Gastroscopy - sedation?

[howdidigettobe50something]

Hi there. I'm due to have a gastroscopy in the near future. I'm unsure whether to go for the sedation or just the throat spray and would love to hear what anyone who has had this procedure would recommend. I know one friend has said to have the sedation but any other experiences? Thanks very much!

Hello. I have had a gastroscopy and asked for the sedation and the throat spray! Suprisingly they did agree to give me both. I was really glad I chose the sedation. I was very nervous and as soon as they gave it to me I felt lovely and floaty. I remember the tube going in and coming out but none of the middle part which they told me lasted 10 minutes. I felt pretty sleepy the rest of the day but back to normal the next morning.

I had mine without sedation and oral insertion rather than up the nose. The only unpleasant part was the constant triggering of the gag reflex, which is nearly impossible to suppress, and the nurse thinking she was helping by stroking my head.

It's really not as unpleasant as you might think. There's no pain or discomfort at all, it's just a bit of a weird situation having this thing stuck down your gullet at the same time your body is trying to puke it back out

Had one a month ago and due another in a couple of weeks.
Opt for sedation and lubricant.

Thanks so much. That was what I was leaning towards!

Obviously, with sedation you will need a companion to get you home and someone available to stay with you for 24 hours after the procedure.
With mine I got a letter with their findings and pictures as I left. They also walked my companion through my results as you are not judged to have capacity following the sedation. This may not be se same with all departments, but this one seemed super efficient.

Sedation. I was terrified beforehand, but it was fine

Yes I read about the companion thing. That's not a problem but he won't be allowed in due to restrictions of course. Thanks for the replies they're really useful!

I had it just with the throat spray and found it quite traumatic. I was retching violently every few seconds and it felt horrible being able to feel the tube down my throat and in my stomach. They were pumping it with air too which kept making me burp and retch haha. I know a few who have had the sedation and found it absolutely fine so I would go with that option

I had it with throat spray and without sedation. The worst bit for me was the throat spray, I seemed to have been taken by surprise at the time and inhaled it slightly by mistake, which wasn't pleasant so make sure you don't breathe in when getting sprayed! You just need to swallow the camera to get it to go down and after that it's ok - I just concentrated on breathing and tried to zone out a bit. It wasn't as bad as I expected but it's a very personal choice, some people have a very bad gag reflex and if that's the case they will be better off with sedation. Good luck.