Is having an upper GI endoscopy frightening?

Don't worry dear. It doesn't hurt. You will be sedated and that's it. You will wake up as of nothing ever happened. Maybe a sore throat. When you are out the tube is passed down esophageal pathway to were they have to see. The tube is not that large and will not effect the airway. It's a piece of cake. No worries ok. You will be fine Good Luck to your mum.

if she will be sedated then she wont even know its happening it will be like going to sleep then waking up that’s iti experienced a little discomfort after from the biopsies they took but it went away the same day. i think mine only took about 45 minutes

The procedure takes about 15 mins itself but you are usually in the suite for about an hour in total, the sedation allows you to recover quickly but you do need your swallow reflex, you breath through your nose during the scope, there are staff who hold your hand and chat to you whilst it's being done and you lie in your side. Afterwards you will have a chance to come round and are offered tea and biscuits just to check all is well. If you do have any concerns at all do chat to the nurses but they go through everything beforehand. The only side affect I've had a slight sore throat for 24 hours.

Best wishes.

Thanks to all three for the swift replies! I will pass this along to Mom.

hi janet, i had an upper gi endoscopy the other day. i chose no sedation. i have a fear of needles worse than any scope! 😃 it wasnt pleasant but throat spray helped and the nurses/doc were so nice and efficient it was over in a few mins (helped by not needing any biopsies).. i did gag a good few times while they were doing it but i just kept breathing and thinking it will be over soon. As i had no sedation i was totally fine afterwards. i had to wait about 40 mins for spray to wear off then it was tea and toast and on my way. i had a bit of discomfort down in my tummy a few hours after but nothing bad.

Hope all goes well for your mum.

i wont beat around the bush, its unpleasant! however, it does not hurt and i didnt take any sedative. it makes you gag for the first part and then after that you feel nothing! just uncomfortable more than anything, she will be fine

Even though I was sedated for my endoscopy, I found it incredibly frightening when I felt the tube going down. I wanted to scream but couldn't because I was sedated. This upset me because I was unable to alert my doctors that I was in distress. Less than twenty four hours after the procedure, I had severe depression which lasted three weeks.This was because of the sedation. I am very sensitive to many medications and medical procedures. However, some people don't experience any bad reactions.

I had one here last year in the US and there was nothing to it. Of course they put me under with a general anesthetic, but there were no after affects or anything like that. Jim

I had one, without sedation. It's a bit uncomfortable, like something in your throat. But not difficult for expert doctor. And for me it only lasted for 3-4 minutes. They sprayed anaesthesia in my throat so it does not feel that bad. Yes, one can breathe. Only thing is the feeling in your throat. And I did not feel any pain.

The best part of the procedure is that you get some result for your cure. Which otherwise is not possible.

Thanks to you all for the kind and thoughtful replies. It seems that if you're awake (even if not alert) there is some unpleasantness. From the description we thought there would be. (It probably depends in part on the skill of the doctor, which may be why Pippa had such a hard time.) However, if three of you brave souls managed with no sedation, Mom should be able to manage WITH it, by focusing on her breathing (as Suzanne did) and applying mind over matter. She's gotten through some tough dental procedures that way! Knowing what to expect helps.

Had mine with sedation. Never felt a thing. Lasts a few minutes. No pain or discomfort and I am the biggest chicken of all. I just informed the staff that I did not want to feel anything and I was out like a light.

Hi Janet. I had one of these just last week. I was nervous (understandably) like your mum is but to be honest, it wasn't as bad as anticipated. I was worried because I had a blocked nose and worried I wouldn't be able to breath properly but I was assured it would be fine - and it was. In the information leaflet, it said it would be about 10 to 15 minutes for the procedure to be complete but to me it just felt like it was about a minute. The sedation really did help. I didn't find it uncomfortable when the camera was going down. It's was a bit wierd to be honest but they are so quick and there was a nurse holding my hand. They also spray some stuff which tastes like orange peel into the throat to numb it before the camera goes down. I hope this helps.