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Upper Endoscopy Next week - Terrified!

Posted , 5 users are following.

alex1966
alex1966

Hello everyone, 23yo male here, suffering with GERD symptoms for around a year, due to my age I've had to put up with "Ahh you're too young for this, try these tablets for 6 weeks and see if that helps" over and over again (Same two drugs interchanged about 3 times, Omeprazole and Lansoprazole) They've finally bitten the bullet and booked me in for a Gastroscopy. Here's the deal - I have an incredibly sensitive stomach, I've spent a lot of my life with emetephobia which only recently have I taken strides in overcoming. I've had a cystoscopy (As a male let me tell you that is no mean feat) and a colonoscopy and I would go through them BOTH consecutively unsedated rather than go through this. 

I would run for the hills on this one but the chest pain, tight throat I've been getting is really impacting my life and causing serious pain. I know it needs to be done.

I have some questions I wonder if anyone who's been through it could answer...

1.) Can I ask them to put the dosage of the sedative up because I am nervous and for the reasons above don't want to be aware of a thing?

2.) I've heard some people report that they had failed endoscopies under sedation because they kept pulling at the tube, if they knock me out for 15 minutes, think it'd be okay if I told them they could hold me down?

3.) When they pump air into the stomach, do they suck it back out again as I get bloated easily, it triggers anxiety and a host of other nasties and I've never been able to burp

Problem is when the doctor asked me last month "What is your main concern" I said "That they don't find anything", because I usually think long term not short, but now it's approaching I wish I'd made him make a note or get in contact and tell them to put me under for this...

Can anyone help?

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Mahoney787
    Mahoney787 alex1966

    Posted

    Hey Alex , I am 17 year old male and had 2 upper endoscopys so far. They are really easy and not worth to get anxiety about. Anyways .. When they put you under for anesthesia, you are completely asleep and won't remember anything. I don't think they pump the air out but it did not make me bloated at all. When waking up from the anesthia you are completely calm and relaxed and won't get anxiety. This sounds gross but after I came out , my.mom was smelling something ..since they pump you up with air ..you tend to pass gas LOL. It's nothing worth to worry over , I did not wake up bloated. You will be sore slightly for 2-3days if they take biopsy though. My biopsys came back normal and no erosive damage anymore for me ..which is good but it created anxiety because now I'm curious what is wrong with me ? I suffer from esophagitis and gastritis(severe inflammation) so hearing that they didn't find anything made me very upset. (they were looking for eosinophils in my esophagus) if they don't find anything for you don't feel bad because then that means you can cross out the things you found out and move onto the next. Other things can cause acid reflux.

    • K.kgirl1223
      K.kgirl1223 Mahoney787

      Posted

      Realy don't stress over it. What happens is u go into the room they have you put this thing in your mouth and then your out. And wake up in the room I prepped in.... I was scared for mine 3 weeks ago but it's not bad at all.

    • Mahoney787
      Mahoney787

      Posted

      I had acid reflux really bad too which I don't have any symptoms anymore.

      What I did was..

      Make sure I lay up higher..don't prop pillows under your head only..but under you lower and upper back too.

      Georges Aloe Vera water

      PPI 40mg x1 in the morning hour before eating and x1 at night hour before sleeping

      I don't eat past 6pm but I make sure to eat at 4-5pm

      Cut out trigger foods

      I use to take tums at night too since I was very paranoid.

      Trying to think what else I do

    • alex1966
      alex1966 Mahoney787

      Posted

      Thanks! I'm feeling a little better, but still pretty aprehensive. I think I'll opt for sedation and no throat spray, I hate numb feelings. I've seen that I was given 3mg Midazolam for the colonoscopy, apparently the max they can give you is 5mg, so I'm going to ask for that right off the bat.

      I've had 6 years of false hope from Doctors followed by "good news everythings fine" but you're still in pain, so I know the feeling very well. I just found it better to try and stop focusing on it so much (Which is extremely difficult, but ultimately rewarding) 

      That said right now I feel like I have ebola or something, not coping well without the stomach tablets at all.

  • Mahoney787
    Mahoney787 alex1966

    Posted

    Depending what they find on your endoscopy .. you should get checked for hpylori and candida ..can cause acid.
  • vicky89033
    vicky89033 alex1966

    Posted

    hi just to say dont worry about the endoscope, i know its not easy but im a total softy and ive had 3. The sedation realy does work (just ask them to give you a couple of minutes after the injection to let it work) the next thing you know you will be in recovery and not even know theyve done it. It is worth knowing they will spray your throat to numb it as well just before the sedation- this does give you the feeling you cant swallow or breath but its just the feeling you can breath and im glad a nurse told me this or i would have paniced Honestly i would have this done again tommorow and its the only way to see whats going on
    • alex1966
      alex1966 vicky89033

      Posted

      Thanks Vicky, little aprihensive because I found that I've had the same sedative drug before, 3mg of the stuff and most procedures say the max they can give is 5mg, so I'm going to ask for that and no throat spray. (I really hate numb feelings and banana flavoured stuff) I'll ask for a minute or two to let it kick in and, In that time, I am going to focus every single atom of my existence on telling my brain, for once in it's life, to shut up, stop focusing on what's going on, and go to sleep. I'll report back on what happens, if I manage to make it, the stomach symptoms have been pretty bad since dispensing with the PPI for the appointment. I wish I didn't have to do that, it just means that now I can't forget the appointment, I'm reminded constantly of it by the fact I'm in so much pain. 

      But thank you for your kind words, it means a lot and it does make me feel a little better smile 

    • alex1966
      alex1966

      Posted

      I should say, I've had the 3mg of Midazolam before and it was really just like a drunk feeling but sped up, I didn't get drowsy or forget what was happening to me, just lost my inhibitions and when there was a particullaly painful bit I shouted obscenities to this room full of nurses, which I later apologised for when it wore off (Quickly). Do you think the extra 2mg would make much difference if I manage to get them to give me the full 5mg? 

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