Endoscope - no sedation, no worries

Just wanted to add my own experience to the pile for anyone that's never had one and especially if you're terrified.  Firstly - you're doing a great job by researching the procedure and your options!  I was stunned by the nurses today when they told me most people don't know / dont want to know anything about the procedure. They're just ready to get "knocked out" and done with it.  This was my first endoscope but I was already more at ease with it because I knew at least a little bit of what to expect from reading everyone else's experiences and looking up the equipment online. 

I had no sedation despite having 4 nurses circled around me with concerned faces asking "are you sure?, why though? , you do know this isn't an easy procedure right?, you do know you're going to gag violently right? , you do know you're going to be very uncomfortable right? " etc.  For half a second they nearly had me convinced to do the stupid sedation but I'm thankful I stuck to my decision. 

Ended up having a couple of massive panic attacks while waiting,  which is the worst part - the waiting. You're not a prisoner so feel free to stand up,  sit up,  go to the bathroom if need be. Do something to distract your brain from the anxiety. Text your loved ones,  read more google reviews, look at pictures of your kids or pets, etc while waiting.  

Finally after about an hour they took me to the procedure room at around 11:20, and we exited by 11:35. Most of that was just me chatting with the nurses and the doctor spent several minutes explaining everything and answering questions.  The actual procedure was about 3 minutes Max and they took several biopsies (I think about 5). 

The worst part of the procedure is the throat numbing spray.  Imagine eating an entire bunch of Rotten bananas that have been marinated in bleach, acid and fizzy drink. It tastes SO FREAKING BAD!!! It works instantly and it wears off within about 20 mins. They go pretty fast after that. A bite guard is put in your mouth,  bite down on it to give your mouth something to do and try to hold your tongue under the lip of it. They'll then pop the scope in and tell you to swallow but before you can even try,  they shove it on down.  I didn't gag at all but I was focused on relaxing my muscles which makes this so much easier. The scope isn't painful,  it just felt like some uncomfortable pressure going through my system. You shouldn't feel the biopsies either but one of the clips they took from somewhere around the top of my esophagus hurt for a split second, like a sharp pinch. You'll totally be able to breathe both through your nose and your mouth, very comfortably. There's no hesitation or anything. That was something I was worried about.  There's actually tons of room in your esophagus despite the scope being a lot bigger than what I thought it would be.  I was expecting spaghetti noodle, it's actually the size of your index finger. 

Didn't feel anything different while they removed the scope either, just relief that it was over and a little silly that I had a couple of anxiety attacks over nothing.  I stayed 30 extra minutes per my own request I just wanted to make sure the numbing spray wore off with no complications but I was released and drove myself home no problems! Meanwhile people who had been there at least an hour before me were still struggling to recover from sedation even after I was discharged.  

Honestly I have no idea why they even recommend sedation for a 3 minute, totally painless procedure. Try to ignore any reviews from people saying it was the worst experience of their life and they were "so traumatized".  Really? 🙄

Best of luck to you and you're going to be FINE!!  It's an effortless procedure on your part, the doctor and nurses do it all for you even though they tell you to swallow. All you have to do is lay there for a couple minutes and focus on breathing calmly. 

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