u/Background_Juice7458

hi everyone! i just had my first colonoscopy today and i thought id share my experience as it feels rare and a bit lonely being this age and having to have one. this comes from the perspective of somebody with the worst health anxiety in the world which caused a panic disorder. this made my anxiety absolutely sky rocket and yet i am here on the other side to tell you what happened, what questions i can now answer that i was worried about and to encourage any younger people to push through and do it.

my initial appointment was supposed to be at the start of this month, i was given moviprep (i am in the uk) and i could not stomach it at ALL. i threw it all up to the point i had blood in my sick from it irritating my stomach lining. i was absolutely degassed and disappointed with myself that i couldn’t get it down, i had to call up and cancel and go to a walk in bevwise i was so worried about the blood in my sick. i got it rearranged for today and they switched my prep to plenvu.

as somebody who hates fruit let alone thick salty fruit water, the mango and fruit punch of it all made me think i was on my way to another throw up! i had been absolutely dreading it for weeks.

so yesterday i took my first dose of prep. i found that cleaning my room and putting on some nice clothes with nice smelling laundry stuff on really helped me ground myself and calm down for some reason. i put my first dose in the fridge for two hours before taking it, it made it a lot a lot more tolerable and a metal straw helped too. although every single sip was like agony trying to force it down, having a peppermint tea helped curb the naseau, and having a water bottle from the freezer to get rid of the aftertaste first really really helped. i managed to get it down in around an hour and 15 mins. it really helped that i told myself i did not need to finish it within an hour bang on as this caused me lots of stress last time trying to get it down in time. i definitely recommend going at a pace which means that if you just know the next sip is gonna make you projectile vomit, waiting 10 mins isn’t gonna hurt and it’s gonna make ur experience a lot better.

i had an early ish night which luckily i slept through anyways, and got up an hour before my next dose so i could mix and put it in the fridge. i had my same set up, peppermint tea, metal straw and cold water. i also had a hot water bottle to help with the stomach upset and watched the morning news for some distraction. the first cup went down okay, but the second i ultimately threw up. i was really worried that i would not be prepped enough and would have to reschedule, but it was completely fine, so if you are worried you have not completed it properly, as long as the stool is watery i would not worry.

i then had a nap and off i went!!!!! when i got in i felt very comforted by all the staff. i was worried it might feel like i had no dignity but you will soon realise they all care about giving you the most comfortable experience possible. i did almost faint after getting my IV drip thingy put in but i was fine after about 5 mins.

as for the scope itself, i had partial sedation, i dont really remember much other than it was absolute agony, i thjnk it lasted about 40 minutes and i remember just crying, but one of the nurses held my hand the entire time. i felt very very looked after and despite the pain, i managed to push through and have it fully completed.

as someone with horrible horrible anxiety i was so so worried that even with sedation i might have a panic attack, but as soon as it hits and if you experience pain you won’t even have time to think about how anxious you are which weirdly …. is a plus for me.

i dont remember too much, i do remember the pillow was really comfy though, and i remember being proud of myself for going through with it because my brain for weeks had been telling me i could not.

after the procedure, they wheeled me into recovery where i was still sedated and all i can remember saying was pizzAaaaa oh my god i could not stop thinking about a takeaway pizza, even though i was still crying

as i came around it all started to feel like a dream, and as i stared at the wall infront of me i just thought, i am so happy i did it

my results were that i have ulcerative colitis, which although scary, i am so glad i can finally put a name to my pain. as a girl it is very hard to advocate for yourself with stomach pains and to not be dismissed, especially when young.

i dont even know if anyone will read this, its nice to get it all down anyways as i dont have anyone in my life who could understand what it was like really. if you are a young girl, a young adult or anybody who like me found it absolutely terrifying and saw no way of being able to get through it. just know, the biggest anxious wreck you could ever meet did it. i am proud of myself and everyone else who is able to put their brain aside to get themselves the answers they need. that is all…. and i did infact get my pizza

hi everyone, i’m 21 and i’ve just had my first ever colonoscopy today where they found i have ulcerative colitis, id never really heard of it before today so im just a bit anxious and worried about the unknown of it all. i’ve had blood consistently in my stool for about a year so its nothing new to me, they took biopsies out and said i will most likely have bleeding, but if its more than an egg cup to call the doctors. ive been basically bleeding every “bowel movement” since. it’s only been a couple hours but i’m just worried it’s more blood than is normal. i honestly have no perception of normal anymore because i bleed anyways so im worried i might not know if it’s too much. has anybody else had this experience and if so can give me some comfort/ share their experience. i’m sooo anxious and it would help so much. tysm:)

thank you all for the comments i am reading every single ome!!!!!!!!!! feeling much much better today