Shitting myself, endoscopy and colonoscopy this morning

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Just that really!!

Had colonoscopy before but not endoscopy.

I am so nervous. Had 3 hours sleep

I thought a colonoscopy was a type of endoscopy? Are they two different things?

Anyway, hope it all goes ok and you get a good result.

I had an endoscopy earlier this year. I was terrified. I opted for the sedation and all was fine. If I had to have another one tomorrow, I wouldn’t worry. Good luck.

Ah you poor thing. I’m not going to lie, an endoscopy is uncomfortable and unpleasant but it’s not painful really (presuming you are taking the local anaesthetic they offer) and it doesn’t last that long so you can get through it.

Try to stay calm and take yourself somewhere else in your head, they might let you wear earbuds if you have them to play some music you like if you think it would help? Worth an ask?

Good luck

You’ve already done the difficult part. The actual procédure is so easy-peasy. À Nice lady or man gives you some amazing drugs and you have a lovely two-second nap. Then they wake you up and you cant believe it’s all over. Fingers crossed theres nothing of concern - there never has been with me (even though I had been having symptômes and have a family history of cancer of the colon).

I must switch my keyboard/predictive text mode to English, sorry

Good Luck, Op, it will soon be over. 🌹

Good luck. I've had both. Like PPs say they are not nice but the nurses will look after you and it will be over quickly. Definitely take the sedation though.

A colonoscopy is up your rectum.
An endoscopy is down your throat.

@BananaNirvana I've had both with no sedation , both fine.

I've had an endoscopy with no sedation. Honestly it's so quick and it really was much more OK than I expected. If I'd to have another tomorrow I wouldn't be worried.

In my experience, taking the prep to ensure that you actually do shit yourself prior to having a colonoscopy is far worse than the procedure itself....

Hope all goes well today ....

Ah thank you - my source was incorrect!

Thank you all.

I am so worried I am going to choke or won’t be able to get my breath.

How long does the endoscopy take?

To be pedantic they are both endoscopies.

Colonoscopy is up your bum, oesophago gastro duodenoscopy (OGD) is down your throat.

OP if you can manage a colonoscopy you will sail through the OGD, it's so quick and nowhere near as bad

Your source was correct - a colonoscopy is an endoscopy. A gastroscopy is down the throat, and also an endoscopy.

Good luck OP, hope all goes well!

Not long. Tell them you are nervous and need proper sedation though. I wasn't nervous before my endoscopy but fought them and gagged as they didn't give me enough sedation the first time. It wasn't painful but just how my body reacted to the procedure - and given my issue was problems with swallowing, my reaction wasn't really surprising. I had a second a couple of weeks later and remember nothing about it.

I think they're both endoscopies but the throat one can also be called a gastroscopy and the bum one is colonoscopy.

I haven't had a colonoscopy but had a gastroscopy last year. I said yes to sedation but I asked them not to use too much as I said I didn't want to be 'out of it'. In retrospect, I wish I'd been out of it 😂

It was unpleasant and uncomfortable but not painful- I burped and retched a lot and had no control over it. But it was all over very quickly and I can barely remember it now.

If in doubt, I would ask for lots of sedative!

@SharpOpalNewt - crossed post- sounds like we had a similar experience.

I told them I was very nervous and asked for sedation. I remember nothing about the endoscopy and very little about the colonoscopy. Sedation is great! Hope it all goes well.

Yes, @Waitingfordoggo except I didn't tell them not to give me very much sedation, I'm always happy to have all the drugs! I'm heavier than I look so maybe they underestimated, or tried a different drug the next time.

Ha. I wish. Not my experience at all.

I had an endoscopy and chose to numb my throat rather than have sedation. At one point I was stressed because I thought I was going to be sick but it was just the air they pumped in making a return. Mentioning it because if I'd known that I wouldn't have worried.

Agreeing with those who say the prep for the colonoscopy is worse than the event itself, but still manageable.

Good luck!

I was dreading the endoscopy but actually it was a lot better than I’d imagined & the nursing staff were lovely. Sedation definitely helps as you kind of feel like you’re dreaming. The trickiest bit is when the tube is being taken out again but it doesn’t take long.

@BananaNirvana ‘endo’ just means ‘inside’ (think endo and exo for inside and outside. Endoscopy is a way of looking inside (the scope bit is the instrument). So gastroscope would be looking down via the gastric tube. Colonoscopy would be looking up the other end 😣.

Thank you 🤩