Your provider inserts the colonoscope through your anus and slowly advances it through your colon to the end, where it meets your small intestine. While advancing, the catheter pumps air into your colon to inflate it. The camera transmits video of the inside of your colon to a monitor.
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.
For the procedure, you'll lie on a table while the doctor inserts a colonoscope through your anus and into your rectum and colon. The scope inflates your large intestine with air for a better view. The camera sends a video image to a monitor, allowing the doctor to examine your large intestine.
This type of anesthetic renders you completely unconscious, and your breathing is impaired, so a breathing tube, ventilator, and inhalation anesthetic are used.
Once you're asleep, the anesthesiologist or CRNA may insert a flexible, plastic breathing tube into your mouth and down your windpipe. The tube ensures that you get enough oxygen.
It will normally only go as far as the first part of the colon, this is known as the caecum. The colonoscope tube is thin and flexible and ranges from 125 centimetres (48 inches) to 183 centimetres (72 inches) in length.
Looping was both more frequent ( P = 0.0002) and less well tolerated in women than in men ( P = 0.0140). Conclusions: This study is the first to document pain at colonoscopy accurately. Looping, particularly in the variable anatomy of the sigmoid colon, is the major cause of pain, especially in women.
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.
Most colonoscopies take only 15-30 minutes to complete. As a reminder, most patients recall feeling minimal to no pain or discomfort during the procedure. After the colonoscopy is done, you will be observed in a recovery area until the effects of the anesthesia wear off.
You may keep most clothing on for upper endoscopy as well as comfortable shirt and socks for colonoscopy. Women may keep their bra on for the procedure. Please do not wear lotions, oils or perfumes/cologne to the center due to the monitoring devices.
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 will be offered disposable shorts to wear. ❖ You will receive a sedative and an analgesic injection for the test and you may be offered Entonox (gas and air). Then with you lying on your left hand side the endoscopist will gently insert the endoscope into your anus and up into the bowel.
Placement of a foley catheter
It's not necessary in an operation where fluids remain pretty steady (breast augmentation, facelift, eyelid lift). But it's very helpful during operations with potential “fluid shifts” like any procedure involving liposuction.
A suprapubic catheter is a type of indwelling catheter. Rather than being inserted through your urethra, the catheter is inserted through a hole in your abdomen and then directly into your bladder. This procedure can be carried out under general anaesthetic, epidural anaesthetic or local anaesthetic.
Inserting either type of catheter can be uncomfortable, so anaesthetic gel may be used on the area to reduce any pain. You may also experience some discomfort while the catheter is in place, but most people with a long-term catheter get used to this over time.
The medicine you received during the procedure may stay in your body for up to 24 hours. You may feel tired or sleepy and have difficulty concentrating. Once you get home, relax for the rest of the day.
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.
Colonoscopy recovery is usually quick with most people resuming normal activity the next day. Even so, it is important not to rush back to work. It is best to take the remainder of the day to rest, recover from sedation, and replenish fluids and nutrition. The results of your exam should be available within a few days.
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.
Mild abdominal pain/discomfort immediately after a colonoscopy is not rare, occurring anywhere between 2.5% to 11% of the cases [2]. Though it may have a host of etiologies, it is most commonly a result of air insufflation, endoscope looping, and/or manual pressure maneuvers used during a colonoscopy.
Thinner and more flexible endoscopes may cause less stretching of the mesentery, which is one of the principal sources of pain during colonoscopy.
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.
Will I be up all night with colonoscopy prep? Probably not, if you start on time. While everyone's body is different, most people are able to complete their round of purging before going to sleep for the night.