Sedation for gastroscopy
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi all. Following my inability to stop omeprazole without having apparent reflux symptoms I am scheduled for a gastroscopy in a few weeks time. I am an extremely anxious person prone to panic attacks and am freaking out about the procedure already. I think I will need sedation, but I am also really quite sensitive to benzos, for anxiety 0.5 or 1 mg diazepam is usually sufficient to calm me down and 2mg makes me woozy and sleepy and makes me feel a bit like I'm not breathing enough. I'm a bit worried that the normal dose of midazolam or diagram (5mg) might be too much for me. I'm only 33 so I expect they will want to give me the full dose. Does anyone have any advice on this?
0 likes, 94 replies
sparklypickle
Posted
Right then folks, today was the day.
I took 1mg diazepam this morning and 2mg 2 hours before the procedure.
I think I underdosed myself because I still felt apprehensive ans a bit sweaty but nevertheless I went into the theatre. I was offered iv midazolam and fentanyl on top of my diazepam but I declined and had some throat spray, but asked for less than last time so it was numbed but I could still feel myself swallowing.
The consultant was really lovely, explained everything and went in with the scope. I swallow it first time then spent the 3-4mins while it was down there randomly gagging. I hyperventilated a bit and my heartrate got up to to 177, but even though they took 3 biopsies it was over so fast I could quickly recover my breathing etc.
Ive got a bit of a scratchy throat, about burpy and fed a bit heartburny but otherwise fine.
Apparently I have stomach polyps but no sign of acid reflux in the gullet. So I was correct that there is no need for me to take omeprazole (that the consultant explained probably caused the polyps).
I'm so proud of myself actually going through with it. It wasn't pleasant and I wouldn't voulenteer for another one any time soon. If done again id probably go with either more diazepam or full sedation, but here is hoping that this was a one off!
lily65668 sparklypickle
Posted
Great news Sparkly! Really glad it all went off well.
On a slightly different note (but one I'm well-known in these boards for harping on!) please take this as a lesson not to push for medication in future unless your symptoms really warrant it, and never just accept prescribed medication without looking up the side-effects for yourself first. This goes for medication for any condition - with the exception of things like antibiotics for severe infections, insulin for diabetes etc.
I'm on several different forums on this site, and this is something of a recurring theme. People suffering from the terrible effects of immunosuppressive therapy for relatively minor autoimmune conditions, suffering terrible side-effects from blood pressure meds sometimes when their BP wasn't dangerously high to begin with, others who have almost totally lost the ability to sleep as a result of antidepressants. And so it goes on.
I'm not saying no one should ever take medication. Many people's lives are saved by it. Obviously, if you get something like a dental abscess, antibiotics prior to extraction will prevent the infection getting into your jaw bone, or worse. Over on the blood pressure boards there are 20-somethings with BP readings like 200/140, so it's obvious they have to be on medication. And a few people really do need to take psychiatric medications to be able to live a bearable life. There are all sorts of examples where medicines are necessary. But we all need to think twice about pressuring our doctors into prescribing drugs for conditions we could be managing ourselves with a few simple lifestyle changes - or simply putting up with a bit of temporary discomfort.
sparklypickle lily65668
Posted
Thank you lily, you are quite right.
In my case the initial prescription for gastritis and helicobacter in my case was sound because I was in pain, and I questioned the need to continue after eradication but didn't want to be too pushy because I'm not supposed to be the expert here. I always take care to investigate side effects etc and it's only my repeated questions and dissatisfaction with my GPS 'diagnosis' that I finally got a referral and means I'm (rightly) now ppi free. Had I just taken her word for it id be taking them for years.
Overprescription can be a real problem. I was on prozac for 15 years, at least 10 of which was because of insufficient NHS psychotherapy resources and it took me 3 years to stop it once I realised I didn't want the side effects any more and now (touch wood) I'm coping really well with having emotions
It honestly frightens me that some patients blindly accept what doctors tell them because they are supposed to be the expert..
I'm a paranoid and skeptical person and it happened to me too!!
We all want a magic pill that will make us feel better but a lot of the time lifestyle changes that are difficult to make are better in the long-run. Ive been following a low FODMAP diet for IBS (under guidance) and since then have had much less in the way of dyspepsia/nausea. Id rather live
lily65668 sparklypickle
Posted
Yes, I really wish doctors would discuss the possible side-effects of treatments with their patients. I know from my nursing days why they don't. It's always the same story: "If we tell them about the side-effects they'll start imagining they've got them". Possibly true, but considering the effects of some treatments are irreversible, it's hardly an ideal model for patient care! Alarmingly, this often goes for surgical treatments too, the results of which are likely to be completely irreversible.
The moral of the story is to always inform yourself about any condition you've been diagnosed with (as opposed to obsessively googling every minor symptom and diagnosing yourself, as some sad souls do) and check out the possible outcomes of the treatment being ordered. And above all, insist politely on a supplier-client relationship with your doctor, rather than the parent-child relationship that many doctors and their patients seem to prefer. I realise that might be easier said than done in the UK, where the NHS appears to favour the Stalinist Nanny approach (sorry to be rude but I'm an expat) but it should still be possible.
Glad to hear you're well on the way to recovery!