"Painful colonoscopy"

I am a semi retired GP so I understand the necessity of investigating a change in bowel habits. So when I had experienced changed bowel habits for 5 months, I visited my own GP. I was referred under the 2 week WL for colonoscopy. I was seen 15 days later by a Dr who had obviously NOT read the GP referral letter. Asked what medication I was on and my PMH. I KNOW my GP would have sent a full PMH and medication list as I have a complicated history of unusual, unrelated problems and take several different medications daily. Repeated the exam my GP had done and referred me on for colonoscopy. In other words, that appointment was totally unnecessary. 

I followed the low fibre diet and bowel prep as advised.

The admitting nurse again wanted to know my PMH and medications. What happens to the notes? Does no one read them any more? How many more illnesses/medications will I have had in 4 weeks?

I was sedated with midazolam and fentanyl. 

The exam started well and for the first 3-4 mins I was quite ‘enjoying’ seeing my bowel on the screen. Then we hit the first bend and from then on it was increasingly painful. I had more fentanyl and then Entonox. The explanation was that I had a very loopy sigmoid colon. I had to move into all sorts of other positions, on my tummy, on my back etc and there was a lot of hard pushing of my abdomen. The whole procedure took about 45 mins. I was in tears by the end. The pain was excruciating.

I was asked if I wanted to stop, but the thought of coming back for another attempt drove me to agree to completion. 

When I was back in recovery, it was obvious that I was very distressed, but nothing was said and my daughter was not called in to comfort me.

Luckily, the colonoscopy revealed only diverticula, no polyps and no cancer.

When I was a junior doctor, we were always advised to make uncomfortable procedures as bearable as possible, especially if they might need to be repeated at some time. I was always of the opinion that if the patient either felt no pain or had no recollection of the procedure, then repeating it was not an issue. What happened to that training?

I will NEVER, NEVER, NEVER have another colonoscopy. 

I just hope there is never the need for another. I will keep any bowel symptoms to myself and hope they are unimportant because of this experience.