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So I woke up in the middle of my colonoscopy...



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My surgeon requires a colonoscopy if you're over 50. Today was mine. I also had an upper endoscopy.

Yesterday, I only got 3/4 of the prep material down before I starting vomiting. I had to stop and finish with Water, so I was worried they were going to say that I didn't do enough prep and make me do it again. My plan was to drink only Clear liquids until the next procedure date because there was no way I could do that again!

I did tell them that Versed doesn't work on me. Versed is a drug that is supposed to make you forget things, but I always remember.

They take me to the procedure room where the nurse said, "I'm going to start giving you medication", she sees my red wristband and asks, "what are you allergic to?" I'm allergic to Demerol, which is what was in her syringe! Close call!!

So she just gave me fentanyl and versed, and I drifted off. I came awake very suddenly, halfway through the colonoscopy. There was no pain, and no fear or anything negative like that, but I could definitely feel things happening, so I opened my eyes, looked right at the nurse, and said, "Why am I awake? I don't want to be awake!" and I heard the doctor tell her to give me more fentanyl.

Thank goodness I didn't wake up during the endoscopy, when you have a tube down your throat. It was during the colonoscopy portion, when you have a tube up your... wazoo.

My next memory is waking up in recovery. When the surgeon came in to give me the results (one polyp), I told him I remembered waking up in the middle of things. He said, "you took ALOT of anesthesia, you'll need propofol next time - make sure you tell your surgeon." Propofol is the sedative that Michael Jackson was so fond of.

I came home and had some sprite and slept for most of the afternoon. Phew! Glad that's over!

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I've had propofol and as I was reading your story I was wondering why they used versed and not propofol. Glad it's over and you made it through.

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Wow. I never thought to ask what anesthesia I'm given. I'm having a minor procedure Friday and I'll be asleep. Hopefully.

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Well I work for a pain management doctor, and we've used most of those drugs in our practice when we do procedures, so I'm familiar with them.

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I bet you are!

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I worked in an ER. We used versed a lot. I've also been treated with propofol.

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I have had propfol for several different surgeries, without any complications. Unfortunately MJ's doctor was using a surgical anesthetic for Michael's insomnia. What an a**.

Good point though, that we need to be informed about every step of the process, especially when we are unconscious and not in control of our bodies.

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Where was this done? It sounds a bit careless when your allergy wasn't reconized beforehand. Glad that you noticed the mistake and your alright.

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Where was this done? It sounds a bit careless when your allergy wasn't reconized beforehand. Glad that you noticed the mistake and your alright.

It wasn't an allergic reaction. She just required an higher does than normal.

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My first colonoscopy I awoke and thought it was amazing to watch it on the screen. I was asking questions etc until they knocked me back out. No trauma over it. Second time, years later I stayed zonked out. When I lived in Europe a doc did an endoscooy without sedation. I started vomiting, wretching, it was terrible until they emergency sedated me. Don't know what he was thinking, it was very traumatic.

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I actually decided once to not take any drugs during an endoscopy. I hated IV's that much that they said well you don't HAVE to be sedated. So I said SURE lets do it!

People, on that day I was an idiot. it was one of the most horrible and embarrassing things. You constantly burp huge burps from all the air they blow in, plus you are constantly gagging and trying to throw up, of course, you can't. But so much saliva just pours out of your mouth you feel like a bulldog looking at a steak. So you're drooling all over, gagging and burping every other second, while the doctor has the bite block in your mouth. I was surely not the smart one on that day lol.

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I have had 3 endoscopies and one colonocscopy. They did give me injections but I was awake throughout, in all. They kept talking to me during Colonoscopy. Did not feel any pain. During endoscopy they spray something in my throat to numb it, did not have any gagging.

In the last endoscopy that was 2 weeks before sleeve, which my surgeon required, they told me you are the most cooperative patient she saw.

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I woke up during surgery on my saggy upper eyelids! They put you in a twilight and I guess I wasn't deep enough. I said, you know, I can feel that and its hurting....they said okay, goodnight...and I was back out again. No trauma, I thought I dreamed it until I asked my dr. about it.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

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        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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