Your doctor and nurse will be in the room at all times. The procedure usually takes about 20-45 minutes. The amount of time depends on how well your at-home preparation worked, the length of your colon, and how many polyps are found and removed. How comfortable you are also affects how long the procedure takes.
You must arrange for someone to accompany you home the day of your procedure. You may use public transportation (taxi or bus), but only if you have an adult who can escort you home. Prior to the procedure, you will be asked to change into a gown.
Several people may be in the room during the procedure, including your gastroenterologist, a nurse or two, a technician assisting with the colonoscopy, and an anesthesiologist.
The colonoscopy is performed by a doctor experienced in the procedure and lasts approximately 30-60 minutes. Medications will be given into your vein to make you feel relaxed and drowsy. You will be asked to lie on your left side on the examining table.
Most colonoscopies take between 30 minutes and an hour to complete. During the procedure, the anesthesiologist and nurse anesthetist work together to ensure that the patient's vital signs, especially blood pressure and breathing rate, remain in a safe range.
Light or moderate sedation is usually administered by a nurse under the direction of the gastroenterologist, but if you will be receiving deep sedation or general anesthesia, it is important to ask that a anesthesiologist be involved in your care.
The colonoscopy lasts for between 25 to 45 minutes. Most people have a mild anaesthetic or sedation to minimise any pain or discomfort. The sedation also means you may remember very little of the procedure or nothing at all.
A typical screening colonoscopy for a generally healthy adult will take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. Since the entire colonoscopy (from start to finish) is performed with sedation from the anesthesia physician or CRNA/CAA, this means you will be asleep for 15 to 45 minutes.
One of the causes of pain during insertion of the colonoscope is stretching of the mesenterium by loop formation of the instrument and the degree of the pain is different from types of looping formation.
Is a sedation-free colonoscopy painful or uncomfortable? Most patients report little or no discomfort during the procedure. You can request sedation during the procedure if you change your mind and feel you need it, although it has been my experience that this seldom occurs.
How does the colonoscopy procedure work? The colonoscope is a small, lighted camera attached to the end of a long, thin, flexible tube called a catheter. Your provider inserts the colonoscope through your anus and slowly advances it through your colon to the end, where it meets your small intestine.
The night before your surgery, wash with soap you were given. Do not shave your abdomen (stomach) or pubic hair. Shaving before your surgery gives you a higher chance of getting an infection. A person from the health-care team will use clippers to get you ready for surgery if hair needs to be removed.
You may need a catheter (fine plastic drain tube) put in your front passage to drain the urine from your bladder until you are able to pass urine comfortably on your own.
Colonoscopy is proven to reduce colorectal cancer incidence and mortality. Due to the limitations of existing hospital gowns, the buttocks and genitals are often exposed during the procedure.
One option for getting a ride home is to hire an aide through a home health agency. You can find highly rated home health agencies on the Better Business Bureau website or by doing a quick internet search. The aide will typically either accompany you in a taxi, Uber or Lyft or they will drive you in their car.
After the procedure, you will stay in recovery until the sedation wears off enough for you to go home. You will probably feel a bit tired or groggy even then, so you cannot drive yourself home. Your doctor will not release you unless there is someone there to bring you home.
Pain after the procedure: Some people have stomach pain after a colonoscopy. A person may also experience mild irritation to their rectum, gas, or other digestive problems. These symptoms are usually mild and tend to go away in a few days.
The sedation levels during the procedures may also differ. Endoscopies can be performed with minimal sedation, while colonoscopies typically require general anesthesia to ensure the patient is comfortable and relaxed throughout the process.
During the procedure itself, your colonoscopy will not be painful at all. Most patients cannot even feel the tube when it is inside of them, and there is no pain during the post-procedure process. There are a few side effects that may occur after the procedure, which include: Distention.
Due to the sedation, it is unlikely the patient will remember the colonoscopy itself. Once the procedure is over, the patient will need about 30-60 minutes to recover from the sedation before getting dressed and leaving the building.
The process of waking up from anesthesia is known as emergence. During emergence, the anesthesiologist will slowly reduce the amount of anesthetic drugs in the body. This helps to reduce the intensity of the effects of anesthesia and allows the patient to regain consciousness.
Once you start to “wake up” from sedation, you may find yourself feeling a little sluggish and bloated. For relief from your cramps during the first hours after your colonoscopy, you'll be encouraged to pass gas, and—until you stop feeling groggy—your doctor may recommend you limit your activity.
The biggest culprits that will show up in a colonoscopy and obscure our view are foods like nuts, seeds and high-fiber cereals. You also want to avoid granola, coconut, dried fruit and fresh fruit with the skin on, like apples and pears, or fruit with seeds, like strawberries and raspberries.
Your body is completely covered during the exam.
You may be wondering how much of your body is exposed during a colonoscopy. But don't worry about being embarrassed or exposed — you will wear a hospital gown, and a sheet provides extra covering.