Conscious Sedation... Has Anyone else?

What are they using to sedate you?

Hey Nicci,
Usually the anesthetists andGI doctors use Versed for colonoscopy sedation. With that you are able to move around and respond to them, but don't remember anything afterward. But, apparently you have a resistance to whatever they used, and you should inform them. My daughter is a Nurse Anesthetist. She has informed me that the Colonoscopy Anesthesia Induction Protocol has changed. Now, they give a mild sedative and propofol. It is a general anesthesia, but no paralytics are given, so the patient does not need to be intubated. Anesthesia folks prefer propofol, because it leaves your system very quickly and you are not so "loopey" afterwards. Yes, it is the drug that killed MJ. If administered properly, it is very safe. You will be totally asleep. Many gastroenterologists prefer to us Versed because they don't have to get the anesthesia folks involved -- they can give the anesthesia themselves. A GI doctor cannot give propofol. When you see your doctor to schedule your colonoscopy, tell him you want propofol used, which means you will have the colonoscopy done in a hospital setting and not at his/her GI clinic. Unless you have a condition that precludes general anesthesia, and since propofol is in the new protocol, you have the choice. Hope this helps.
Kathy