Are You Afraid of Having an Endoscopy?
Monday March 9, 2009
The procedure is not nearly as scary as it sounds, though. (In my case, the two endoscopies I had weren't scary at all, because I slept all the way through, from start to finish.) If you've never had an endoscopy, it might be interesting for you to read What to Expect from an Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. If you have had an endoscopy, I'd be very interested to know your answer to the poll that accompanies this blog post. Did you sleep through the procedure, or were you awake, or a little of both? Feel free to add a comment about your experience, too.
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Comments
I remember once waking up very suddenly right in the middle of an endoscopy and looking around. But it wasn’t frightening or painful — just incredibly disorienting — and I went right back to sleep. I’m surprised I remember it so well, actually.
I haven’t had one yet, although my doctor ordered it a while ago. Frankly, I can’t afford to pay my insurance deductible, plus I’m a little afraid (not so much of the endoscopy, but of what they might find).
I’ve had two endoscopies done and I’ve been told I was awake during both but I don’t remember a thing. The medications they give to relax you are like wonder drugs!
I had one endoscopy. I woke briefly during it, gagging some on the tube. I remember a nurse telling me I needed to relax and breathe. I was only awake for a few moments, then I don’t remember any more until after the endoscopy was done. If I have to have another endoscopy, I think I’ll ask them to give me more sedative.
I’m going in to have an endoscopy in three days. I’m curious why you had two done. I’m hoping for a positive result for celiac disease (because at least there is a cure for it, i.e., not eating gluten), but what if it is negative? Do you know if the rest is 100% reliable? I mean, what if they examine a part of the intestine that is not affected? I’m also a little worried about the procedure because I am breast feeding, and I don’t know if the sedatives are safe for the milk.
Do you happen to know what sedative they plan to use? You may be surprised by what is approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics for use in breastfeeding women! I’m happy to put your mind at ease. You may have no problem at all breastfeeding soon after the endoscopy, but just let me know and I can give you more detailed information. My one recommendation would be to breastfeed as close to the time you have to go in as possible. That way, you won’t wake up with any breast discomfort.
Wow, I too am breastfeeding and concerned about the test and the sedative. I am curious at how Jessica’s went. I am also a bit concerned about the tube and my throat. I am a singer and pray that the tube will not hurt the vocal chords. I am more concerned though about the baby. Jessica, if you read this, please let me know how it went and what sedative you used. Thank you.
Hi Catherine and Melissa,
It was a couple months back, so I don’t remember the name of the sedative. I went online before I went in and wrote down all the supposed ’safe’ and ‘unsafe’ and ‘unknown’ for breast feeding sedatives that are used for this procedure. Most of the medications, I think, had unknown side effects. I was given a tablet when I went in, and the nurse told us that it should be okay. The pill had very little or no effect on me, though. I had the endoscopy and was very alert. It felt horrible, but I had the good fortune of getting the advice to concentrate on my breathing. If you do yoga or meditation, or remember giving birth, then that kind of focus will come pretty easy. Afterwards, I asked the doctor exactly what medicine I was given, and it wasn’t on my list (I live in Finland, where medicines probably have different names). She had to look it up to see when it would be safe to breast feed and found that the side effects were unknown. But, she said she wasn’t worried at all because I had such a small amount. She said to be on the safe side, wait four hours, pump, and then resume breast feeding. I did that and my son was absolutely fine. As for me, the results showed that I have cell damage that is consistent with the beginnings of celiac disease but not enough to confirm it 100%. Now that I’m on a gluten free diet I know that I have celiac disease because every time I accidentally get glutened, I have all the classic symptoms. Luckily, my son is healthy as can be. Good luck to you, and if it turns out you have CD, good luck with the diet. It’s been over 2 months for me, and I still keep accidentally getting glutened-it’s very frustrating, but I’m learning and hopeful for the future!