Dr. Harald J. Kiamzon

Yes you definitely can however I suggest you still consent to anesthesia in case your gastroenterologist is having a difficult time navigating the colonoscope around, making you very uncomfortable.

Nausea is one of the most common if not the most common side effect after general anesthesia. It is important for your recovery if you were to receive a general anesthetic in the future. In terms of overall health, no, it will not impact your livelihood in the long run. It will make it inconvenient for you, however, in terms of being discharged from the recovery unit, be sure to let your anesthesia provider know how you reacted in case you require a general anesthetic in the future. In terms of your muscle aches, one particular medicine is known to cause this reaction. Be sure to inquire if you received this drug (succinylcholine). If so, that is a very common side effect and it is safe. However, if you did not receive that medicine, be sure to find out which medicines you did receive for that is an uncommon side effect for the other medicine(s) you would receive during a general anesthetic.
Hope this helps.

To be honest it depends on a lot of factors. How extreme is your father’s copd? What type of anesthesia will be used to allow the pulmonologist to do his/her part of the procedure. Having said that, I’ve provided sedation (with propofol) to many patients with copd (All with varying degrees of pathology.) all without any morbid sequale. I would advise you to ask the pulmonologist/intensivist how long he expects the procedure to take and what type of anesthesia is usually administered given the condition of your father. You’ll get a clearer picture if he’’’ be at higher risk for recovery.

The safest/most conservative course would be to pump and dispose for 24 hours