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Reply to "Pouchoscopy While Awake Review!!! FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions!!!!"

@Winterberry posted:

I've had many decades worth of colonoscopies, and now pouchoscopies (also called an endoscopy) and I've always had them under sedation. No big deal for them to administer it. Insurance is different in Canada and sedation is covered. I know this is an advantage. I tell them in advance of the day and they have a dose ready. My sedation is always administered by the doctor performing the pouchoscopy so it isn't necessary for an anesthesiologist to be booked and paid. I think that is where the higher cost might be. Ask your doctor if he or she can administer.

I'm out for 20 minutes or so for the procedure. Maybe my checkup takes longer because it's also a cancer checkup - my reason for having a pouch. Another 30 - 40 minutes to wake up in the recovery room with the other groggy patients.

No pain, no uncomfortable feeling of pressure from the air they pump into my pouch, or the distressing sense that I'm going to poop while on the table. I don't really want to ask my surgeon any questions or chat with him or his team because I need him to focus entirely on the examination of my pouch. Anything I need to tell him, any concerns or changes I've experienced, I tell him before I go under. He leaves handwritten notes on any findings, and the nurse gives it to me when I wake, along with cookies and juice, water, to rehydrate and help the blood glucose. I book the first appointment of the day so I am done by mid morning and can eat lunch.

I would be too nervous to do this while awake, and they would not get a thorough examination if I were squirming or saying ouch the whole time. So, if you're the least bit anxious or nervous, please don't be afraid to ask for help. It's important to have your pouch checked. There is also a tiny pill called Ativan, by prescription, taken half an hour before the procedure and it doesn't quite knock you out, but relaxes you completely and you can drift. The pill will be less costly than sedation and it wears off very quickly when you wake.

I had my pouchoscopy with sedation in December and was home in a few hours. I got myself home without assistance and ate lunch, starving. Remember, after sedation, do not drive, or operate machinery, or sign any legal documents that day no matter how awake you feel.

You made excellent points! During the procedure, I never squirmed, I stayed still the whole time. I never said ouch once, There was ZERO pain, I promise. There was pressure at certain times but everything was ZERO Pain. I know it sounds too good to be true, I was skeptical myself before I got it done, but its totally fine. Maybe you should try it once and see how it goes. If you choose not to, that is okay too

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