Anyone had a failed endoscopy?

[Tink3rbell30]

Posting for traffic. I worked myself up so much for this and they couldn't even do it. I had full sedation and they said I was moving, trying to lift my head up and waving my arm. I have no memory of this. If the drugs don't stop me doing this then how would I ever be able to do it? Of course the people before and after me managed it fine. I'm gutted.

I'm so sorry to hear you suffered this
Most surely you would think the nurses might've been so kind's to comfort & put your mind at ease? Surely they can use slightly more powerful anaesthetic for those whom seem to need it next time? 💚🙏💚Did you request to know where they will go from here?

Exactly, I thought the drugs used stopped people from being able to try to get up or move their hands. No idea where we go from here.

They can do it under general. General is the one that knocks you out cold. Sedation only sedates… aka makes you sleepy but conscious.

I had to insist on maximum sedation for this recently. I’ve had it before with lower dose and it wasn’t enough. Even with the maximum, I remember trying to pull the tube out towards the end - it’s such an intrusive procedure I don’t think people realise how badly some of us react to this. Maybe you could have a barium swallow instead but that won’t look at all the areas I don’t think.

They mentioned general but said it's an extremely long waiting time. I will ask about the barium swallow. I agree, what's the point in sedation if it doesn't stop you moving? I tried my absolute best and it was a waste of time.

I had this done recently and they did it with a numbing throat spray thing . I literally took my mind off to another place to distract myself . The worst bit is when the tube seemed to get stuck on the way down the throat but once past that bit it was fine .

Could you try without sedation, so you're conscious and aware? It's very unpleasant, but over quickly. I had one this year for a coeliac diagnosis, I hated it but it's very short.

Excellent username. I’ve been waiting 15 years for the next book.

Sorry OP didn’t mean to derail.

They told me if I can't do it with sedation I'd never be able to with just the spray.

I had it with throat spray just because my biggest fear is choking and I was in such a state for months beforehand that I opted for the fastest in and home again that I could. Its not nice but it's over in what felt like 5 minutes. Could you try that? I made myself ill over being so stressed about it, but honestly it was in no way the worst 5 minutes of my life or anywhere near.

Do you think they’d let you do it again. Now you know that with the sedation you won’t feel or remember anything you might be less likely to pull at it.

I remember them talking to me and firmly asking me not to touch it or pull it and gently holding my hands down.

But I think I was so scared about it that it was natural to do so.

A friend of mine went a little loopy on the sedation and managed to fight the nurses off, get up and burst out of the room! So please don’t worry. I am sure you are not the only one they have had to convince.

They told me if I was moving, trying to get up, waving hands etc while having the spray plus decent sedation I'd never be able to do it with just the spray. What a waste of time :(

In the past I've had to have GA for this procedure (×3!) because of flailing arms and panic attacks, but last time a few weeks ago was determined not to.

It helped I was at a different hospital where I had a much more sympathetic team than previously who spent a lot of time talking to me about the procedure (they had a special nurse whose job this was), and let me have a mouth guard to try at my leisure in the days beforehand so I could get used to it.

In the room they dimmed the lights and let me take my time through each stage of prep from putting in the oxygen nasal tube, to spraying the throat spray. I put in my own mouth guard and they let me fiddle with it a bit.

I had a guided meditation I listened to on my phone, and was tanked up with both midazolam and fentanyl.

It was a completely different experience than what I'd gone through at two other hospitals in my NHS Trust, (which traumatised me tbh) and I think if I hadn't happened to have gone to this hospital it wouldn't have happened like it did.

It was a complete fluke ending up there, but I've been told if I need an endoscopy in the future I can choose this hospital, and can also request the same endoscopist.

How you would go about making it a better experience in your area I'm not sure. This team appreciated my panic attacks and were SO amazing in helping me to feel better.

Personally, I would try and avoid GA if possible because apart from anything else it's massive pain in the backside and you can feel awful afterwards. However, there's no shame in it!

No I don't think they'll see me again there as it would just happen again. I honestly thought the sedation stopped you being able to ruin the whole thing for yourself. Wish they'd held me down and continued.

I had sedation for an endoscopy and it had absolutely no effect on me, they couldn't do the endoscopy.

@Tink3rbell30 I've had a couple of failed endoscopies for the same reason. I now tell them to knock me out properly, and the last one they repeated under a GA.

Gutted for you. I worked myself up for it and it was a waste of time. What did they offer as an alternative?

They can't do that - and I'm glad - because you refuse consent when you react like that.
It can be a pretty traumatic experience for some people

How long did you wait for it under GA? The staff were lovely, I just wish they'd held me still or something so I didn't have to go through the panic of doing it for absolutely no reason. I had midazolam only.

Nightmare. How long did you wait for it under GA?

Gutted as I don't remember doing any of it and didn't want to refuse consent, I wanted it done after the panic it caused me building up to it.

Hardly any time, but it was a few years ago.

Did they turn the lights down, and let you play music or whatever to relax you?

8 months and I was on the cancellation list :( waiting times are nuts now

I didnt intend to refuse consent either, I just needed a break, but the way endoscopy departments work I don't think they have the time to make lots of adjustments as they go

I've had a nurse continue to force a NG tube down before when I was absolutely refusing consent and it was a horrible experience so I'm very very glad they dont hold people down for endoscopies.

Yes and hold my fidget toy 😂🙃 really don't know why it happened.

I thought it might before something like that. Yes I get that.. makes sense. Just bloody frustrating when you've worked yourself up, gone through with it, get told it couldn't be done and have no memory of what stopped it being done!