I am scheduled for a colonoscopy and endoscopy in a couple of weeks. I have very bad health anxiety. I’ve been reading on the internet about how 1 in 1,000 get a perforated colon and other horrifying results, such as a ruptured spleen, waking up in the middle of it in horrible pain. I would love somebody to talk to who has been through this. I’m not sure I can go through with it.
Freaking out over colonoscopy?
Question posted by Renee2010 on 7 Sep 2022
Last updated on 7 September 2022 by WildcatVet
Answers
Hi, Renee!
Boy, your anxiety is talking a blue streak! The most common complications are abdominal discomfort and minor bleeding. Very few people have serious complications.
You're looking at a figure of 1/1000 but look at it this way:
"Are these examinations safe? Yes, these examinations are safe, especially when carried out as part of prevention. The risk of complications is very low. The frequency of the appearance of complications during the endoscopy of the upper GI is 0.1%, while during a colonoscopy it is 0.3%."
And remember that those figures reflect all the minor complications as well as anything more serious.
Personally, I've had two colonoscopies and my husband had three plus an endoscopy. They were fast and painless with no complications at all.
This is not to say that no one will have problems but I wonder if the risks of the the conditions you're being tested for aren't riskier than the procedures themselves.
I hope this helps in some small way and I hope your procedures go as smoothly as ours did.
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anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, health
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