Give me phone or give me ativan. Either will suffice. Both is even better, but...

I went in, put the hospital robe on, 20 min later I was under anesthesia.

I could keep my phone anytime (why would you not?).

Now, in France you prepare yourself before and that's another horrifying story :)

> But would it really be that bad to let people hang on to their phones?

Yes, it would. The last time I had an EGD (same facilities as colonoscopy), there were 5 small rooms on each side of an aisle for patients. Some of the rooms had TVs turned on, some had patients' family members talking loudly, and of course the nurses were running all over the place, with many talking about what they did over the weekend, etc.

Would it be so bad if people learned how to chill out for 2 hours without constant stimulation?

I can happily chill out without my phone. I think it's something that more people should practice. I don't think that pre-colonoscopy is the time to expect people to go without comforting distractions.