Based on my limited experience with one colonoscopy, it wasn’t that bad. After the prep the day before, there wasn’t much of anything left to expel.
I didn’t read the whole thread, so maybe someone mentioned this.
There are usually cheap/free (though limited) transportation options for us old folks provided by non-profit organizations of various kinds. Also possibly by your city/county.
Google is where to turn (since no one uses the yellow pages anymore.) Google “elder transportation,” “elder services,” “senior services,” or some variation of that and add the name of your city or county. Call your local United Way and ask. If you have some kind of “Council on Aging,” call them. If you’re in a city, google “Jewish Family Services” or “Jewish Senior Services” (you don’t have to be Jewish). Sometimes disease-related organizations provide transportation and other help. There’s a breast cancer organization here in San Antonio that offers transportation. Go to your city or county website and poke around.
You’d be amazed at how many services there are for old farts like ourselves. There are plenty of us who live alone and need rides to the doc and various other stuff. Be patient in your search and write down or otherwise save/make notes on what you find so you don’t have to go searching all over again.
In my younger days, I had an outpatient procedure and was supposed to have a ride home arranged. When it was time to go, the nurse brought my discharge paperwork and was surprised to see I was dressed and ready to go.
The thing is, I lived about 2 miles away and had walked there that morning and planned to walk home. The nurse initially blocked the door, but I laughed and told her I was leaving. And I left.
Scheduling of those things, or the paratransit services offered some places, can be difficult. It may not be possible to arrange a convenient time for the service.
True. And I wouldn’t say “can be difficult,” I’d say will likely be a huge PITA.
However, the same is possible when you ask friends for help, plus you get the feeling of “being a burden,” which at least is absent when you use any kind of third party service.
The BEST thing is not to get old, not to need medical care, have a fully functioning 100% paid-for vehicle, and/or household staff (preferably androids or robots who don’t have an attitude problem).
IOW getting old and sick and being alone while it’s happening sucks large duck eggs. Whatcha gonna do??
If I had family to “burden” with these requests, I’d do it in a second, but I don’t have anyone. My next door neighbor took me when I had cataract surgery. Another friend (now deceased, sadly) took me for two different colonoscopies and breast cancer surgery. No other options… I do not look forward to getting older (72 in November) and sick.
For some time I was transporting a relative to a weekly appointment that required a ride home, so I had lots of experience sitting in a small waiting room and observing the goings on. Many of the patients used a medical transport service.
Typically about 15 minutes before the patient was released the receptionist would call the service and let them know the patient would be ready soon. A bit later the receptionist would get a call letting her know that the service was waiting, and then they would wheel out the patient.
The patients were adults of all ages, so it wasn’t just senior assistance services doing the transport. There seemed to be a few different services. I have no idea how much they cost, who paid, or any of those details.
I recently had yet another colonoscopy, and they didn’t care if I took Uber, Lyft, the bus, a taxi, etc. All they cared about is that there was a responsible person to release me to–not the Uber driver, but somebody to ride with me in the Uber.
As to the colonscopy prep, the instructions said to start the morning routine four hours before planning to arrive. Based on past experience I pushed it to five hours before I planned to arrive, and the hour trip was much more comfortable.
I think people who are saying “they wouldn’t let me take Uber/Lyft/taxi” aren’t talking about having a friend/relative /neighbor pick them up and travel by Uber. I’m pretty sure they’re talking about the facility not letting them leave with just hte Uber driver.
Yes, I was just trying to be clear about that.
Despite that, the co-worker who picked me up after my colonoscopy just dropped me off at my apartment building. It wasn’t as if he went inside with me and watched me for a few hours. But perhaps having someone with you in the car is enough of a fig leaf for them.
There is sometimes the option to just wait until the drugs wear off. When I had such a procedure they told me I either needed to have someone drive me home or wait there for 4 hours until the drugs wore off. Obviously it sucks to just sit in a medical office for 4 hours, but the drugs do make it more palatable! Bring a book.
In the case of colonoscopy, it’s certainly possible to do it without sedation at all.
You misspelled “liability.” 
Sure, but where’s the fun in that?
I did that once, years ago, with a dental procedure that had required sedation. They had some hesitation, but, what were they going to do about it? I did wind up sort of wishing I’d arranged something though, as I walked home with an icepack against my cheek, and some throbbing pain starting…
I don’t think “I’m walking home” would satisfy any medical facility. The point is not just to make sure you’re not driving, since an Uber would achieve that. It’s to release you into the care of a responsible adult.
It’s true that in any one instance they are not going to forcibly prevent you from leaving if you insist on doing so against their advice (unless you’re clearly and obviously not competent to think clearly). But it may cause problems if you need to use the same facility again.
When I was told I wasn’t allowed to just get a taxi home after surgery, they said something about wanting to make sure you’re not just dropped on a doorstep and there’s someone there to make sure you get inside OK- of course, calling a friend in no way guarantees any of that, but that’s what they said. I was straight up told get a friend to pick me up or I’m staying another night, which seemed a bit daft, no suggestion of any alternatives.
It was properly awkward, in fact; the surgery was at 24 hours notice, and I hadn’t been aware of the rule, so I hadn’t arranged a lift, and my phone had no credit, so I actually had to borrow a phone off a nurse to call round people.
Well, I’ve been told both ways. For some procedures, they wanted “a responsible adult” who could be given instructions, and I was told I’d be out of it for a few hours or whatever. For other things, it’s been specifically that I can’t drive. I think a Lyft would have qualified.
For the dental procedure, I’d actually told the check in person, and they were OK with it. I think it just threw the check-out person off. I was perfectly OK to walk home. They did not ask for or require a responsible adult. They just expected me to have a ride.
I actually think this is an important thing for the OP to clarify. Is someone needed to stay in the home to check on you, get aftercare instructions, etc.? Or is it just that they can’t let you drive? That should help you sort out who you’d want to do it.
The assumption that everyone has access to a pool of potential caregivers or even one “responsible adult” who will do more than drop you off is unwarranted.
This may have been the policy for that dentist, or the person may have made a mistake, since you may have been the first American to walk home in their career in that job.
The more general problem is clearly not just that they won’t allow you to drive. When you have been sedated or anesthetized, most medical facilities won’t allow you to just call a taxi, as OP says. If they did, this thread wouldn’t exist.
Well, some places may assume it. Others may just be explaining what’s required. So, if one doesn’t have that, they’d need to have a conversation about that, and what the alternatives are. Can one stay for a few hours after the procedure before going home? Hire someone? Have a different procedure or treatment? What are the options? I think they put the pressure on pretty high because most people wind up scaring up a friend, relative, neighbor, or whatever, and then the healthcare provider doesn’t have to do anything different. But they must have to work through this with some people on a somewhat regular basis.