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Upper Gastroscopy/Endoscopy Without Sedation

Posted , 48 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Browsing this site because I can see a Colonoscopy coming my way. Got side tracked and ended up in this section.

Just wanted to say about 4 years ago I had to have an upper tract endoscopy (tube down throat) and was beside myself over it. I'm the biggest wimp going and very frightened of invasive procedures.

Anyway, circumstance on the day were that if I had sedation I'd have no one to drive me home afterwards but I wanted to get it over and one with.

So believe it or not I asked for it without sedation. The nurse tried to dissuade me but I stuck to my guns. I did accept the throat spray though. I calmed myself as much as I could and walked into the procedure room.

I'm please to say I managed it without sedation and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. No pain and only minimal discomfort. I did mumble about getting the endoscope out quick just before the end but by then it was nigh on all over. The examining doctor said I'd done so well to tolerate it. That made me doubly proud of myself because at the time I suffered from severe panic attacks (now thankfully gone).

Back in recovery all my fellow endocopees who'd had their procedure before me were snoring their heads off. I waited there a while because I wanted the numbness the spray had caused to my throat to wear off. During this wait I heard other patients who had been sedated fighting, groaning, moaning and shouting during their investigation. I'm sure that would have been me if I'd been left with no control.

Now possibly got to face a colonoscopy and heading to that section to see what the score is on that front.

2 likes, 132 replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    [color=red:23abbf6b80][/color:23abbf6b80][size=18:23abbf6b80][/size:23abbf6b80]I had endoscopy in May this year with sedation the sedation didn't take effect.I felt the tube going down back of my throat and gagged all the way through. The dr kept telling me to take deep breaths but i couldn't. I wish i'd had the throat spray to numb my throat and just dosed up on my morphine tablets at home to sedate me. If i ever have to have it done again they'd have to give me a general aneasthetic or they'd not get near me.
    • fiona70513
      fiona70513 Guest

      Posted

      Had similar experience. I'm now faced with repeat scoping and VERY reluctant to have with out a GA. I feel like i'm being rail roaded into sedation as I am repeatedily told about risks to GA. Can't help thinking who is this procedure ?? Is it for the cost/benefit of the service user or the service provider ???
  • vixen
    vixen

    Posted

    i too had an endoscopic procedure when the sedation did not work i had ercp and the sedation did not work it took 6 members of staff to hold me down and the whole situation took 50 mins to complete unsuccessfully!! well done to the origional poster for having endoscopy without sedation. to the 2nd poster i am sorry for your experience ... i had to endure a further 2 sessions of ercp!!
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi I had an endoscopy on Thurs afternoon and have been searching to see if anyone else has had a similar experience. My sedative did not work until after the tube was passed down. I was vomitting and gagging and trying to raise my hand to explain, but a nurse held my arm down and they simply forced their way down. I did pass out after it went down and was only mildly aware of it being removed and being wheeled into a recovery ward. I am pleased that I managed and survived with neither throat spray nor sedation (I don't want to scare anyone going for it!) but very disappointed there were no checks done to see if I was out. I had the gag in my mouth while they were injecting the drug, I felt it was rushed as I was the last patient of the day. I am considering making a formal complaint. I work with animals and would NEVER allow them to have an uncomfortable procedure without checking they were properly sedated. Any input?
    • fiona70513
      fiona70513 Guest

      Posted

      I agree. It's quite barbaric really.Had ERCP and gastroscopy and am now being told I need endoscopy !. IThe ERCP wasnt too bad as I was properly sedated ( only felt initial gag as the tube went down the back of my throat - and some pain during the taking of biopsies ) but the gastroscoy was truly awful. I gagged terribly throughout the whole procedure. Am now faced with repeat scoping. Not without GA !!!
    • Elle_Woods
      Elle_Woods Guest

      Posted

      That's horrifying!! In which hospital did you have your endoscopy done? Was it in London?
    • lily65668
      lily65668 Elle_Woods

      Posted

      No. Not in the UK either. But this could have happened anywhere.

      Once again, however - I was 69, which meant I only got a tiny dose of sedation. Also they thought they were going to go straight down and up again, and really didn't believe they were going to find a denture firmly embedded in my throat. You can't really compare the two.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    You are not alone! I have had that experience and so have many of my friends. Addenbrookes are brilliant and i notice they gave me 8 mg sedation but London hosp where I had the same nightmare you describe had only given me 3mg so I was not properly sedated. At first I thought they were saving on the cost of the drugs by giving a reduced dosage but now wonder if they just don't have the facilites (ie bed to rest, time to recover etc) to let people come round from a proper sedation. I know a lot of people who won't have it done again because of bad sedation.
    • fiona70513
      fiona70513 Guest

      Posted

      Yes absolutely agree. I think it's about cost and NOT about patient experience. Shocking.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 fiona70513

      Posted

      Fiona, you have my sympathy.

      The problem lies in the way the cocktail of drugs they give you is supposed to work. (I'm a former nurse, btw.) It's only meant to produce very mild sedation, but total amnesia for the event. In fact, people who've had "sedation" often struggle violently and are more likely to have to be restrained during the process, as their higher intellectual centres are depressed by the drugs. However, they remember nothing afterwards, so it's as if they've had a GA. I always felt morally queasy about holding down someone who was looking me in the eye and screaming.

      Last year it was my turn. I managed to swallow my large, spiky denture, which lodged in my throat. For three weeks I was kicked out of one hospital after another because it didn't show up on X-ray and they didn't believe me (doctors never believe their patients on principle!) Finally, very weak and dehydrated and 7 kilos lighter (every cloud has a silver lining!) I was taken to hospital by a determined friend, and a gastroscopy was reluctantly performed under so-called sedation.

      I was very scared about this, as I know the over-65s suffer the most. They only give a half dose of the drugs to this age group, as they can suffer adverse cardio-respiratory reactions. I would have liked a GA, but was in no position to argue.

      It was indeed a total nightmare. The denture was deeply embedded by this time and six people had to hold me down while they dug it out. I was in a strange mental state - almost like a wild animal. It felt as if my higher centres had been completely suppressed and the animal-like limbic system was in control. I knew what was going on, but still wanted to kill everybody.

      When I was being wheeled out of the endoscopy suite, in a bed with the cotsides up, I was still under the influence and very angry. I remember kneeling up on the bed, clutching the rail at the head and screaming abuse in the nurse's face. I'd particularly taken against her as she'd been kneeling on my arm. She laughed and told me I was going to crash out any minute, I'd sleep from an hour and never recall any of this.

      Well... judge for yourself! In the event, I was completely wired and didn't close my eyes for another 30 hours. (It's called a paradoxical reaction.) If I ever had to have another one, I'd insist on a GA. Fortunately, I live in a country where I'd be given the option of carrying the extra cost myself. I'm guessing you're in the UK, where the penny-pinching NHS response to such a request is likely to depend on your post-code.

  • Bhopeful
    Bhopeful

    Posted

    I had an endoscopy and did not want full sedation so was given the throat spray to numb the throat and felt no pain during the procedure. The procedure, including the spray was very uncomfortable but I concentrated on my breathing as I was told to do and this kept me calm. The nurse with me kept talking to me to keep me calm. It lasted only about 10 minutes and if I had to have another, I would certainly go for the throat spray and not the sedation. Make sure you have several tissues with you for when the procedure ends as you may bring some phlegm up.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    [quote:8dc0810482=\"Pamela \"]Hi I had an endoscopy on Thurs afternoon and have been searching to see if anyone else has had a similar experience. My sedative did not work until after the tube was passed down. I was vomitting and gagging and trying to raise my hand to explain, but a nurse held my arm down and they simply forced their way down. I did pass out after it went down and was only mildly aware of it being removed and being wheeled into a recovery ward. I am pleased that I managed and survived with neither throat spray nor sedation (I don't want to scare anyone going for it!) but very disappointed there were no checks done to see if I was out. I had the gag in my mouth while they were injecting the drug, I felt it was rushed as I was the last patient of the day. I am considering making a formal complaint. I work with animals and would NEVER allow them to have an uncomfortable procedure without checking they were properly sedated. Any input?[/quote:8dc0810482]

    I was the last patient of the day aswell!!!!! And they said to me \"Dont worry we've had lots of practice today so you've got nothin to worry about\". Before hand i was given the option to go with throat spray and if i dont like it to be sedated. After reality hit me and that massive black metal thing really was coming for my throat i started to panic and jus after she rammed it in i was screamin \"PLEASE STOP\" because i wanted to be sedated because of how much i could feel it and was violently gagging but they just said dont panic your going to be fine and held me down. I feel like what i went through was almost violation and to say a traumatic experience is a putting it lightly, it was a near-rape/murder/suffocation like feeling all in 1, i felt like i was going to choke to death on the metal pole and i couldnt tell them how bad it felt. I only had throat spray, and i dont know why it is even optionable if cases can go as badly as mine, im disgusted general anaesthetic isnt available for this after what ive heard about the sedation aswell. I had it done yesterday and ive had visual flash backs quite constantly since, i couldnt sleep at all last night and i have a pain from where she was forcing it through corners and into holes.

    And the worse thing is, before i went in i was kicking myself saying oh my god your being a wuss the cameras probably the size of a hair strand knowing todays technology. Its thicker than my little finger and im quite a big guy

    Also. I could swallow by the time i was sitting up right and it was all over, i wasnt supposed to be able to for another 30 minutes from then.

    • Elle_Woods
      Elle_Woods Guest

      Posted

      Hi, do you mind if I give a copy of your comment to the endoscopist as they insisted that what you experienced is impossible to happen. I cancelled my endoscopy today as they didn't seem to be prepared to handle cases like yours adequately and if it happened to me - I'll be certainly dead and they will have only find out after they are finished... sad
    • lily65668
      lily65668 Elle_Woods

      Posted

      Elle, bear in mind that Guest, above, didn't have sedation, just throat spray.
    • Elle_Woods
      Elle_Woods lily65668

      Posted

      I know, but I cant have a sedation because of my epilepsy and low blood pressure. I also can't have the throat spray because I'm having some sort of sinusitis and have mucus constantly flowing down my throat. sad As I said - I'm a bundle of troubles lol
    • lily65668
      lily65668 Elle_Woods

      Posted

      Sorry, Elle, I hadn't picked up on the fact you were talking about having it without sedation. No, of course you can't have sedation with a medical history like yours. I can't, however, think having sinusitis etc. would prevent you from having throat spray.

      Still, you're plainly very nervous about the whole thing, so I think it would be better to try and pressure your doctor into letting you have a CT scan, at least initially. There was someone on one of these forums a few months back who got as far as the endoscopy room twice but the procedure had to be cancelled both times. The cost of those "wasted" appointments must come to about the same as a CT scan, I reckon.

    • Elle_Woods
      Elle_Woods lily65668

      Posted

      Oh, I just realized that CT scan means MRI scan. smile I will discuss with my gp on Monday the possibility to combine the things somehow as I need to have an MRI anyway to determine what's the reason for my severe tinitus and the sinusitis. I have been told however that CT scan might not be as effective as an endoscopy but since the CT scan is so costly it isn't hard to assume why they insist for the endoscopy.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 Elle_Woods

      Posted

      No it doesn't - they're two quite different things. An MRI is much more accurate but costs way more than a CT scan (which, incidentally, doesn't cost an awful lot more than an X-ray, though it's less effective at spotting stomach lesions than a gastroscopy). Also, if you're being investigated for tinnitus/sinitus, they're only likely to scan your head. But it's still worth asking your doctor if they could extend it to a full-body MRI. I don't know a lot about costings, but it might well be that the extra cost of doing a more widespread MRI mightn't make much difference. And MRI is certainly the Rolls-Royce of medical investigations. There's very little an MRI scan won't pick up.
    • Elle_Woods
      Elle_Woods lily65668

      Posted

      Oh, thanks for making that clear. Probably if I am more clear with my gp about the eventual complications that I can get during endoscopy - he might refer me for an MRI. Fingers crossed!
    • sk00v
      sk00v Elle_Woods

      Posted

      I found this page Googling for endoscopy and uncomfortable.

      Plenty of scary stories on here, but I just had my first gastroscopy about 2 hours ago and thought I'd post to say..... It wasn't that bad. It was uncomfortable but not unbearable by any means, and over fairly quick. ZERO pain throughout and it didn't even make me gag.. almost, but not quite!

      I didn't have any sedation, just some throat spray which gives a comparable result to having an injection at the dentist.

      All the best to others that have to have one soon.

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