GASTROSCOPY & COLONOSCOPY...UPDATE....

It varies from person to person, depending on the strength of their gag reflex. I won't lie and say its pleasant*, it isn't, but the sensation is usually short-lived, and once in place, not too bad at all. You just have to relax (as far as possible) and trust the person performing the procedure. They'll have done it hundreds of times, and be well used to nervous patients.

*And I should know - having "pumped" my own stomach. ?

I've had camera down the throat if that's what you mean.

I did find it very uncomfortable, and remembering gagging a lot. And dribbling a bit too! It wasn't painful though as they do spray your throat with a numbing solution. Felt like I had a sore throat for a while after.

I dreaded mine too.

Hope she is ok.

She will be sedated as she is quite scared yea its a camera............ then she has to have one up the other end awful eh

Oh dear, that does sound horrible!

If she's being sedated then she'll be fine, I expect just a little sore.

Endoscopy/Gastroscopy?

I've had two since the beginning of the year. The hospital should offer a choice of sedation or a throat spray, it's up to your Mum which option she wants to take.

Both times I have gone with the throat spray. I was taken into the endoscopy suite and the endoscopist sprayed my throat with the spray. Tastes first of synthetic banana and then very very bitter. Made my throat feel hot, then completely numb. I felt as though I couldn't swallow - but could. I also found that at this stage I kept coughing through inhaling my spit ?. The throat spray makes me feel sick. I then moved onto my left side and the nurse put a tooth guard into my mouth. At this stage I shut my eyes. The scope is about the width of a little finger. The endoscopist then put the scope into my mouth and asked me to swallow when it hit the back of my throat. I gag quite a bit at this point, but that is the worst of it. I then focussed on my breathing, counting in and out, and this really, really helped. I found that keeping my eyes shut really helped. During the procedure I burped and wretched a few times, but far fewer the second time when I kept focus on my breathing rather than trying to listen to what they were doing. I had biopsies taken both times, but you don't feel them being taken. Then it's was over.

A top tip the nurse gave me was that if you feel bloated, to try and burp a bit - sounds gross and daft as you tend to belch anyway, but it made a huge difference.

All in all, it's a bit grim, but keeping calm and just concentrating on breathing rather than what the endosopist is doing makes a huge difference. It's all over in five minutes.

Ah. My friend who has sedation says that she doesn't even remember the process and it is over in a blink and would recommend sedation every time.

It's easy to say, but the waiting is as bad if not worse than the procedure. Hope it goes quickly and smoothly for your Mum.

Ah. My friend who has sedation says that she doesn't even remember the process and it is over in a blink and would recommend sedation every time.

It's easy to say, but the waiting is as bad if not worse than the procedure. Hope it goes quickly and smoothly for your Mum.

Thanks Luthien and everyone else its good that the width of the tube is so small that will please me mum x

Apparently she has to stay in for 3 hrs after but i hope they don't keep her hanging about before procedure i'm so worried about her

No one is allowed to stay with her either so shes all on her own and they will giver her the results and she'll be alone its so upsetting x

hiya-have you checked that no one is allowed to stay with her for the results? I find that very strange-I would double check and explain that she`s very anxious and you`d like someone to be with her when she gets the results.

That's strange Bobbi - they told me you have to have someone with you if you want sedation and recommend having someone with you for the results as you may not remember what you have been told afterwards.

How'd you mean no one is allowed to stay with her? why not? balls to that, i d just go.

fyi, there are two "types" of sedation for procedures like this. the cheap way is they give you a valium - not ideal. the better way is you are fully sedated (ie asleep) and based on the experiences i ve had, full sedation is most definitely the way to go (to demand in fact). i ve had 8 endoscopies and 2 colonoscopies, and put it this way, i wouldnt have either without full sedation, its pretty unpleasant without it, esp the up the arse one.

She will be fine. I have had these together (well, not at same time!) under sedation, and I didn't feel a thing. Didn't even get a sore throat, was just groggy afterwards due to sedation.
I would think someone needs to be with her though - how will she get home? She won't be able to drive

L
xx

Do they mean no-one can be with her when she has the proceedure done? My husband couldnt come into the room with me but could wait in the waiting area until it was finished and I came around. They insisted someone was with me to drive me home and to listen to the results just in case I didnt comprehend them.

Its not a lovely experience but I have had worse. She will be fine, I am sure.

I had the camera down the throat. I was offered it with sedation, involving a few hours stay, or without, meaning I could go straight away. I opted for sedation and I don't remember a thing about the actual procedure, although I do remember being in the room and having the pulse monitor etc attached to me. I was nil by mouth before it and after it the nurse gave me a drink of water and I said "I can't take that, I've not been in yet" but I had.

Apparently a nurse will phone me s i can pick her up, but they are adamant that no-one is to wait or be with her.....she is tough on the outside but i know she is really scared be glad when its over........but also scared of the results as they found a lump pea size in her colon when they did an examination. Thanks everyone

well, i d ignore that and go anyway, and if they arent happy i d kick up such a stink that they d let me get on with it for an easy life. but then, i am a stroppy ***.

I'd just go along too, regardless. I've had both ends too - partial sedation for the colonoscopy and nowt for the endoscopy - neither were too bad.

The endoscopy only involved one nurse and one doctor and although I went alone, someone else could have easily been in the room with us without getting in the way, never mind outside - definitely no problem there. The colon. was a bit more like an op in the sense that there were a few more staff and I was quite knocked out and don't remember much.

Guessing your mum's been through childbirth, so she'll probably find these procedures a breeze in comparison! They're over very quickly, and I didn't get any results until I saw my consultant a few weeks later.

I have had three endoscopies - the first time I went for the spray and it was an awful experience. The second and third time I had sedation and its the only way to go.

On my third endoscopy I had to have a colonoscopy too - so was glad of the sedation.

As others have said, the gag reflex as they pass the fairly small tube down your throat for the endoscopy is not nice - and I did keep burping and retching. On all of mine, I have had biopsies taken so its not been a straight in and out procedure.

For the colonoscopy I had to have an enema (sp). That was not nice. I felt like my insides were definitely becoming my outsides.

But for all my procedures I was a day patient so went home not long after. I felt quite groggy and slept a while and had a sore throat (and butt) but it was minimal after discomfort.

Good luck for your mum.

Thanks everyone for your good lucks, shes in the day unit at the moment....all very scary x

My mum had both these at the end of last year and I was petrified for her, probably worse than she was! She was sedated and said she didn't remember much about it and it was fine. It is such a common procedure but I know that doesn't make you feel any better.

Shes back and it went well, she doesn't remember anything about the Gastroscopy took 10 minutes but the Colonscopy wasn't too pleasant apparently she felt the tube going all through her bowels and it was very painful so not sure the sedation worked too well there, but overall shes happy its over and shes in one piece they took some biopsies for a wheat and gluten intolerance and a few other things but her next appointment isn't until July as thats the earliest they could fit her in, bloody NHS