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Endoscopy without sedation

Posted , 4 users are following.

Keeta653
Keeta653

Hi everyone

I wanted to share my endoscopy experience without sedation in Northern Ireland!

I was advised to have one as I have trouble swallowing.

I'm a 26yo female.

My appointment was at 2.30pm I was called from the waiting room pretty much straight away and brought into another room to have blood pressure checked and talk about the procedure, the nurse then asked me was I going for sedation or throat spray? I asked what do people normally do and she said it's 50/50, if you have sedation someone needs to be with you for the rest of the day and overnight and you can't cook, drive ect.. so I said I'll try without and she said that's fine and if I needed any in there they would give me some..

So I was then taken to another waiting room with around 5 other people. I was waiting for around 45 minutes to an hour before I was called but I had noticed some people being wheeled back asleep and some just walking back chatting away to the nurses..I was happy then and decided to stick with my decision as it was taking a while for sedated patients to come round and the throat spray patients left pretty much straight away!

So then it was my turn..I wasn't nervous at this point as I seen people coming back out fine so the doctor just explained what would happen and we walked down to the endoscopy room..

There was 3 nurses and a doctor In the room, they were all lovely and made me feel at ease, one give me the throat spray (around 8 sprays and not much worse than a shot at the bar) which tasted banannaish..it started working straight away and I did panic at the start as I felt I couldn't breath or swallow ( not fab as I already have trouble swallowing water ) but could and figured this out quickly! They then asked me to lie on my side and hug myself.. the screen was behind me and I had a nurse behind me talking to me and reasurring me and telling me I will gag but I'll be grand, another nurse put a mouth guard in my mouth and an oxygen monitor on my finger and then it was time.. the doctor then said going in! I felt the tube In the top of my mouth and knew when it was going down my throat as I did gag and it was very unpleasant and uncomfortable but not painful! My instinct was to pull it out but I managed to compose myself and breathe through my nose. I gagged twice and then focused on my breathing and listening to the lovely nurse behind me telling me how brave I was! I could feel the tube moving around in my stomach and the air but it was over in around 3 minutes ..they record how long it takes also.. so then I felt it coming back up and next thing it was out! I was so relieved it was over and I had done it! Everyone was saying how brave I was and how well I had done! They give me my results and the next step then and there and done a few other we checks and then the nurse walked me down to the recovery ward and I was so glad I was walking, alert and not sedated and laughing away with the nurse like the ones before me and all for a couple of minutes I wouldn't get sedated if I had to do it again!

Once in the recovery they give us fifteen minutes for the spray to wear off and a letter and then your free to go!

I also thought I'd have to wear a gown but I was just in my normal clothes!

Hope this helps some of you!

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • BettyE
    BettyE Keeta653

    Posted

    Glad it went well for you and good to read encouraging experience that will help to reassure other patients. We all have to make our own decisions and I expect it's better for some to be asleep but I'm with you and had much the same experience but I seem to have a good swallowing mechanism as I didn't gag. It felt like swallowing a piece of dry bread.

    I was told I was the easiest patient that morning but it would be a different story if anaesthetics were involved; I'm a coward about them!

    • Keeta653
      Keeta653 BettyE

      Posted

      I think I was more afraid of being sedated than the actual endoscopy! I went intending to be sedated but decided not to when I was talking to the nurse...

      The things we have to endure 🤒🤕😷

      Glad yours went okay too Betty..think the worst thing is the actually build of of worrying in the days/weeks before! X

  • veronica37985
    veronica37985 Keeta653

    Posted

    Well done, I’m pleased it went well for you. I have had 4 of these; 1st without sedation, the others with it. Everyone’s experience is different. The first one I found very uncomfortable, first the gagging trying to swallow the scope (I’d previously been told I have a very strong gagging reflex) and then the discomfort of the gas being pumped in. I’ve had a number of biopsies taken each time - I suspect my scopes have taken longer than 3 minutes. With sedation, I have remembered nothing of the procedure beyond the injection of the sedative. I’ve always felt absolutely fine afterwards, quite normal by the time of getting home. I’ve been lucky to have someone to take me home afterwards. If I really had to, I would do it without sedation. But to be honest, given the chance I’d always go for the sedation, wimp that I am!
    • Keeta653
      Keeta653 veronica37985

      Posted

      Your not a wimp.. I'm only starting to feel discomfort now kinda like a feeling of it still being in my throat.. needing to burp alot ! I would be sedated if I had to go through as many as you..I have a fear of drugs or getting put to sleep or I would have took the sedation! Your right every experience is different and especially in different countries! Hope u don't have to get anymore sad

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