Don't believe the horror stories about upper GI endoscopy

Dear Debs

Thanks for the very helpful comment. I want people to be able to stop worrying and relax.

Claire

Hiya, in my opinion you just need to relax, I only had the throat spray an gagged very slightly for a mere second, I would not hesitate if I had to have it done again, going in relaxed is the key.

Debs

Hi Imustimust,

I'm sorry people are telling you it's your fault because you didn't relax enough. IMHO that's a bit like telling a depressive to pull themself together.

I appreciate that it's a walk in the park for most people and they don't want to scare others off, but we all have our own fear areas.

You don't say how old you are. This makes a big difference to the success of sedation. I'm a former nurse and have had a gastroscopy myself, and I can guarantee that if you're under 65 and you opt for sedation, you won't remember a single thing about the procedure. And you certainly won't be out for hours, you'll be completely over it in less than an hour. Many older people who have sedation don't remember the procedure either, but the over-65s automatically receive only a half-dose, which is sometimes a bit less effective.

Don't hesitate to ask for sedation, especially if you're under 65.

Hi Lilly,

I'm under 65 an really don't see what all the fuss is about regarding the procedure, I really do not think sedation is needed, I would personally rather have an endoscopy then undergo treatment at the dentist lol.

Regards

Debs

Poor you. The anaesthetic was great. The Doctor said it works better if you can stay calm. I was quite anxious but I just thought about my breathing and the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room having had a nice sleep! I would encourage you to explain everything to the doctor and don't hesitate to go for the sedation if you feel it's the right choice for you. Based on my experience there is nothing to worry about.

Yes, well Deborah, I've had a root canal job without anaesthesia (which doesn't work on me due to calcifications in my teeth). It took six weeks of weekly sessions. After one of them I passed out due to the pain. But I'd still rather go through that again than gastroscopy!

As I said, we all have our own tolerances and fear areas. Please don't undermine others because they don't share your own fears.

Lily- I am not undermining others just trying to put individuals minds at rest, now you have just added another scare tactic, I also do not numb very well at dentist as my nerves career off somewhere, so would still rather have an endoscopy!!

Debs

No, not adding any scare tactics. As you'll see from my earlier post, I was reassuring Imustimust. Just making the point that we all have our own fear areas. Yours is the dentist, mine is gastroscopy. Doesn't mean that either is intrinsically worse than the other, or justified in any objective way, just that we all fear something, and it doesn't really help to have our fears dismissed on the grounds we didn't relax or cooperate sufficiently. Particularly so since Imustimust is telling us she/he has already had an unpleasant experience with gastroscopy, so this isn't just fear of the unknown.

Peace,

Lily

Hi Imustimust,

I've just noticed you say you have a phobia of anaesthesia. You do know, don't you, that the sedation they give you for gastroscopy isn't anaesthesia? You don't have to breathe gas through a mask or anything like that. They just inject the cocktail of mild sedatives into a vein in your arm (or via an IV drip in some hospitals) and you wake up half an hour later feeling perfectly normal, with no memory of the procedure. No headache, vomiting, confusion or any of the other side-effects anaesthesia can produce. The only down side is you can't drive for a couple of hours afterwards - not necessarily because you wouldn"t be capable of driving, but because the sedation can make some people feel pleasantly drowsy for a while.

My own fear of gastroscopy was down to my personal experience of it, which wasn't remotely normal. I'd swallowed my large, spiky denture, which had been lodged in my throat for three weeks, with several hospitals sending me away because they couldn't see it on X-ray so didn't believe me (no metal parts). One hospital finally did a rushed gastroscopy under inadequate sedation to "reassure" what they saw as a neurotic old woman that she'd imagined the whole thing, only to panic when they found the denture deeply embedded in the tissues of my throat. So... not a normal gastroscopy.

Go for sedation and you'll be absolutely fine! And I hope they get to the root of your problems and are able to treat them.

Thanks for your reassuring comments. I think my phobia came about from having a tooth extracted under anaethesia when I was about 10. In those days they used gas masks and the smell of rubber and chemicals was terrible.  Anyway I was assured that I wouldn't feel a thing and (probably due to not enough of the stuff) I was only half under and felt every last bit of the tooth being pulled out but wasn't awake enough to protest. I had a chat with the doctor last week who tells me that they don't use Nitrous Oxide or rubber masks anymore. I've also watched my own kids go under when they have needed operations and they just seem to drift off happily. I have an hospital appointment next week so will see what they say.

Oh, that takes me back a bit! I remember the old nitrous oxide thing too - first as a child patient in the 1950s, then as a nurse in the 60s and 70s. They should never have been using the stuff as an anaesthetic agent in the first place. It only really works as a mild analgesic - hence its occasional use in gas-and-air machines for women in labour. In fact, it's positively dangerous when used in sufficient concentration to produce unconsciousness.

Modern anaesthetic agents are way safer, and the drugs they use for procedural sedation even more so.

Oh I remember those bad old days. It's nothing like that, just a small injection. No bad after effects either. Good luck with everything. Claire x