As everybody knows, Versed is the drug of choice for a common and allegedly life saving procedure known as a colonoscopy. Yes I've read all the horror stories all over the web about being unable to choose an unsedated colonoscopy. I have been terrified of this procedure for that reason alone. Of course it will be undignified! Of course it may be briefly painful! To my mind this does not justify the risk of sedation related complication OR the risk of perforation due to the Versed use. I have never heard of a single perforated colon related to a lack of "sedation."
Unbelievably, I just got off the phone with an outfit in my town who specializes in digestive disease. I asked the perky girl who answered the phone if they had a problem doing unsedated colonoscopies. I was expecting the runaround, obfuscation, shock, dismay or platitudes. What I got was "of course we do unsedated colonoscopies." She went on "lots of doctors (did you get that?) have unsedated colonoscopies. I could never do it (unsedated) but we have plenty of people who get their colonoscopy without any sedation. Just tell us when we schedule that you are going with the option of no sedation and we will schedule you with our doctor who does them that way."
There is hope! We don't have to accept Midazolam or die of cancer! Isn't that great? Now to figure out the risks of the bowel cleansing and see if there might be one that won't throw my electrolites out of whack. I'd rather eat vegetable shortening for a week. I wonder if that would work? LOL As you can tell I'm delighted to find that unsedated colonoscopies are perfectly acceptable in my city. Thanks also to my excellent primary care physician who also believes that if I want unsedated, then that's what I'll get.
If anybody wishes to know what city is offering these unsedated colonoscopies, e-mail me at nomidazolam@aol.com and I'll tell you. I don't want them mad at me for putting their name up on an edgy blog like this, even though it's favorable. For my many friends from this blog (you know who you are) you can fly in, I'll pick you up at the airport, take you to the medical center, stay with you if you want and then you can stay at my house until your flight out. It's all within about a 10 mile radius.
P.S. Unsedated means no Propofol either. Just so we are perfectly clear about what NO SEDATION means! I might want a tiny bit of Fentanyl, or not. My choice.
I had a colonoscopy yesterday with no drugs at all as I’m hypersensitive to anesthetics and benzos. I’m a small woman. There were a few intense pangs lasting only seconds, but it went fine. The gastroenterologist was amazed. She said my colon was relaxed, which made it easier. She had plan B drugs ready in case I found the pain “unbearable.” She praised me as brave about 20 times. I watched the entire thing on the color monitor. It was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I had concerns about my electrolytes, too. I dealt with this by drinking Gatorade (had Pedialyte on hand, too) during the laxative phase. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that a saline drip during the procedure was standard, so by the time it was over, I was feeling pretty good.
I hated the fasting and laxative but the discomfort of the colonoscopy itself was not a big deal. Keep calm and breathe deeply, you can do it. Attitude is everything.