Today = Nightmare

When you are feeling better, M., find out who to file a grievance with and complain long and loud. That should never have happened.

I had a colonoscopy last years and while the prep sucked, they gave me demerol and I was out the entire time. (I think I might have roused once, but went back out.) The same for my husband this year. My dad has had a number of them. What you experienced is not usual.

I did not experience the headache but was completely awake for the whole thing swore I would never due another one. But for medical reasons I needed to have another one done and I talked to the doctor about my last colonoscopy and he told me they can give me some medicine that needs to be monitored by a anesthetist so I would not remember anything and I did not. So from now on I will be insisting we do it with that medicine

My doc did NOT give me benedryl. I'm sorry that yours did. I would not use that gastro doc again.

What were his findings? If you didn't have any findings, you shouldn't have to go back for 10 years.

The only thing worse than going through what you did again is getting colon cancer. So here's my heartfelt recommendation. Ask for exactly WHAT they gave you and exactly how much. Record it somewhere and tell your next doctor exactly what you were given and what happened. That way your next doctor (for ANY procedure where you have to be put to sleep) will know.

I don't react well to Demerol. It made me sick as a dog (even with anti-nausea meds) and drunk. It did not help the pain at all. This was when I was trying to deliver my first baby. I knew after this that I NEVER wanted to have Demerol again. I not only tell every doctor for any procedure that I don't want Demerol. I ask for them to put a bracelet on my arm that says NO DEMEROL. I am THAT serious about never wanting to have it again.

It's really important for you to figure this out. I promise you that there is other medication that WILL work on you. You MUST be proactive in explaining this to your next doctor. The last thing you want is to wake up in the middle of surgery when you aren't supposed to. Knowledge is power. You know now. Use this knowledge to safeguard yourself.

Dawn

I am so sorry that you went through this.

Can you try and be proactive and voice your complaint to the place where you had it done?

Patient advocates take complaints very seriously.

Your not suppose to be awake during a colonoscopy.Is this place licensed to do such a procedure is the gastro doc Board certified.I feel your pain & haven't even had one yet.Complain about your experience.Also did you call the dr. that referred you today?I would of if you didn't & also make sure yor headache isn't something more serious especially if it happened again.Benadryl is used for those who have an allergic reaction to the meds given after a procedure not for the procedure.

Wow - I am so sorry you went through that. I have had several and have always been completely out and comfortable the entire time. Please find a different DR and continue the recommended schedule of check ups. I would also raise holy HE&% with the current DR and facility. Good luck

First of all - kudos to you for getting your colonsocopy! My father died of colon cancer and I'm a huge proponent of this screening! I had mine and they did find a polyp - the kind that if left untreated could turn to cancer (at age 35), so please don't skip your next one. I get the joy of a colonoscopy every 3 years.

When I had mine, I recall going into the twilight sleep, then waking briefly mid-way through. I suspect they realized I was waking before I did because there is a very brief moment of memory, and discomfort, then I was out again.

Next time you go (PLEASE don't stop going!) let them know your experience this time and ask them how they will prevent it. It is a learning experience (allbeit, a very bad one), but believe me, the day you had today is a dream compared to colon cancer not caught before it spreads. The colonoscopy is the best way to save your life.

You talk about the "meds" you got for twilight sedation. I was given a gas administered through a mask and was out like a light. Ask for this next time - although I don't know the name of it, but it wasn't oral medication.

How terrible, M.. I feel hot and angry for you because I've had pain that was treated as cavalierly by medical staff. I can hardly believe they gave you benadryl – what was that supposed to accomplish?

The twilight meds don't always work completely. I awoke during abdominal surgery from a twilight sleep; fortunately I had also had a spinal block and so I felt no pain.

But colonoscopies can be extremely painful, like the worst case of gut cramping you've ever had, multiplied and magnified intensely. I know one youngish guy who had a standard procedure without anesthesia, and he said the pain almost did him in. I had a "virtual" colonoscopy several years ago, no anesthesia, and even though no scope was inserted, they still had to inflate my colon with gas and then plug my anus from the inside with a balloon to keep in in. I thought the pain was a lot like unmedicated childbirth, but it took my breath away, or I would have screamed. A lot. This procedure was advertised as being painless, but whoever wrote that copy had apparently never had it done to themselves.

As others have suggested, write down every single detail you can remember. Then talk to your doctor about your experience. He/she needs to know how horrible this was for you. Hopefully, your brutal honesty will spare some other poor soul the same torture. If you don't get an explanation or apology that you find satisfactory, tell them you're going to talk to a lawyer. Then do it. I'm not a person who sues anybody, but I think I would sue your doctor if he was not reasonably contrite.

Oh my goodness, I don't think your experience was standard or at all appropriate!! I really think you should take this up with the hospital or facility that preformed the procedure. You really should be complaining.

So sorry you went through this!!

Definitely get the information about what drugs you were given and how much they gave you of each one. Keep this information!!

My son had to be sedated in the ER, and they gave him Versed. It didn't to anything to sedate him...he was still conscious and screaming after they maxed out his dose in less than ten minutes and had to stop or call an anesthesiologist because he could have stopped breathing. They told me it would keep him under for twenty to forty minutes. Not on my kid...so I have made a list of drugs that do not respond like the "should" for him. That also includes Valium, the dentist had to stop working on him because he wouldn't stop talking and asking questions...he asked me if I couldn't get him to drink it before we came in...he drank every drop and didn't even get sleepy at all....morphine doesn't do much for him either same ER staff as above gave that to him too, said he would sleep all night...nope wanted to go from the ER back to school.

So anyways keep a record of the fact that these drugs do NOT work for you as directed. AND I would be totally royally pissed that they didn't listen to you about the pain during or after the procedure. I would raise cain about it with my doctor...first in a nice way and then stronger and stronger until I got all the information and an apology of the behavior. So sorry this happened!!

It sounds like you could be dehydrated from all of that Benedryl. Please hydrate yourself, and it may help the headache okay? Drink, drink, drink lots of water. Rest. Only take the Advil and Tylenol as prescribed or you'll end up getting a kickback headache from taking too much.

Try to stay on a low-residue diet for a couple of days until the soreness is gone. And keep drinking plenty of liquids. Just don't over-do it on sports drinks, as those won't really help you at all.

Compleatly write everything out you have experienced out. Whoever went with you needs to write it out.

I have had two colonoscopies, my H just had his first and I went with him.
We were put under an never felt a thing. I have never heard of someone not being out of it or having those meds or waking with a headache or not being sent to the ER when your pain was out of control.

I would look at your papers and see if they have a contact for complaints. Find a new GI doc and tell him what happened. Contact a lawyer if he tells you to.

Most colonoscopies are done with the patient completely under so they will feel no pain or discomfort. Was there some reason (medical or psychological) that they did not put you "under" so that you would not recall any of the procedure? Make a list of the meds you had for this procedure and put them in your medical file so that you don't have that combination again. Did your colonoscopy show any polyps that had to be removed or any abnormalities in your colon? Find a different gastroenterologist and day surgery center (or hospital) when it is time for another colonoscopy. Sorry you had this terrible experience.

Benedryl is incredibly drying to the mucus membranes. That's why it's for a serious allergic reaction only. You are super duper dried out inside. It will be tomorrow before it's all out of your system and it may be days after than and you could still be dealing with the consequences...such as a sinus infection where a germ got in while it was dry and didn't get washed out.

omg, how awful!
i'm getting ready to have my first one, but i'm going under. i'm so sorry this was so painful for you. i haven't talked to anyone who's had this happen. i'm surprised the doctor's office didn't have more solutions to offer you!
khairete
S.

Ugh, what a terrible experience.

I wonder why the conscious sedation didn't work for you. My husband had it during his colonoscopy last year, and he doesn't remember and didn't feel a thing.

wow that sounds awful. have you had other reactions to meds before? they sooo should have stopped.

Wow, sounds like the meds didn't like you. I was loopy as well when I had mine done (I did briefly fall asleep after the procedure was done), but I don't remember actually being administered any drugs, per se. I thought they gave me something that was administered by an anethesiologist.

Anyway, I didn't have a headache afterward. I'd definitely let them know you had complications post colonoscopy.

And please, don't let that put you off never having another one. I believe when you're in your 50s or 60s, they do have you have a colonoscopy to make sure you don't have colon cancer. And with the way Obamacare is going, you might not have a choice as to whether or not you get one; if you refuse, you very well could lose your medical insurance. It's even happening now; my allopathic doctor cannot give me pharma drugs because of a liver issue I have, but because of new and strident regulations, they still have to have me come into the office and have my blood pressure checked (I have high blood pressure that I'm working with alternative medicine to find a cure or way to lower it). I guess it's to do with all the new insurance regulations.

I also had no issues whatsoever with anything hurting while they were doing the procedure. I'd also let them know that--nicely. You could very well have gotten a new doctor/intern/etc. doing the procedure. They need to know if there were any issues so that the doctor/intern can have more training, if needed.