One if the benefits of getting a colonoscopy without sedation is that your can drive yourself home.
So is a colonoscopy without sedation unpleasant or painful?
It depends how squeamish you are, and how your colon is shaped, and probably also on the skill of the doctor. I found it painful going around one bend the first time, and a little uncomfortable the second time. In both cases, the discomfort was brief. My brother (who hadn’t planned on doing it unsedated) said he felt every twist and turn. A friend, who tried it on my recommendation, said he found it very easy and not painful.
They thread the scope up to the end of the colon first, and do the exam as they slowly pull it out. I didn’t find the exam part uncomfortable at all, and enjoyed seeing my insides.
Not all doctors will do it without sedation. A guy i know on-line tried to get it done that way and his doctor said it was too dangerous, as he might move and legitimate guys bowel. But the studies I’ve read found it slightly less dangerous, with a lower risk of bowel perforation and of course no risk of a bad reaction to the sedation. You don’t have a reflex to jerk away from bowel pain, like you have a reflex to blink or pull your arm away. I think doctors are just wary of doing anything out of the ordinary.
People are really variable in how they react to medical procedures, and by that I mean mentally, not just physically. That’s why some people such as myself can get a closed MRI and not think it a big deal (I actually dozed through some of mine) and others need sedation lest they becomes hysterical or have a panic attack. From a physical standpoint you don’t need sedation for an MRI, but some people would never get through one without it.
I suspect colonoscopy is somewhat similar - strictly speaking sedation/anesthesia may not be required due to physical need, but everyone is different internally, has different discomfort/pain tolerance, and has a different mental view of the whole procedure.
“Sedate everyone” probably is easier from a certain standpoint of the medical personnel, and there’s something to be said for standardizing a procedure. On the other hand, options are good.
Options are good.
I hate being sedated. But i think many people would prefer being sedated to have an IUD inserted, and it’s not an option. I had it done when i was fairly old and hadn’t recently given birth, both conditions that might have made it more painful. But the pain was significantly worse than the pain of my more painful colonoscopy, and it lasted longer. And it’s at least as… socially awkward a procedure.
The colonoscopy, in total, takes a bit more time, because with the IUD, once the painful part is over it’s pretty much done. But the painful part was a lot worse. Most of the colonoscopy was painless and interesting.
After I had a stroke and came home I had a case worker who put me in touch with a local volunteer organization called “Faith In Action”. Their volunteers would drive me to and from medical appointments and grocery trips. Very nice people . Perhaps your Dr’s office has a case worker who can put you in touch with some transportation aid.
Sorry, but what was this supposed to say?
Also, what happens if they have to remove polyps without sedation? Apologies if this was addressed earlier in the thread. I’m guessing that while it may be painless for some, it may not be painless for others.
Oops, that was supposed to say “puncture his bowel”
Both doctors assured me that if they had to remove a polyp i would barely feel it. You don’t really have nerves designed to feel that kind of injury in the bowel.
Can polyps be removed during a sedation-free colonoscopy?
Yes. In the vast majority of cases, a physician can remove polyps during a sedation-free colonoscopy. The removal of a polyp is not perceived by the patient because the colon lining does not have nerve endings such as those found on the skin.
I think that says a lot about how women are treated in our medical system.
I mean, I assume one of the reasons why sedation is standard here for a colonoscopy is that male homophobia would cause men to never get the procedure. It would be way less about pain and way more about hysteria about having something inserted in their rectum.
Whereas it’s fairly standard practice to not take women’s pain seriously and to be unconcerned about their suffering.
ETA: I believe it is not the standard practice in other parts of the world to have sedation for Colonoscopies.
Some doctors may offer sedation with IUD insertion. It never hurts (no pun intended) to ask.
That most OB/GYNs nowadays are women might lead them to be more cognizant of painful women’s health issues, but it really doesn’t. YMMV, of course, but over the years, I have heard WAAAAAY more horror stories about women OB/GYNs than male ones.
Yeah, you’d think they’d be better, but it’s certainly not a guarantee. Two perimenpausal women in my life had female doctors and were flat refused hormone replacement treatment for their very significant symptoms. One of them was told misinformation about it, which she politely and respectfully questioned on two occasions (the second after reassuring herself that she was remembering correctly). The other one, who’s been having, among other things, fatigue of the can’t-get-out-of-bed sort, was told, “we all slow down when we get older.” Luckily, both my friend and my wife have the resources, inner and financial, to find different doctors, who are not dismissive about their pain and distress.
If anyone wants a horrifying example of women’s pain being dismissed, check out the podcast *The Retrievals."
It varies a lot by country.
I read a medical article once comparing medical treatments by country. It seems in Germany a patient is much more likely to be given an injection by their PCP than in the US, and in France suppositories are more likely to be prescribed than in the US.
Spain too. I believe they believe suppositories deliver the drug into the bloodstream more quickly than via the stomach. But it certainly caused amusement on a Spanish holiday when a suppository was prescribed for a painful shoulder.
Which grinds my gears even more that the kidney does have pain receptors. Presumably the standard hunter/gatherer diet didn’t lead to kidney stones, because incapacitated due to pain seems like the sort of thing that would be selected against.
Early in my recovery/rehab from having a stroke one of my care counselors put me in touch with a faith based volunteer group that would provide free transport for me to and from Medical appts and the grocery store (every 2 weeks). I can drive myself now but for my annual Ophthalmologist appt with dilation they take me to and from. Your doctor might have someone on staff who helps finding aid for patients.
Yes, you mentioned that. Glad you are doing better now!