Author:
Rachel, R.N.
[Edit]
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Date Posted: 01:14:36 08/23/09 Sun
Being an anal-erotic nurse, I wasn't actually hating the idea of turning 50 and getting my colonoscopy, but after hearing credible horror stories (as well as many,many positive stories) about Versed and conscious sedation, I kept blowng off my doctor's suggestion of getting a colonoscopy. Finally, he just scheduled me for one on my day off and told me to go, I really respect him so I did the prep and when they called me the night before I told them: no sedation, I'm get hives with Versed (lie) and I'm allergic to eggs (so no propofol).....Telling them that I'm allergic to the 2 sedation drugs causes fewer arguments than explaining that I don't want sedation. The endo people bitched and moaned about having to do the colonoscopy unsedated (it takes longer and they have to be gentle), but since I was prepped and there (they hate to lose a time slot), the doc decided to do it unsedated. One of the nurses mentioned that I had just got a flu shot (so I wasn't really allergic to eggs) and my story started to unravel. The doc was a little miffed that I had lied about the allergies, but I snapped back with "you lie to patients when you tell them that sedation is required for colonoscopy (it certianly is not), so what's the difference". He had a rude comment, so i just decided to leave, telling them that I'm not risking sedation and possible long-term memory loss with Versed just so they can do the procedure more quickly. Wile I was dressing t=in the locker room, the doctor and the CRNA came in (while I was dressing!) to apologize; I tried to be polite, but the combination of being nervous plus being dehydrated from the prep put me on edge. The doctor told me that, yes colonoscopy is often done without sedation, which I pointed out was a lie (like mine) and that he had just had one himself without sedation. He sid that he would be glad to do my exam without sedation; yes they do lie to patients and tell them that sedation is required, they like all patients to have amnesia from the Versed so that they won't tell anyone that the exam was painful (which even if it was, the Versed makes you forget this, at least immediately after the exam). O.k., I said do it, but no sedation, they agreed. The CRNA asked if I had a ride, I said it doesn't matter if I'm nt getting sedation, now does it? He said that if I had a ride and consented to painkiller that he would stand by with a syringe full of sublimaze and squirt it into my IV if I needed it. I declined and they insisted on starting an IV anyway; since I was dehydrated, it seemed a good idea. The exam was not too bad, but at the cecum (end of the colon), the doc needed to take several biopsies, painless but time-consuming. After 20 minutes of laying on my side, my back was killing me (the exam was almost painless) and the doc and the CRNA (not sure why he was still there, later he told me that it was a professional courtesy, no charge since I was a nurse) gently suggested that now was the time to get some sublimaze (fentanyl), so I reluctantly agreed. The CRNA reassured me that the drug would make me comfortable and as he gave it, my back pain disappeared and all of my tense muscles relaxed. Even though the scope was still in my bum, I let out an involuntary 10 second fart, which felt great, and one of the nurses started to rub my back and encouraged me to do it again. The exam was soon over and it was easy without sedation; the painkiller was nice but unecesary.
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