Finding a doctor who will perform a colonoscopy with no sedation

[mia9527]

Hi, how does one go about finding a doctor who will perform a colonoscopy with no sedation? I want to find one that does not try to convince me to have sedation for the procedure.

[Alice06]

Perhaps you live in an area that does water colonoscopies...they are done without sedation.  Water exchange.  Water aided.  Water immersion.  I believe these are the words you should include in a search.

[n85082]

I just had a colonoscopy and EGD friday with no sedation at all and both were easy!  I had one horrible experience with Versed and would never do sedation again; I tried numerous docs and all refused to do colonoscopy without sedation until I found a true gastor specialist and she had done thousands of colonoscopies and a fair number without sedation although it's not the norm.  She told me that the unsedated exam is safer and you get a slower more careful exam; you just have to be willing to endure a little minor cramping.  Most sedated patients experience the cramping anyway;ut due to the amnesia drugs like Versed, you may or may not remember the pain.  Unsedated, the doc has to go slow because you aren't imobile and amnesic; it's virtually impossible to have you colon perforated if you are unsedated- you feel the pressure and tell the doc.  Unsedated you can't respond.  I'm not advocating unsedated colonoscopy; but after hearing Versed horror stories from too many patients and health-care people, I just don't want that drug anywhere near me.  I had it once and it was absolutely awful.  For endoscopy, patients should be offered the unsedated option; but you need a great doc like I had to do this,not the assembly-line docs that most places have.

[Dwatts62]

No sedation colonoscopy & endoscope @same time:

It's painless & much better to do this way!
6 yrs ago in Krakow Poland I had my wife's aunt who lives there schedule me for the week we would travel there from Chicago.

I had "water assisted" colonoscopy w/ live & awake viewing the endoscope & attacked to front of it were clippers & below camera endoscope was suction tube and water wash tube. Also was a screen measurement for pollup size the doctor could touch screen and measure them live.

[Matthew007]

ah this is a very old post.. sorry for bringing it back up :S

[CalGal]

Crambone, in many areas outside of the U.S. colonoscopy is routinely done without sedation, and the individuals of those areas a fine with that idea in many cases. The U.S. is probably one of the only countries that routinely heavily sedates for everything.

[Dwatts62]

Absolutely correct! We in USA suck medically! Europe is 10 years ahead of us. Trust me...I know 1st hand.

Also what would cost thousands to do here for a routine colonoscopy I paid only $150 for in Krakow Poland Doctor office to get  "water immersion /no sedation" method.

No sedation colonoscopy & "with"endoscope @same time so I could see at all times what he was doing & even ask questions as he described what he was doing as he did it:

It's painless & much better to do this way!

6 yrs ago in Krakow Poland I had my wife's aunt who lives there schedule me for the week we would travel there from Chicago.

I had "water assisted" colonoscopy w/ live & awake viewing the endoscope & attacked to front of it were clippers & below camera endoscope was suction tube and water wash tube. Also was a screen measurement for pollup size the doctor could touch screen and measure them live

[Matthew007]

wow just to chime in I salute you for wanting a colonoscopy without sedation.. you are brave.

i'm sure it's possible but I love the sleep with no stressing and I would be a total wreck as they did that (even though i've been through 2 of them at my age *31).  Plus they fill your colon with gas to visualize it so i'm sure you're going to feel pressure/pain...and usually they want to visualize the whole colon...and if they have to remove a polyp I would *think* you would feel that right?

anyway good luck :S

[Dwatts62]

We there is no gas w/ no sedation method. A slow water with very little pressure used to clean out any areas that are not completely clean. The examiner does this with you awake & viewing it....and it's a slower process but takes about 20 minutes total. It's much better without sedation honestly...NO PAIN & just was "hungry" to eat after it.  

No sedation colonoscopy & endoscope @same time:

It's painless & much better to do this way!
6 yrs ago in Krakow Poland I had my wife's aunt who lives there schedule me for the week we would travel there from Chicago.

I had "water assisted" colonoscopy w/ live & awake viewing the endoscope & attacked to front of it were clippers & below camera endoscope was suction tube and water wash tube. Also was a screen measurement for pollup size the doctor could touch screen and measure them live

[Dwatts62]

No...you feel absolutely "nothing" as he clips each polyp. It's so small & it looks like a small little gelatinous bump on sidewall of your colon tube. It's snipped off with the single inserted "does all" tube inserted in colon

[nursepract]

Colonoscopy is quite tolerable without sedation; it's safer and you will get a better exam without sedation. You acn get the exam without sdation and with painkiller only (fentanyl), but most gastros will insist on sedation because it's easier and quicker for them to do the exam; and unfortunately they often treat the patient roughly because they know that the patient will have partial amnesia.  The most common sedation drug Versed is linked to a lot of disturbing side effects; these occur after discharge, sometimes long after the exam and have been disabling in a lot of patients.  Remember:  if you sign a sedation consent, you are likely to get the highest dse that they can give; don't "we will give you a little to relax you or adjust the dose"......this is BS; conscious sedation was a big part of my job for 20 years and what they do to patients undergoing sedated colonoscopy is shameful...

[Dwatts62]

I didn't even have any pain killer & since fentanyl is the drug that killed Michael Jackson, Prince & Tom Petty & many other fav's of mine... I would refuse to get even that!

[Dwatts62]

I didn't even have any pain killer & since fentanyl is the drug that killed Michael Jackson, Prince & Tom Petty & many other fav's of mine... I would refuse to get even that!

[hugs1313]

Granted meds are used too often and too much at times, but after very recently having a colonoscopy done with mild sedation, I can't imagine it being done with out anything. It also depends how far into the colon they go.IF they do a complete as I had done,,,,,,,, then it can be very painful, they say. The partial is uncomfortable, but they rarely need any sedation for that.

[Dwatts62]

Sorry...but in USA we use too much meds. NO Meds done for it in Europe!

It's pain free

No sedation colonoscopy & endoscope @same time:

It's painless & much better to do this way!
6 yrs ago in Krakow Poland I had my wife's aunt who lives there schedule me for the week we would travel there from Chicago.

I had "water assisted" colonoscopy w/ live & awake viewing the endoscope & attacked to front of it were clippers & below camera endoscope was suction tube and water wash tube. Also was a screen measurement for pollup size the doctor could touch screen and measure them live

[crambone]

i agree with that!,,everything is about medicine,and not about the problem anymore,,just give something for the pain,and not find the cause and fix it.
i didnt know it is rutinely done without meds!,,,i would want to experience that though i guess.
either way good luck,and god bless

[crambone]

why would you want one without meds?...tha makes no since,,,maby if you like pain id say have one without,but it also helps you relax,and thats a must to have your body relaxed.
nothing to be scared about with meds,,,better to do that then to end up with a perferated colon and die

[JackJack83]

i would say most are willing to do it upon request.  if you tell them you absolutely refuse to have sedation, they can't "make" you use it.  Prob is they can say no because like mia9527 was saying, it does hurt a lot and the doc can't have the patient squirming all over the place during the procedure.  I had one done a few months back and b/c i had no health insurance at the time i did it awake with no pain meds.  it hurt like crazy and i'd never volunteer to do it that way again if i could help it, but obviously it can be done.  just ask the doc if they'd be willing to do it while you're awake.  they won't advertise that they are willing, you just need to ask.

[Fuzzz]

You didn't say where you live.  I certainly know of MDs in my area who have done this, but the patients they have done it to were really mad about it.  One was an RN.  She begged for sedation or pain meds, and the MD refused.  She is no wimp when it comes to pain, but she was practically screaming from pain.  

I had mine with the two-drug combination that my gastroenterologist usually uses, and it was a painless experience.  However, my colon was too twisted and he was not able to get the scope through.  I could hear myself saying, "Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow," and I knew where I was and that I was having colonoscopy, but I was peacefully relaxed and unconcerned.  The MD upped my medication twice, and still couldn't get the scope through.  I'm really glad I wasn't trying that without medication!  Are you a masochist or something?