Painful colonoscopies could cause some Islanders to avoid them, say those who have struggled with the procedure

Some islanders say the process has changed when it comes to colonoscopies. People who've had no pain in the past say getting the procedure done now is unbearably painful. The pain got increasingly worse. I kept asking for medication, which I felt humiliated to have to do. I said, please give me some more medication. LaPierre says no extra medication came when she asked. And she's heard from hundreds of Islanders who experienced similar pain. She does say she had a relative go through the procedure recently with no pain, but she's concerned people might decide not to get a scope. I think people, the health care system, needs to listen to the patients and be compassionate. And if they need medication for a preventable disease, give it to them for God's sake. One woman says the pain was so bad the procedure couldn't be completed and she doesn't want to go back. I was told that I would be given some... Not light sedation, but more something to make me comfortable, to relax me. But it didn't work. There was an extreme amount of pain. It was quite traumatic. Bernard says she asked to be fully sedated if she goes back for another scope, but was denied. LaPierre says she was told at the hospital that the protocol has changed to limited sedation. As for Health PEI, in an emailed statement, officials said, patients undergoing colonoscopy procedures in PEI are routinely offered conscious sedation, which uses medications to reduce anxiety, discomfort, and pain during a procedure. Under conscious sedation, patients are sleepy and relaxed, but are not fully unconscious, allowing them to respond when spoken to. Sedation is only withheld if there is a medical reason not to provide it, or if a patient chooses to decline it. Health PEI officials say the drugs currently being used haven't changed in years. Officials say anyone with concerns about their health care should contact their health care team or the Patient Experience Office so their concerns can be reviewed and addressed. Tony Davis, CBC News, Charlottetown.