gastroscopy done no sedation...no big deal!!!
Posted , 7 users are following.
Today I had my gastroscopy...i will start from the beginning, my appointment was 13:20pm but I called up around 10:30am to see if ther was any chance of them seeing me earlier..the receptionist told me to come in around 11:15am and they will squeeze me in.I ended up getting seen at 12:15,anyway whilst I was waiting about 5 people went in before me and all walked out after 10 mins so I'm guessing they wer not sedated..so finally it was my turn I asked the nurse if I'm sedated when can I leave she said after an hour i will need to sleep and recover the test will last 5-7 mins but it was upto me to be sedated...i choose to be brave and just go with the throat spray...it was uncomfortable for like 5 seconds only going in and once in it was fine he took pics done the biopsy just gaged a few times and felt like burping but it was absolutely fine NO PAIN i was just concentrated on my breathing..i was reading on the net a few days before my appointment and people have some horror stories regarding this procedure and I made my mind up to be sedated,but I'm so glad I didn't because it was nothing to be worried about..ive just had a big meal and now going out..for anyone due to have this don't let the internet community scare you .PS my test was normal 👍I will see my GP next week.
0 likes, 8 replies
RHGB shak2340
Posted
"for anyone due to have this don't let the internet community scare you"
And for anyone with a gag reflex, it will be awful unsedated. My consultant knows not even to try, but just to knock me out completely. I left about 20 minutes after the gastroscopy. I've had four in the last three years and I've now been told that I have to have one every six months.
It is not a tiny little tube, it is a large pipe that they use. Google 'gastroscopy camera' to get an idea.
lily65668 shak2340
Posted
Shak, I'm absolutely delighted for you.
However, don't put others down because you don't have much of a gag reflex. We're all different. A few people have posted with negative stories just to vent and get an unpleasant experience out of their system, or maybe warn others that unsedated gastroscopy isn't a walk in the park for everyone. They don't need to be told they're scaremongering wimps.
BettyE shak2340
Posted
Glad it went so well for you. I made the same choice as you and would certainly do the same again.
Maybe it helped me that I seem to have a capacious "swallow". Never have trouble getting big pills down but I think you are right about the breathing; get that right and that helps any procedure.
mary39252 shak2340
Posted
RHGB is right. It is not a walk in the park or 'no big deal!!!' for everyone. my gastroenterologist warned me that it can be quite unplesant before I had mine and that turned out to be an understatement in my case. She said some don't have too much of a problem with it and others have an awful time. I guess it depends on anatomy gag reflex etc. There seems to be some kind of macho culture around this procedure....those who have no problem sniggering at those who do....why is this? If it's difficult then it is for some people. It's not some kind of reality tv competition where those who get through it get a big clap on the back and those who struggle are booed off! It's a diagnostic test. And quite an invasive and somewhat controversial one at that. There's no shame is being sedated or knocked out for it....your health is the important issue not the manner of testing . In the medical literature there is quite a bit of questioning about the frequency with which this procedure is carried out....too often according to some....especially when nothing serious is suspected as in the case of shak2340. Why go through such a procedure with all the attendant risks just to be told you're fine and maybe have a bit of indigestion! In my case the alternative test is the Barium Swallow which will rule out any serious disease......in the case there is something serious suspected as a result of that test then I will if the doctor advises have an endoscopy but only under general anasthesia and only if absolutely necessary. Everyone's allowed to post their experience here...nobody's being dishonest or scaremongering....just telling it like it is for them. Great if the test is not too hard but too bad if it is.....you're not alone in that and there are other ways to find out what's wrong...if anything.
lily65668 mary39252
Posted
Spot on, Mary! I had a very bad experience with a gastroscopy with insufficient sedation that actually made things worse. That being said, my circumstances were entirely different from most of the cases discussed on here, so it wouldn't be fair to make a comparison.
I actually have a very high pain threshold and general tolerance for medical and dental procedures. Because of a chronic autoimmune condition I have calcifications in all my teeth, which block local anaesthetics. As a result, I once had a full root canal done without benefit of any anaesthetic effect. I can't say I'm in a hurry ever to repeat the experience, but I'd still rather go through that than have another gastroscopy without full GA!
As a former nurse, I agree with you that gastroscopy - along with many other invasive tests on other parts of the body - tends to be over-used. I think there are two sides to this one. Doctors are much more conscious of possible litigation these days, so tend to over-investigate. On the other hand, some patients can be reluctant to self-manage their conditions through life-style changes, and I have a lot of sympathy for GPs who face the same people turning up in their surgeries month after month with quite minor symptoms, clearly expecting something to be done.
I've almost certainly had GERD - or GORD as RHGB quite rightly insists we should call it this side of the Atlantic
- for nearly 40 years, though this wasn't why I had the gastroscopy, so it's never been officially diagnosed. I've always managed the symptoms successfully by identifying and avoiding dietary triggers (especially late in the evening), sleeping with the head of my mattress slightly raised, avoiding constipation and - comical but true! - not wearing tight trousers!
shak2340 mary39252
Posted
Just seen these replies..WOW sorry to offend anyone but that was my opinion at the time...obviously everyone is different,but this post was for anyone like myself who's been referred to have this procedure done for the 1st time for investigation purposes.At the time I was a little peed off because I got myself ready to have the sedation after reading peoples comments online I even went as far as requesting for it on my form,But it's only when I went early and 5 people walked in and out without any issues,I realised I could also do it...which i did and to my surprise it wasn't a big deal.I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to do it again tomorrow without sedation.Just concentrate on breathing and before you know it it's over.
diane19731 shak2340
Posted
I was very anxious as I tend to be subject to panic attacks and find it difficult to sit in the dentist chair let alone have a tube stuck down my throat. I was given the throat spray and then panicked about the sedation, anxious that it would be just enough to make me feel out of control, but not enough to put me to sleep. Indeed the nurse confirmed I would not go to sleep.
The surgeon was very patient telling me I could leave the room and opt to do it later in morning or re-book. I left the theatre and felt really upset, quite traumatised. I spoke to my daughter and my sister to try and pluck up the courage to try again. I then had to make calls to a few clients whilst sitll in the waiting room and managed to discuss the procedure I was wating for. I finally decided to give it the gastroscopy a miss, as one client in particular had such a bad experience after 3 gastroscopys and finally experienced a hernia in the stomach area.I convinced myself that the gastroscopys actually caused her hernia as my sister has the same hernia and has also had more than one gastroscopy.
I therefore booked out and went back to the office.
I am looking into paying for a capsule endoscopy now....LOL.
RHGB diane19731
Posted