Sometimes.

I dunno, but as long as it's mandated that I see the monitor and hear my anal heartbeat before anything gets removed, I'll be happy.

Quasar: I dunno, but as long as it's mandated that I see the monitor and hear my anal heartbeat before anything gets removed, I'll be happy.

Maybe. But would a little foreplay kill you, doc?

You never want to keep an asshole waiting.

That much Taco Bell gas certainly doesn't cause me joy-joy feelings

I've had that particular procedure. In my case, I needed the extra anesthesia. I fought with the insurance company for 4 months afterwards.

I have had it with these money-fighting snakes up my Monday-to-Friday ass!

As someone who has been through a colonoscopy, let me just tell you the answer to that question. No it farking isn't a luxury, its damn well required. At least the way my doc kept ramming the end of that thing into my intestines.

The nurse running the anesthesia had a hard time with my veins collapsing and if my hand wasn't held in just the right position it would lose effect.

My PCP just swabbed the inside of my chute last year and I wanted to punch him. If you're sending a camera a few feet past that I had better be in an induced coma.

When I was about 22, I was weight-lifting alot and developed internal hemaroids..they did one of these fun things to make sure I didn't have cancer...etc.
They gave me a valium about 5 minutes before..did nothing. I think the risk of going under is too high for some patients. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable.

Now I'm a fat body because I didn't want to go through that anymore.

People in the Northeast are much more likely to get anesthesia services. That happened 59 percent of the time, compared to 13 percent in Western states...

NPR just called your sexual orientation into question Western states, whatchu gunna do bout it?

They didn't use anesthesia for mine. I was kind of surprised when I heard just a couple of years ago it was common practice.

It was a little uncomfortable, but it really didn't call for anesthesia.

/longest. fart. ever.

Poppers, at the very least.

/not a doctor
/dnrtfa

More like ANUSthesia. Eh? Right? Geddit? EH?

/god, I'm sorry

As someone getting an endoscopy soon, I can say the only reason I am not freaking out is knowing they will be sedating me. I just got out of the hospital a few days ago and know I need to have this done so they can figure out what is wrong with me....but damn, the idea of having a camera rammed down my throat is terrifying.

Ive had them with no drugs, with versed and fentanyl, and with propofol. Even though the air hurts like hell, no drugs is probably the easiest...you get to watch the video and you're not dopey for the rest of the day. The worst, honestly, is the prep. That just plain sucks no matter what.

I had the procedure done to look for a polyp. No anesthesia, but it wasn't very painful after all.

American doctors may just need to be trained to be more gentle.

Just had it done, and I got the anesthetic. I feel that it was worth it and I'd get it again. I remember talking to the anesthesiologist and saying that I didn't really feel anything, then I was talking about... something... uh. yeah. I remember some vague poking during the procedure, but nothing bad. Afterwards the Doc came in and explained what they had found but I don't actually remember any of that, the only proof is that I got a brochure and my wife claims that he was there. Felt fine in a few minutes, got dressed and left. If you are of the age, I would not avoid it, the main problem with the whole thing was that it was a lot of waiting, bring your tablet. Getting the anesthetic made me less fearful of the procedure.

I don't this article is clear on the issue, it isn't so much anesthesia or not, it is what kind and are you going to pay another person to monitor it.

Patient are like cattle, they're just meaty goobags. Who cares how they feel, amirite doctors?

During sex, a finger up the bum to tickle the prostate is the bees knees.
/a camera ontheotherhand might require a few drinks

Funny colonoscopy story. Well for me anyway. Hubby has to get one courtesy of the VA. I go with him to the hospital and all. Everything was fine until this oversized Ned Beaty looking freak walks in, salutes my husband and says, "you're the enema right?" I get this pleading, look of "don't leave me" from my husband while I am laughing my ass off. I said, "I love you hunny, but I'm going to go for a walk." He's like, "But you said until death do us part!" To which I said, "This wasn't part of the vows."

Seriously, the last thing he needed was me laughing my ass off with Ned Beaty the orderly was shoving saline/water up his ass. That would have been disastrous because he would started laughing too. Although when he came out of his procedure, he was still loopy and kept calling me his "wif".

I'm serious. That orderly looked like an oversized Ned Beaty from Deliverance. *shudder*

Link (new window)

I think this is a much better article on the issue.

TFA is bullshiat. The photo that accompanies TFA is a flexible sigmoidoscopy, which only covers the distal 60 cm or so of the descending colon.

A full-on colonoscopy is performed with sedation, general or conscious.

When I had a colonoscopy in the fall of 2010 (in a hospital), they gave me a shot of fentanyl. All I heard the doctor say was "Great prep!" as they inserted the scope, and then I woke up afterward in the recovery area.

So, I'd say, yes, anesthesia makes it all so much easier. Given that I'll probably have to have one regularly (family history), I wouldn't want to go through it repeatedly awake.

kidsizedcoffin: Link (new window)

I think this is a much better article on the issue.

Anesthesiologists are people too, my friend.

Dennis Miller: "For those unfamiliar with the procedure, the colonoscopy is that long dolly shot Scorsese did in Goodfellas, and your ass is the Copacabana."

Had it done twice at a private clinic. Much less stressful than at a hospital.
No anesthesia needed but I did have oral Lorazepam (a mild sedative) (aka Ativan or Temesta) about 20 minutes ahead.

Had no polyps but one piece of sample tissue was cut off and I didn't even feel it being done.

Had a few gas twinges but no worse than from some fine food.

Loved watching on the TV monitor but the Dr wouldn't give me a copy of the video.
Wasn't allowed to drive home due to the lorazepam.

Just say 'no' to anesthetic (especially if you want to protect from 'ufia' - scopes only please).

I actually did have a 'fia' - free prostate check - more relaxed than when my normal GP does a 'shock and awe' attack at my annual physical.

404 page not found: kidsizedcoffin: Link (new window)

I think this is a much better article on the issue.

Anesthesiologists are people too, my friend.

I'm not arguing against getting sedation. I had to have scopes at both ends about a year ago, and I have to say I was saying ouch a lot through about half of the procedure, and they kept giving me more drugs until they ran out, and that was with the MAC. About 5 minutes after they ran out of drugs, I stopped remembering anything, so they may have started a bit early on the procedure after giving me the drugs.

/High tolerance for pain meds
//Not a drug user

kidsizedcoffin: About 5 minutes after they ran out of drugs, I stopped remembering anything,

That's when they hit you with a hammer.

Mabman: When I had a colonoscopy in the fall of 2010 (in a hospital), they gave me a shot of fentanyl. All I heard the doctor say was "Great prep!" as they inserted the scope, and then I woke up afterward in the recovery area.

So, I'd say, yes, anesthesia makes it all so much easier. Given that I'll probably have to have one regularly (family history), I wouldn't want to go through it repeatedly awake.

Most likely you were given were given Fentanyl for pain and Midazolam for sedation (i.e., calms you down before the insertion of the Optimus camera). Midazolam also offers the benefit of a bit of anterograde amnesia, so that you won't remember all of it. Additionally, Naloxone (opiod-antagonist) and Flumazenil (benzodiazepine-antagonist) were on-hand in case you had a bad reaction to the Fentanyl and Midazolam and went into respiratory distress or arrest.

CSB*:

*colonoscopy story, bro

I had one of these done in around `96 when they were looking for some cause of a hunger loss. I'd already undergone negative ultrasounds and MRIs. They were looking to rule out cancer.

As I said, there was no mention of anesthesia. Two technicians and an MD ran the test. The device ran through cables and hoses draping from the ceiling. I laid on one side, facing away from the doctor and the monitor.

They jammed the lubed, fetish-sized butt-plug where it belonged and inflated me with nitrogen. This was not pleasant. Then they began scoping with the camera.

The doctor was making little unremarkable comments, one of the techs was writing it all down, I was trying to ignore it all, until the doctor said in a dead-serious voice: "Oh. My. God."

I asked for a bit more information. She said, "No, I can't... you... You have to see this."

You can imagine the stress at this point.

Looking at the monitor entailed maneuvering my fully-inflated body by lifting my legs in the air, around the cables, and rolling to the other side. Rolling and bending when you're inflated is not comfortable.

I asked her again to tell me what she was talking about, and she began to beam. "Look at that! Do you see that?" I was looking at something that looked like a rolled-up condom embedded in my intestine.

"You've never had surgery, isn't that what you said?"

I confirmed.

"That," she said, "is where your appendix should have been. GO FORTH! SPAWN! YOU ARE EVOLUTION," she yelled over and over while bouncing.

All that, I didn't miss anesthesia.

/CSB

Had conscious sedation for my last roto-rooter exam. I don't remember a thing and that's just how I like it.

Anesthesiologists aren't paid the big bucks to put you to sleep - they earn their paycheck by making sure you wake up.

The sedation is always good for amnesia stories. Apparently in the recovery room I was harassing just about everyone that came near for a glass of water. I was apparently really thirsty due to the drugs and the fasting/purging. The nurse was adamant, no water of any kind until I farted.

/csb

sigmoidoscopies hurt like fark anyway. drug them/us all, i say! I aint payin you to stare!

Mai Balsicz: Anesthesiologists aren't paid the big bucks to put you to sleep - they earn their paycheck by making sure you wake up.

I've heard a variation of this assertion.

Had the standard "you're 50, time for the colonoscopy" a few years ago. A few weeks before the procedure I talked to a neighbor that has Crohn's Disease and has to get a colonoscopy at LEAST once a year. He told me that he never had an anesthetic during the procedure and never felt any major discomfort. So, I had the procedure without being doped up and had no major problems. Two individual nanoseconds of sharp cramps, but that was it.

For an endoscopy? I'd be doing some type of drugs...

Anesthesia for a colonoscopy ? LUXURY !

When I was a child we had a splintery telephone pole wrapped in rusty barbed wire and topped with a hornets nest AND a Polaroid camera with a magnesium flash cube at the end.

Lenny_da_Hog: CSB*:

*colonoscopy story, bro

I had one of these done in around `96 when they were looking for some cause of a hunger loss. I'd already undergone negative ultrasounds and MRIs. They were looking to rule out cancer.

As I said, there was no mention of anesthesia. Two technicians and an MD ran the test. The device ran through cables and hoses draping from the ceiling. I laid on one side, facing away from the doctor and the monitor.

They jammed the lubed, fetish-sized butt-plug where it belonged and inflated me with nitrogen. This was not pleasant. Then they began scoping with the camera.

The doctor was making little unremarkable comments, one of the techs was writing it all down, I was trying to ignore it all, until the doctor said in a dead-serious voice: "Oh. My. God."

I asked for a bit more information. She said, "No, I can't... you... You have to see this."

You can imagine the stress at this point.

Looking at the monitor entailed maneuvering my fully-inflated body by lifting my legs in the air, around the cables, and rolling to the other side. Rolling and bending when you're inflated is not comfortable.

I asked her again to tell me what she was talking about, and she began to beam. "Look at that! Do you see that?" I was looking at something that looked like a rolled-up condom embedded in my intestine.

"You've never had surgery, isn't that what you said?"

I confirmed.

"That," she said, "is where your appendix should have been. GO FORTH! SPAWN! YOU ARE EVOLUTION," she yelled over and over. I got in one little fight and my mom got scared, she said you're moving with your auntie and uncle in Bel Air.

/what I expected

One Bad Apple: [i.ytimg.com image 450x360]

Anesthesia for a colonoscopy ? LUXURY !

When I was a child we had a splintery telephone pole wrapped in rusty barbed wire and topped with a hornets nest AND a Polaroid camera with a magnesium flash cube at the end.


AND WE LIKED IT!

Munden: People in the Northeast are much more likely to get anesthesia services. That happened 59 percent of the time, compared to 13 percent in Western states...

NPR just called your sexual orientation into question Western states, whatchu gunna do bout it?

I'm going to go bang my wife. Also, try it from the other end. You have to be put under for that one. And apparently they get a bit pissed if you wake up during it and potentially damage the camera shoved down your throat.

/Ulcers. Not fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8lObCT w7Sw

Obligatory.

KarmicDisaster: my wife claims that he was there

Not a republican, I take it.

/NTTAWWT

If you can't afford one, just win one!

My colonoscopy at 15 was an interesting experience.

When I went in for an appointment just before mine, the doctor came in with two residents. He had me take off my pants, lay on my side, and pull my knees to my chest. He thin put in a finger to get the lay of the land. The first resident says, "Do you mind if I try?" and before I can answer in goes his finger. Without asking the 2nd resident has a go too.

After the appointment I was told to take Fleet (salt solution to clear you out) before coming back. The nurse warned, "It'll come on like gangbusters, don't wait to go to the bathroom". This sticks out in my mind because I remembered thinking that gangbusters was a funny. So I take the stuff and a few minutes later I feel a slight rumble in my stomach. I ignore it and then OH GOD (I then understood what gangbusters meant). No sooner did I run to the bathroom than I though the space shuttle was taking off out of my ass.

Fast forward to the actual procedure. They are halfway in and I hear "There's blood everywhere". Apparently when the tell you not to eat solid food for 24 hours, Jello counts as a solid. There were little bits of red Jello all up in me.