Colonoscopy sedation is not the same as surgery

DEAR DR. ROACH>>

Your recent column regarding cognitive decline after surgery suggested careful consideration prior to elective surgery.

Does this advice apply to screening colonoscopies? Since for it’s done for screening and there is no indication of any problem, does the risk outweigh the benefits for a patient 65 or older?

— K.B.

ANSWER>> The risk of cognitive decline after colonoscopy is very low. I could not find any data suggesting a significant risk of long-term (more than a day or two) changes to thinking or memory from the sedation or the procedure.

The sedation used for colonoscopy is very different from general anesthesia used for many surgeries. While some anesthetic agents may have greater risk for cognitive decline than others, the risk for the sedatives in colonoscopy appears to be very small.

There are risks to a screening colonoscopy. The most serious is a perforation of the colon, but bleeding and infection are other, rare risks. The preparation can cause imbalances in the salt levels of the blood. The risk of a serious complication after colonoscopy is less than 3 per 1,000 people. The benefits of early detection of colon cancer greatly outweigh the risks of a complication for nearly all healthy people between 50 and 75, and there are some recommendations to start earlier (at 45) or continue screening even older.

DEAR DR. ROACH>> Iama 78-year-old woman. How can I get rid of the constant pain from the neuropathy caused from the shingles that I had four months ago? It is constant, sometimes feeling like menstrual cramps, but I also have intermittent stabs that feel like an ice pick stabbing in my pelvis. I have heard that it can last a year or even a lifetime. I was prescribed gabapentin at 100 mg, three times a day and 33 ml medical marijuana drops under my tongue twice a day for some relief, but I wish I knew that there could be an end to this.

— A.C.S.

ANSWER>> Shingles, caused by the recurrence of the chickenpox virus, damages the nerves (the general term for damaged nerves is “neuropathy”), and in some people causes an extremely painful sensation. It is usually described as burning, but it may have other qualities such as you are describing.

Contact Dr. Roach at ToYourGoodHealth@med. cornell.edu.