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Does a colonoscopy hurt with sedation?
I'm 45 years old, and I'm going to have a colonoscopy with sedation to see if I have any colonic polyps. Does a colonoscopy hurt even with sedation?
10 Answers
It is not supposed to hurt with a good sedation, and usually you won't remember.
You won't remember a thing and will have no pain.
Colonoscopy with protocol and/or midazolam under the care of an anesthesiologist or a supervised nurse anesthetist is without pain and discomfort.
With deep sedation, you will unlikely feel a thing.
Steven Dain
Typically most doctors use moderate sedation and should not feel anything or at a minimum be very comfortable with the procedure...check with your doctor what sedation they plan to use
Marc A Morales MD
No, a colonoscopy is usually performed under deep IV sedation with propofol. If lighter sedation is given, i.e., Versed + narcotic, there may be a slight incidence of recall and discomfort. If an anesthesia provider is involved, you will almost certainly receive deep sedation with propofol.
Anesthetists do a very good job of making colonoscopy under sedation a reasonable experience with no unpleasant recall. However, it is not a general anesthetic and a few patients may recall pain. Every attempt is made to make colonoscopy a safe and well tolerated procedure.
No, our job as an anesthesiologist is to keep you comfortable. The sedation will help.
Dr. Kush Tripathi
It is a little uncomfortable, but no sharp pain as we are going through natural body pathways and IV sedation makes it pretty tolerable.
When you are sedated, you won’t feel any pain. Sedation through IV is ideal for a colonoscopy.