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Endoscopy problems

Posted , 4 users are following.

gberloff
gberloff

A couple of weeks ago I received a request to come and do another endoscopy in Cambridge.

I keep on repeating everywhere- I will NEVER have that again and try to discourage anyone I love and even know unless it is done under a general anaesthetic!

Last time I was concerned because of horror stories about this and so asked for sedation during the event. It was very uncomfortable how all these doctors and nurses were jumping around me, they didn't even give me time to get ready- and I felt that they started immediately after they sprayed the back of my throat with some local anaesthetic (I think it was lignocaine) and sedated me with midazolam.

I think it would have been more pleasant for me if I got stung in the foot by a hornet and had a limp for two days.

I felt EVERYTHING. First of all, I was gagging horrendously as they almost pushed it into me, and over the course of the ordeal I got the feeling that they were either holding me down or tied me down with something. At one point I began seriously suffocating on my own spit, but they wouldn't even let me move!

I feel like I was almost abused by them, and there is now way I am ever going through that again unless I am just out cold.

I am never going to trust the word 'sedation' again. It does not work for me. Neither does local anaesthetic spray.

They tried to convince me they'll sedate me, but no, they sedated me before and to be honest I didn't even feel an effect. I think I would have leapt up and ran away had something not been physically holding me down.

I am not having this unless it is under a general anaesthetic, and, moreover, I am now extremely concerned about treating teeth in the UK because I do not trust lignocaine is an efficient local anaesthetic. In Russia it feels much calmer- they hit me with some kind of chemical that literally froze half of my mouth and I couldn't even swallow. that is much better than an endoscopy!

The doctors are insisting I do this, but I am not putting myself through this again, but they say they at Addenbrooke's don't do it under a GA!

1 like, 2 replies

2 Replies

  • edward123123
    edward123123 gberloff

    Posted

    Interesting reading your experience, mine wasnt much better. I also had a colonoscopy at the same visit, and beforehand that was what I was most worried about, yet it turned out the colonoscopy was a walk in the park compared to the gastroscopy.

    When that thing went down my throat I was retching and gagging the whole time, the nurse had her hand over my ear kinda holding my head down/still, this made me feel claustrophobic, the surgeon managed to put a small tear in my oesophagus with the scope, and then they had to call the senior consultant to come check it was ok, yet he was busy in another theatre, he came in the end but it added an extra 5 minutes to my retching and suffering.

    For couple of weeks afterwards I still had a horrible sensation like the scope was still down my throat.

  • anne53212
    anne53212 gberloff

    Posted

    How traumatizing! This is why I refuse to EVER put myself through something with this potential. Barbaric is a word Ive heard used.

    Did you speak to them regarding your awful experience?

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