his 80s who did one we very 6 months.
That varies by practice. The last time, they did.
And another one done – chilling at home after having had my latest. Sez here “one 1mm polyp of diminutive appearance” so that is headed for the lab, and see ya in 5 years if that clears. The propofol was no prob (went into an established IV line) and came and went fine as far as I can tell. Got over with it earlier than expected. This crew is a well-oiled machine (ok, kind of awkward metaphor, but it’ll do), sat there a while waiting for my ride, gave me a chance to get my footing back.
Sure, we all agree, Dr. McCoy’s medical tricorder and feinberger can’t get invented quick enough. But until then, you don’t have to like it but the alternative is worse.
Hopefully nothing important from the polyp, but at least it’s gone! Congrats.
I was inspired by this thread. Last year I mailed one in that came up negative. Yet this year my dr told me to get a colonscopy that came up positive. Good thing I did extra tests!
I won the colonoscopy lottery! Just did my first one last week after putting it off and nothing was found so now I can wait another 10 years until I have to chug a gallon of disgustipating slime, all while nearly starving to death.
Didn’t have a better place to post an update about my Mom, so I figured I’d bump this thread.
After a bunch of dramatic drops in her CEA blood test, the last three have been going up a bit. CEA is a loose marker for tumor activity. She started around 60, then dropped to 30, 15, 9, and 8 on every other week testing. Then inching up to 10, 12, and 20 the last three.
Doc decided to get a new CT scan. The scan wasn’t as bad as we feared - it noted “minimal improvements” for all of her tumor locations, such as one shrinking from 1.4cm to 1.2cm in one direction. We should see the doc tomorrow during her regular chemo session, so we’ll find out his thoughts. It’s possible that this is in line with his expectations for her at this point, or that it’s a sign that the drug cocktail is barely working. Or something else.
Mom and Dad are going on a cruise in a week, during an off week from chemo. They love cruising, and had to cancel one in December because of the cancer. I’m very, very happy that they are able to go on this one. The doc agrees that it’s a great time for them to go. Taking victories where we can right now!
Meanwhile, I have to fight with…it’s really not clear who, yet. The anesthesiologist that the facility used for my colonoscopy didn’t renew her contract with Cigna at the end of last year, so she’s out of network. Everything else was covered, but they want to charge me $330 for that part.
I spoke to insurance, the anesthesiology company, and the facility, and they all pointed somewhere else. I finally spoke to the doctor’s office, and he’s picking up the fight for me and taking it to the facility. We’ll see where that goes…