Hello everyone,

I am really just looking for some reasurance from someone that has had an endoscopy and not choked to death on the hose pipe they put down your throat. 

I am having one done on Friday and I am really quite scared.  I have a real fear of choking and not being able to breathe.  I am also asthmatic so part of the fear is as a result of this. 

I am told that i will be given valium and something else (can't remember what) but i am now finding it difficult to think about anything else.  Can people please share their experiences of this - good or bad - I need to know what to expect.  People do say it the fear of the unknown...

Thanks

My boss had one recently. Apart from being a bit unpleasant, it didn't cause him any problems :)

Daisy

My OH had one several years ago, the only thing he "suffered" with, was a sore throat afterwards ;)

Bear in mind you will be given relaxants to stop the gagging reflex, I know it's easier said than done, but try to relax as much as possible before hand so that you don't get all tense, in a lot of cases the thought is definitely worse than the deed.

Good luck :)

I had this done a few years ago under anaesthetic as I was too tense for the tube to go down.

I can quite understand your dread - it looks like an unpleasant procedure, but I'm assured by a friend who had it done that, with the sedation they use, it's nothing like as bad as it looks.

You made me laugh at only wanting to hear from someone who hasn't choked to death on the hosepipe - Champdogs may be excellent, but I don't think we have posters from 'beyond the veil'!! :) :D :D

No it is not as bad as you think it is going to be and your doctor will make sure you are relaxed and talk it thorugh with you :)

I had that done the same time I had my piles banded :D

Good luck but I am sure you will be fine ;)

Lucy
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>I had that done the same time I had my piles banded

*eyes watering*

I am still trying to reconcile endoscopy with pile banding ......aren't they at opposite ends?

:p :p

Hog tied spring to mind :D :D :P

An endoscope means inspection of any internal part of the body

My mum had one and she was terrified but said the relaxants really helped and wasn't nearly as bad as she imagined.  I saw on the news last week the new camera the size of a normal tablet that is swallowed and allows the doctor to view the complete insides without all the fuss of a traditional endoscopy.  I think this was mainly for the bowel though.  The tablet leaves the body in the normal manner and all sounds a lot more appealing!  Good luck, you'll be fine.

The consultant was killing two birds with one stone ;) :D

Lucy
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Hi Ussher, I'm an Endoscopy nurse, so I can help you with any information you want.

First of all it's a Gastroscopy you're having, that is a look into the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum with a flexible endoscope (telescope). The test takes about 4 minutes to perform, and can be done under sedation (not anaesthetic) or Local anaesthetic throat spray, which works very well, but tastes awful. The sedative that is used in my hospital is called Midazolam, and it is part of the Benzodiazepine group of drugs. The effect you get is a  drowsy confused sort of state, and you are very forgetful for a while afterwards. If you are having an afternoon appointment, you should be aware that you are not legal to drive for 24 hours, so should be off work the next day.

If you choose sedation you will require a recovery period of an hour or so before you will be allowed to go home, and a lift home is a must as is somebody to stay with you overnight.

The endoscope is about the width of you little finger, and your oesophagus and your trachea are completely separate, so choking is not going to be a problem. The worst bit is when the scope is touching the back of your tongue, and it's normal to retch a wee bit until it progresses beyond there, once it's on it's way down your oesophagus you will feel more comfortable.

If you have dentures, they will be removed, and if you have natural teeth, a plastic mouth guard will be placed between your teeth to stop you from biting the £35,000 worth of equipment.

It's routine to have at least one biopsy taken, called a Clo test, to test for the presence of helicobacter bacteria.

If there's anything else I can help you with, please ask, you'll be fine, I promise. :)

Dawn R.

What a fantastic reply Dawn :)

Great reply Dawn - my GP wants me to have one and I've said no thanks as I had heard nothing but horror stories about them.  You have put my mind at rest somewhat :)

My husband had one a little while ago.  Being a man :rolleyes:  he chose not to be sedated.  He came home and said if he had another one, he would choose the sedation.

Sandra

My mum had one a few years ago and as I work at the hospital the consultant asked for me to sit in with her :d  Mum did really well and she is one of those people who gets really worked up even if the slightest irritant is in her throat but she did brilliantly.  The only problem was that because the consultant knew me through seeing me around the hospital he looked at me when advising what was wrong etc.  :d  My mum was not amused.

Thank you all so much for your replies.  I can't believe my luck in also getting a reply from an endoscopy nurse.  I feel a barrage of questions coming on...

1. If you keep gagging when the tube is going down, how does it eventually get past?
2. How does it feel when the tube comes out?

Oh, actually that's about it for now.

Since champdogs is anonymous, I can tell you that I am also having a colonoscopy at the same time (well I hope now exactlyl the same time!! Just the same day).  Funnily enough, I am not as scared about that one, as I have been told you don't feel a thing really.

My consultant was very slow and made sure that I relaxed so it could go down without too much gagging :)

If I remember when it came out it was not a problem and came out relatively easily :)

Good luck with both and I am sure the results will hopefully show everything is ok ;)

Lucy
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I've had a colonoscopy, I now sound like a hypocondriac. As this is anonymous I can tell you that I have Crohns disease (not contagious - honest)) and thats why I have all these types of test every so often. Any advice on barium meals - I'm your girl. :-D

I've had the camera up my nose and into my throat a few times and it wasn't half as bad as I was expecting. I know it sounds silly but relaxing does help. The more I had the easier it got as I was obviously more relaxed each time.

Hi again Ussher, as you're having those two procedures done at the same appointment, they will do the stomach test first, you are positioned on your left side with your knees bent to balance you. When the endoscope is first introduced the Doctor will ask you to try to swallow, it won't be easy but just try to go through the motions, the oesophagus will open and the scope is passed, even if you do gag a bit, remember that's normal, the scope will still pass, don't worry, (easy for me to say, I know). There will be a nurse sitting just above your head, and she/he will talk to you the whole time. I know you'll be sedated but you'll still be able to hear them.

Once that test is over, the trolley will be turned around, and you are already in the right position for the colonoscopy. A colonoscopy takes about half an hour give or take a few minutes. In addition to the sedation, midazolam, you will also be given a dose of pethidine, a strong painkiller. In most cases this combination renders the patient quite unaware. The test is to examine the entire length of the large bowel, air is put into the bowel to stretch out the walls and enable the scope to pass along. The bowel is not straight, there are a number of bends and corners to get around and it all takes time. Also that air has to come out again later, and it comes out the way it went in.

On rare occasions it isn't possible to complete the colonoscopy, due to patient discomfort. If that happens, then arrangements can be made for a Barium enema, to complete the picture.

Good Luck, :)

Dawn R.

>Also that air has to come out again later, and it comes out the way it went in.<

Oh dear, I hope someone you know very well is giving you a lift home ;)

the valium works thats all i can say,had colonoscopy instead of endoscopy,so sorry no help there
best wishes to you
mel :)

I had a gastroscopy 3 years ago. I elected not to be sedated because I wanted to be home asap and needed to drive myself. My dad, god bless him, had had 2 gastroscopies as an elderly gent without sedation so I felt it would be OK.

My friend, who is involved in endoscopy in the hospital, came to visit me just beforehand and I had the throat spray. It was a bit of a weird feeling as the tube went down, but it was in no way painful and I felt nothing even when they took a biopsy :) to check for Helicobacter pylori bacteria. The worst bit was that after a while, I just felt like retching and of course you then think for some reason you can't breathe - but you can, as Nursey (Dawn) has explained very well, so no need to worry on that score. Oh, I'm also a tad asthmatic, am on preventer inhaler.

I had a bit of a joke with the nurses, who were smiling and saying that it was always the men who opted for sedation; I think they were only partly joking!! :D Certainly on the day I went in, the other woman had elected for no sedation and all the men had :P

Good luck, not that you'll need it. Come back and let us know how it goes.

Lindsay
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Hi usher!
Now I have had several of these things over the last few years, I have had them done with the throat spray whilst awake and under sedation.
Believe me , sedation, I remember going into the room, lying on my side and having an injection in my hand. the next thing i remember is being woken up in the recovery room. was really good.
th throat spray tastes awful and seems to stay with you all day. also it is uncomfortable and seems to last forever. the swalowing bit is awful, and you do gag a bit and can feel the tube going in and moving about. when they remove it it is very quickly done, gagging all the time and boy do you burp , and burp all day cos they fill you up with air so they can see more .
Have the sedation if it is offered , I would they explain everything when you wake up so yo havent missed anything . one of mune felt like they were trying to read the label on my undies , they only had to ask 34" and black ones hahahaha

good luck and let us know how it went
john

Hi DOGMAN, as you live in my neck of the woods, you possibly had your Gastroscopy done in 'my department'. Wansbeck General? or North Tyneside?

Dawn R.

Ooooo nursey!!
I had all of mine done at wdgh, all , yeah ive had about 4 by mr Bawa. and ended up with a funoplication op at hexham gen last sept . but that is another tale to tell. wdgh was great but there you go. once i had the op i lost 3 1/2 st in a matter of weeks and everyone says im doing fine. I am now (ish)
john

Dogman, I'll pass on your regards to Mr Bawa, glad you had a good experience at Wansbeck. I'm off there in a hour or so to work. Make yourself known if you ever have to come back again. Just ask for Dawn with the American Cockers. See ya.

Dawn R.

Hi

I had it done in March, and yes...I was also scared.
I was given a sedative, went to sleep and woke up humming!
I was told that the side effect of the sedative made you feel happy.
And I felt great. Shame they don't sell it at Tescos :)
I had no pain after, not even a sore throat.
Don't worry you will be fine. I coped and I am a complete wuss :)

Yes and it was horrible.

The throat spryy did not work and the taste of it made me want to throw up!!!!!!!!!!!! and I literally gagged until my stomach was sore.

Go for the sedative I am sure that is a better option wish I had done that from the start.

Had a sore throat after as well.

Good Luck you will need it!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a little update:
Everything was fine.  I had the sedative and the throat spray and I don't even remember them putting the tube down my throat.  I do remember vague little bits like seeing the screen they are looking at.  My memory is so vague I am not even sure if I have made bits up!!  I guess no matter how much some people are reassured (like me) they are still worriers.  If I had another one, I wouldn't look forward to it of course, but i wouldn't be in such a state that I was in.

Hi Ussher, I'm glad it all went OK.

Regards, Dawn R.

Glad it went okay. :) These things are usually better in reality than we imagine!
:)

Definitely; glad it went well! :)

Lindsay
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