Pain after endoscopy? Chest pain, discomfort swallowing
Posted , 100 users are following.
I had EGD yesterday with sedation. Felt pretty much fine yesterday, minus a little chest discomfort when breathing in deep. Today I've had no appetite and have discomfort swallowing, and a persistent discomfort in my chest. Waiting for call back from doctor. In meantime, reading about perforation and wondering if this sounds serious. I don't want to go to ER for a bunch more tests if this is normal. Does anyone have any experience with pain like this following endoscopy? Thanks very much.
1 like, 238 replies
jennifer39501 penny44470
Posted
Kim, I sure hope you get better soon. I ate bland foods for quite awhile (mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc.). I had a biopsy as well but didn't have any pain in my lower stomach area. you are probably right though that it is from the biopsy. That would make sense. I'll be thinking of you and hoping that your pain resolves quickly! 🙂
kim26330 jennifer39501
Posted
Thank you! It's been tough 😦 But trying to do things to help and wait it out. They did a biopsy in the lower part of my esophagus so that's where I'm experiencing the pain. I'll get some yogurt today and will make some soup to see if that helps 😃 Thanks again!
sheree12368 kim26330
Posted
I just had it done this morning. almost went to the ER because of the chest and back pain. I had gastritis, esophogitis, hatial hernia and a narrowed esophagus. I drank a milkshake nd the chest pain was unbearable. hard to breathe mainly from panic, but I have found 2 things so far that I just did and joined just to help someone. I put icy hot on those areas, I'm in front of a fan (I'm a fainter) and I'm propped up by like 8 pillows in tower form. took me 30 min to get comfortable
kim26330 sheree12368
Posted
Yeah, that chest pain was totally unexpected for me! It was scary the day after my endoscopy because that's when I felt it the worst. Hope you're doing ok!
dawna50083 kim26330
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Glad I read down. I replied to an earlier post you made but still learning the forum set-up. It seems your post is very similar to what I am experiencing. No one told me there would be any pain or discomfort, no limitations on exertion past having a Popsicle and soft food for a couple days. Yes, the pain I have been experiencing is where they did the biopsy as well, makes sense now. Thank you so much for your posts; have honestly been just beyond worried for this and it's creating all kinds of fun panic attacks. I also have Gaviscon Advance from UK and it does help but adding in cost to other meds so I use it once day at night. Really hope things are better for you as it's been over a month now. Holidays coming up and I don't need to be perfect but would be lovely to get some semblance of normalcy.
dawn07555 penny44470
Posted
so I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy this morning. Doctor remove several polyps from the colon and from my stomach plus took a biopsy of my esophagus and did a dilation. Said I also have a hiatal hernia. I seemed fine when I got home was actually hungry and stopped to get a ham egg and cheese sandwich which went down fine. had some coffee then went to bed because I've been up all night prepping for the procedure. This afternoon I tried eating some pasta and it was hurting going down. It's not that my throat is sore it's actually hurting in the same place where I was getting food stuck before and where the doctor did the dilation. pain seems to be getting worse now and also hurts further up my throat and into my stomach and hurts when I breathe deeply. From reading these posts I am hoping that this actually is a bit "normal". I probably overdid it with eating too much too soon. probably didn't hurt then because of the numbing medication! I think I'll slow it down on what I'm trying to eat and stick to smoothies and softer foods for a day or two. will post again if doctor says anything different and to let y'all know how long this took to pass. Thank you to everyone who has posted information on their procedures this forum is very helpful in easing some worries!
kim26330 dawn07555
Posted
Yes! This is exactly what I've been dealing with...my endoscopy was exactly 11 days ago and I'm just starting to feel a bit back to normal with the swallowing pain lower in my esophagus/center of chest. Still feels uncomfortable and sometimes almost like an itchiness. A few times a burning feeling too. It's taking a while and I had no idea. It's the exact spot where my doctor did the biopsy and when I called about it to ask the nurse, she said my doctor said that yes the biopsy area can be irritated. I wasn't warned of this beforehand. But I did get Carafate to help soothe my esophagus and I have about 6 more days of that med. I agree that softer foods will help a lot! Also really cold drinks can sometimes cause spasms so warm tea and soup have been ok for me. And I made the mistake of drinking some coffee a day or two afterward...I've cut that out for now until this area heals. My biopsies showed inflammation though so I may need to cut out coffee altogether for a while. Take it easy and rest and if you don't see much improvement in a few days, you could always call to ask if they'd be willing to give you Carafate to help. Or if you have Gaviscon Advance from the UK that can also shield the area.
dawn07555 kim26330
Posted
thanks for the good tips . I will try Gaviscon hear something similar in the US . still sore today exactly where doctor did the biopsy and dilation. Doctor did not tell me at all that this is going to hurt afterwards and this is totally unexpected. If she would have at least I would have been prepared. I hope you start feeling better soon. Praying that I don't have to deal with this for 11 days!
jasmine16080 penny44470
Posted
So glad I found this thread! I had an upper endoscopy five days ago, and the chest pain when swallowing and not just continuous has gotten worse! Sounds like it will subside, and it doesn't seem serious based on what I'm reading here. So thankful to have found this. Question: did any of your doctors provide Carafate to help? My GI called it in tonight, but I haven't used it yet. He said it might help with coating the esophagus until the irritation/pain subsides. If so, did it help? TIA!
dawna50083 jasmine16080
Posted
Hi jasmine16080- I had the procedure done close to a month ago and have been taking carafate about 10 days now (took almost a week for the pharmacy to get in-not pill). The carafate honestly did help. I do still have problems but each day is a little better (well, then some days better then worse). I have to take it four times a day and other meds as well plus eating pretty much all day but not after 4 pm as it's more difficult to swallow. With this schedule, it's a bit difficult. Especially with work and classes. I can drink water much better now and appetite is much better however, it takes some time. I also started taking aloe juice 3 times a day (one cup). There's still some discomfort at times but it's healing.
kim26330 jasmine16080
Posted
Yes, I did have to use Carafate after my endoscopy because of the irritation it caused. I highly recommend using it! It sped up my healing as I kept to a soft foods diet. I had complete relief 2 weeks after my endoscopy so it did take a while. Hang in there! It's SO hard...but it does take time to heal. And you will!
jasmine16080 dawna50083
Posted
Thank you for this. So helpful! I think I'm going to have to change my eating habits until this is gone. Great suggestions!! I hope you feel better soon!!
jasmine16080 kim26330
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Thanks!!! I started taking the Carafate this morning, and it is helping. So glad I found this thread. My worries are gone, and now I can just focus on healing:)
john61881 kim26330
Posted
Hi, is it hard to swallow?
Kittums penny44470
Posted
I had a endoscopy with esophageal dilation and doctor took biopsies about 7 months ago. After I had minor chest discomfort and then rest of the day had sore throat. Two days later had the worst chest pain, felt like air was trapped. Two weeks later still had pain and shortness of breath with activity. Finally got into cardiologist, GI sent me there. I have a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and so my cardiologist ordered a CT scan. That showed a partially collapsed lung! I couldn't believe it! Then of course it had been a month since the endoscopy and they said it will heal the rest of way on its own. I just today had the same thing done, so I'm worried about it happening again. If your pain doesn't go away, call your doctor or go to the ER! I don't want to scare anyone, what happened is rare and unfortunately can happen with my condition.