That would be me.
It's all taking place this Wednesday.
Blech!
I'll be 37 years old in just under three weeks. They say you don't need a colonoscopy until you're 50 unless colon caner runs in your family and then they advise you to have one around the age of 40. Well, I have two strikes against me. Strike one is that colon cancer runs on BOTH sides of my family. In fact, my dad's brother passed away due to colon cancer. It was horrific! Strike two is that I've had some of the classic symptoms of colon cancer for a little while. Now, now, now... that sounds a lot worse than it is. There are a ton of things that share the same symptoms as colon cancer so I'm not incredibly worried. I just decided that given strike one by genetics, I would be smart to have it all checked out earlier than most people.
There is one thing I am FREAKING OUT about though...
The I.V.!
I'm terrified of needles AND getting put under sedation.
You can think I am as wimpy as you'd like. Fine. With. Me. I admit I'm a wimp. I'm dreading that I.V. part more than anyone knows! I hate needles!! Hate them! I have always been so anti "going under". I've never even had laughing gas. Nope. I had my wisdom teeth pulled a couple of years ago and stayed awake for the entire thing... by choice. I had a little Novocaine and dealt with the pulling and shattering of teeth. I have never been given anything to put me out. That alone terrifies me!
I may hyperventilate myself right to sleep because of this I.V. thing. I am not kidding either. A friend of mine will actually be the one putting it in at the hospital. But that doesn't make me any less petrified. And don't you DARE leave me a comment saying that you've had 47,619 I.V.'s and all of them were a breeze. I don't want to hear it. You will not make me feel any better about it.
But one thing I will feel better about is knowing that everything will be checked out EARLY in my life to prevent me from dealing with the worst possible scenario down the road. That may make the whole I.V. experience all worth it!
I find general anesthesia interesting, though kind of annoying in the suddenness of it. You're awake and then suddenly your not and then suddenly it's all over and you're groggy and holy crap that incision hurts (though the incision thing won't be a thing for you). If ever I have another surgery or something else where I'll be out, I'm going to ask the anesthesiologist to tell me when he's knocking me out; I think that warning will be helpful.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!!! The first time I "went under" was when I had my wisdom teeth out(I was 28). I was so freaked out (just like you). I couldn't sleep for days. I had panic attacks. It was bad. So, don't be mad at me for saying that I had hyped it up sooooo much worse than it actually was.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't like I.V.s either. They can NEVER get a vein on me and stab me over and over trying.
Good for you, though, for getting your colonoscopy.
So, since you don't want us to say that it is no big deal I'll tell you the truth. I thought the IV was the worst part of childbirth. I am not bothered by needles, but having it in the thin skin of my hand was horrible. Ok, now that I've made you feel even worse, I'm sure it will be a breeze and I think you're smart for doing it - good luck!
ReplyDeleteI share your fear of needles...had IVs with babies, pre-term labor, and few other procedures. HATE.IT.EVERYTIME!! Don't even like to have blood drawn...so I share your fear. Think of a reward/treat for after...something comforting to look forward to rather than the yucky needle!
ReplyDeleteOkay, sorry. Had to post again. I'm just trying to help you feel better about doing this. The I.V. in the hand during childbirth is AWFUL! BUT the good new is I'm almost certain that you will do the I.V. in the crook of your arm and that is SO MUCH easier and way less painful. There are very few nerves in that area and it's easy to find the vein. I hope that helps (and I sure hope I'm right about getting it done there).
ReplyDeleteFrom an RN's point of view. . .a lot of people think that the needle actually stays in the vein the whole time--but it doesn't. It is only used to get inside the vein and then a little flexible plastic cannula is what is actually threaded into the vein and that is what stays there. So just think of it as a little poke and then a little flexible plastic. :) I'm sure you will do great!!
ReplyDelete