Endoscopy-can anyone reassure me I will be OK

[dietstartstmoz]

I have to have an endoscopy in 2 weeks time and I am so worried about it. I have seen the doc and he says I can be sedated, but I am still shitting myself about it. I am a grown woman who has had 2 children but I am so anxious about this.
I hate the thought of it, the thought of gagging or being sick and also being aware that it is going on and not being able to do anything about it. I am such a baby about this, but I think I will cry as soon as I walk into the hospital. Seriously got to pull myself together. Can anyone reassure me with sedation that it will be fine?

[HellesBelles396]

I haven't had an endoscopy but both my parents have. DF had no problems at all and swallowed the cable with just some numbing spray. DM, like you, was very nervous and was sedated and had the numbing spray. She can't remember much but says while she could feel it, it wasn't uncomfortable and the sedative meant she didn't care very much. The worst bit was thinking about it on the journey there.

The thing to remember is that whatever you say or do (cry or wail), it's unlikely you'll do anything they haven't seen before. It's only new to you.

Try to make a joke of it - get some happy hormones flowing by having a laugh. Laughing relaxes muscles and calms you down. Ask them to dip the camera in a glass of G&T, for example . Let them know you're nervous but that you will try your best to do whatever they need you to and they will be very sympathetic - as I say, they're used to it. Their can't be anyone who actually looks forward to this procedure!

Hope everything goes well.

[Scrazy]

I've had one with sedation. I didn't know anything about it, so don't worry, I'm sure you will be fine.

[ValentineWiggins]

Have the sedative. Even when they tell you that they've had 90uear olds in all morning who managed with just the throat spray...have the sedative. Trust me on this...I didn't and it was vile beyond belief! Oh and the throat spray is banana flavored which I hate!!!

[Milliways]

Good Luck. I am also having an endoscopy in 2 weeks - but with a colonoscopy as well, so I too am opting for sedation. I searched lots of threads on here and they are all very re-assuring.

[millymae]

I had one a few years ago without sedation but thankfully my experience was entirely different to ValentineWiggins and I didn't find it too bad at all. Sedation was offered to me, but I had a bigger fear of that (I hate taking medicines of any kind if I don't need to) than the procedure itself and honestly I was absolutely fine - within 5 minutes of getting off the table I was drinking tea and eating toast and was able to go home straight afterwards. It helped that the doctor who did it was really nice, as was the nurse who held my hand when the tube went down. I was told exactly when to swallow and after that it was all plain sailing - the doctor turned the screen so I could see what he could and I don't remember any part of the procedure hurting at all. I'm not sure how long the whole thing took but it certainly wasn't long.

It's easy for me to say OP but try not to worry too much about it - you've had two children and lived to tell the tale! An endoscopy will be like a walk in the park by comparison

[Bunsouttheoven]

My df recently had one. He was going to have the sedation but tried it without & said it was completely fine. He was really worried before but said it was no where near as bad as he'd imagined.
Good luck

[Hoophopes]

Hi - with sedation I didn't remember anything, it was given before any part of the procedure happened and I came round properly within 30mins so could go home. Only issue is they say not to be responsible for children or drive for 24hrs afterwards. Hope it goes ok fo ryou.

[MNPin2013]

I just had the numbing spray and even with my hyper sensitive gag reflex it wasn't to bad. The worst was when he went thru into the intestines but that was an achey/punched feeling that was gone within a week.

Mine showed the GERD/reflux and a diaphragmatic hernia so explaining my severe chest pain and difficulty in breathing during a reflux episode.

I am now waiting to see about getting the stomach pulled back down and strengthening the diaphragm.

[kellibabylove]

I had it done about a year ago, it really wasn't so bad. I closed my eyes and he put it up my nose and down my throat it went. Only took a couple of minutes.
Its just a bit uncomfortable and strange with the obvious sensation that there's something in your throat.
Don't worry about it. If you work yourself up about it, it will be worse.
Good luck.

[dietstartstmoz]

Thank you everyone, I think I have to swallow the tube, I'm not sure it will go up my nose as well. I have to have my gallbladder removed if the endoscopy does not show any other serious problems. It's just the thought of swallowing a tube, yuk. Thanks for the words of advice. The letter does say you can't drive home but it doesnt say anything about not driving for 24hrs. Did anyone else have this, where they couldn't drive for 24hrs?

[ledkr]

My ds has had it twice and said take the sedation and don't fight it. He was very ok about it both times.

[PetiteRaleuse]

Hi, I've been lucky enough to have had gastro endoscopies six times, with spray, without spray and under sedation.

Obviously the sedation is the easiest, especially if they decide to do some work in there while they're at it.

If you don't have sedation, and whether or not they give you the spray, the best thing to do is relax. Far easier said than done as our gag reflex is well developed, but it really does help. The more you fight it the more acid you'll cough up, and that's really unpleasant.

They are varying sizes - the one they use for children is far easier to deal with. Sme doctors are rougher than others too. You have to relax. My first was in ER and the doctor was shouting swallow, swallow, swallow at me at posibly already the most terrifying moment in my life up to then she was really mean and they hadn't explained what they were going to do - they just popped a thing in my mouth to keep it open and started pushing the tube down. Then the nurse bent down and smiled right in my face and said 'ooh you had sweet corn for lunch' and I thought she was lucky I was being held down with a tube down my throat otherwise I might well have reacted violently.

Whatever happens as it is planned it won't be worse than you are imagining and will most likely be surprisingly easy. By the last time I had it done I waved away the offer of spray and it was over within 5 minutes.

[roguepixie]

I have had two.

The first one I was sedated and whilst I fought it (I have a seriously strong gag reflex which makes swallowing in such situations really hard for me). I have no strong recollection of it and was settled back soon after.

The second was carried out without sedation (if sedated you have to stay at the hospital for a few hours afterwards and I wanted to leave immediately). It was awful. I fought it with every ounce of strength I had and still have horrendous memories.

My advice: if you are nervous take the sedation and try to relax - try not to fight it. As I said - I have a ridiculously strong gag reflex so it was really tough for me to go through this procedure. But really, take the sedation, it will make it much more 'do-able'.

My DDad has also had at least two and has found them fine - sedate and relax.

[megandraper]

Choose the sedation option - you won't even remember the experience or be aware of it at the time.

My sons had gastro-endoscopies last year, aged 4 and 2 at the time. Under general anaesthetic due to their age. They came round very quickly, were a bit grumpy for the first half hour (mainly due to being hungry), ate a vast amount (take lots of food in with you, esp if you're having it for coeliac test and might be told to go g-f straight away afterwards).

Good luck. It will be over quickly.

[PetiteRaleuse]

If you have the spray you won't be able to eat for an hour afterwards at least. Someone (butnot a Dr so they might be wrong) told me that it's because you're so numb you can't swallow properly so food might go down the air ways rather than towards the stomach.

[digerd]

I had 2 but no need to describe the 1st as was disaster
2nd time was I was OK with a little sedation - unpleasant , but behaved myself. I kept taking deep breaths, but was fully aware and everything was explained to me. ie, that air would be blown in to inflate the lining as is wrinkled. Also biopsies taken, but I didn't feel any pain as the stomach has no pain nerves, it was explained.
I wanted to be out and know nothing, but was told that was not done 15 years ago.
Good luck.

[Hoophopes]

If sedated medical advise is to not drive or be responsible for children for 24hrs. But they can send you home pretty quickly - it is a safety thing.

[NUFC69]

I had an endoscopy and a procedure done the week before Christmas and I was terrifed before I went. (This followed on from having my gallbladder removed last May and because I was still having episodes of pain and sickness.) I had to have an MRI scan and then I just had a letter saying coming in at such and such a time and you'll be staying overnight. I told the chap who came to collect me that I was frightened and he reassured me. I can remember having the throat spray twice and then going into the room, getting on to the bed and lying in a special way, and then they said "we are putting the sedative into your canula now" and that was the last I remember until I came round on the way to recovery. I was under for about forty minutes, I think, and during that time they removed two gallstones and widened the opening to the bile duct.

I was back in the ward after about half an hour and, much to my surprise, discharged at three thirty. I might have had a slight sore throat the following day, but nothing to worry about at all.

Good luck - you shouldn't need it, especially if you have the sedative.

[dietstartstmoz]

Thanks so much everyone, I asked the nurse about it when I went before and she said I would be semi-conscious, I will definately be having the sedative. I also have to have my gallbladder out in a couple of months, if all is OK following on from the endoscopy, so will no doubt be starting another thread about the operation and my panic for that.
NUFC69-how are you now? I can't believe you had 2 gallstones removed after having your gallbladder out.

[NUFC69]

Diet - I am absolutely fine at the moment. I reckon I was actually worse after having my gallbladder out than I was before as I was only having episodes of pain every few months then. After the gall bladder removal it was almost every month. I think I read somewhere on here that when you have it removed they don't necessarily remove all the stones - new ones are just stopped from forming, if you see what I mean. Obviously some of mine escaped! The reason they widened the opening to the bile duct was that they couldn't guarantee that one hadn't got in there, though they didn't think so. The idea was that if they widened it a bit, anything that was in could wash out by itself! I loved the explanation the doctor gave me before endoscopy of using a balloon like "dyno rod" to remove the gallstones which were there.

Good luck with it and also with the gall bladder removal!