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by zwieback 1691 days ago
I just had mine a couple days ago and opted for no sedation because I wanted to see what's going on. It was a bit unpleasant, at a couple spots the doc snakes the scope around some sharp bends and you can feel that inside of you. It totally paid off, though, I had a clear view of the monitor and could watch everything going on. I've done a fair amount of optical engineering so I was really curious about the whole thing and it's really fabulous.

Unfortunately, they found quite a few polyps and one was large enough that a) the doc marked the spot with some dye and b) they cauterized it. The puff of smoke inside my gut was definitely the highlight for me.
3 comments
cstrahan 1682 days ago
Similar experience here.

In my case, I didn't want to be administered a powerful substance (and experience any lasting effects) unless absolutely necessary. My understanding is that adverse reactions are very rare, but if the only upside is avoidance of minor discomfort for 30-60 minutes, I don't see the point.

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azinman2 1691 days ago
I cannot imagine why you’d possibly want to be awake for it… especially to the point of calling it fabulous? I’m sure they could have given you a video afterwards without the discomfort.
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zwieback 1691 days ago
My original goal was to avoid the extra time and having to organize a ride but also the aftereffects - the last time I felt weird a day or two later (could have been a red herring).

I just found it totally fascinating to see my own insides live in in high res and listen to the doctor and nurses talk about what was going on.

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azinman2 1691 days ago
Well, I guess everyone has their own interests. I'm glad you got so much out of it. Personally I have no desire to see and feel myself be rotorootered and am very happy to knocked out, but it would be nice not to have the sedation after effects. The last two times I got one I ended up taking like a 4h nap afterwards. I'd imagine you also wouldn't have the same restrictions around drinking water cutoff times without sedation.
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citiguy 1691 days ago
That's an interesting idea, asking for no sedation. Next time....
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