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From: to Eric from Sackcloth
Date: 01/29/02
Time: 05:15:06 PM -0600
Hi Eric... I was quite scared about my endoscopy also but it was not as bad as I expected. I even opted to have mine WITHOUT any valium or versed or other medications, just straight. Compared to the lousy manometry probe, I much prefer the endoscope. Mine was about 9 months ago. The doctor told me to fast but I sipped some water anyway because I get dehydrated. In fact I made sure to have a meal just before midnight the night before because my reflux is much worse on an empty stomach. Anywho the doctor has you lay on your side... if you get drugged they hook you up for the injection before the procedure starts... then he puts like a mouth guard in your mouth which keeps your jaw open when he advances the tubing. It did not hurt going down as there is a 'ball' on the end of his camera/scope which slides a whole lot nicer than the open scraping manometry hose. He also sprays the back of your throat with some kind of topical novacain type stuff right before proceeding so, the first quarter of the scope slides down easily. When he gets further down the esophagus.. perhaps nearer to the LES, the esophagus feels a bit insulted and starts to gag but, it's just dry gag no real vomiting and no fluid. IF he stops for a second and gives a few seconds rest, it's easier to breathe thru it. A nurse held my hand and encouraged me to continue to breathe. Frankly I moaned because it gave me something to concentrate on doing.. breathing and moaning. If you are doped up with Versed or relaxed with Valium etc. you will probably have even less resistance and practically no memory of the procedure. You can ask your doctor if he uses muscle relaxants or memory reducers during the procedure. You can also tell him like I did to give you a second and stop moving the scope if you wave at him etc. that worked for me. I had a few more dry heaves when he was in the stomach and pushing thru to the duodenum. When he took the samples I did not feel any pain or sensation whatsoever. I was a bit worried about feeling the biopies but I never did. I was also worried about actual vomiting but never vomited, only gags and dry heaves. I also was worried I could not breathe with the scope in but I breathed just fine. So for me, moaning and deep breathing and holding the nurse's hand got me thru with no medications. It was not a wonderfully cheerful experience for sure, but it was not as horrible as I expected just a bit unpleasant for about 5 minutes. My doctor was highly skilled, gentle and kind and quick. I can't complain. Because I was thoroughly conscious he showed me the pictures and discussed his viewfinder observations with me immediately after the test. It took about a week for the biopsies to come back. In fact my doctor also drew out a vial or two of fluids from my stomach content to run the PH test on to see how well my acid-blocking medications were supressing the acid. Of course I did cheat by having water which did diulte the acid but, that's me! All in all, I did not come away from this test feeling overly traumatized or violated like I did the manometry. That experience left me literally speechless and practically too shocked to drive. I don't think the nurse who shoved the open-ended tubing down into my stomach that day knew what she was doing, as I wretched and gagged so bad I could not breathe and she had to pull it out. It was not this way with the endoscope. The endoscope was MILD in comparison. Not one of the most pleasurable activities on earth but not the most horrific either. SO breathe deeply, hold the nurses hand -- moan if it distracts you.. and make a deal with the doctor to STOP if you wave your hand.... are my suggestions as all of these things made it bearable enough for me to get through without any medications. Please let us know how you do. Best wishes to you, Sack