Endoscopy - after effects Q

At the last count, i ve had 9, and never experienced anything like you mentioned. the ribs thing might be referred pain from somewhere else - perhaps see if you can speak to your consultant? 6-8 weeks seems like a ridiculous time to wait to me. i m confident tthough that if something was serious they d get back to you pretty fast.

your alternative is to go private. an endoscopy and follow up is about 500 quid.

Thanks Nick. In that case I'll keep an eye on the pain and if it gets worse go back in.

The 6 - 8 week wait being long for anything serious is what I keep telling myself too - doesn't stop me worrying though. I'll speak to the unit about a private follow up, if and when they call me back.

I felt bloated afterwards from the air they pump in but I wouldn't describe it as 'tender'. I also had a kind of sore feeling where they took some biopsies from where my oesophagus met my stomach but I wasn't too uncomfortable.

I hope you get some answers soon.

Hiya

I had an endoscopy yesterday too (yey please can we have a kleek, I've never been in one!) I'm not sure how you're ought to feel but I can tell you how I feel today.

The only side effects I've had is my throat still feel a bit violated, I'm still quite burpy and I have some terrible indigestion. I'm not sure if the indigestion is me being a hypochondriac and attributing it to the procedure, my tummy was also a bit sore yesterday but I had some biopsies taken and I'm not sure if it was just feeling tender psychologically.

Would it be worth giving the endoscopic department a ring and let them know how you feel or even your gp. I know on the documentation that I had to read and sign it gave contact details incase I needed further information or had any pain that didn't go after a while.

Hope you feel better soon and they get the results to you soon to put your mind at east (and that they'll be all clear!)

air they pump in? i think you might be confusing an endoscopy with a colonoscopy?

luthien, you could definitely request a call from the consultant - he should be able to give you a no BS assessment on what he thinks pending the biopsy. or when they ring back explain your symptoms - they may well just say "come back in" though, and if that happens, be prepared for a lifetime wait because they may re-admit you.

if this helps, each time i have one the cons comes to see me about an hour later and gives me the news there and then as to what he thinks.

That's where they took my biopsies Kebab Thief. Mr L keeps telling me that I can't expect not to feel something. He also keeps telling me that I am a slouch and thus probably used muscles I don't usually use when I was gagging, hence the tenderness lol.

It's weird, I never had myself pegged as someone to panic. I really am though and no amount of rational thinking is helping right now.

Could the rib pain be trapped wind, loofly? That's quite common after endoscopies I believe.

I'm so sorry you're having to have all this done, I've got no experience of this so can't help practically I'm afraid, but you know where I am, sweetheart. ?

Hmm, it's possible but I thought a colonoscopy was when they put the camera up your bum? I haven't had that. They definitely put a camera down my throat and I'm pretty sure they were blowing air down there too, I remember burping an awful lot, as well as gagging and sobbing slightly ?

Mwnci - hope your results come back clear too!

Nick - I think that may be the difference with going privately, the nurse spoke to me afterwards, not the consultant. He just showed me the picture and briefly told me about the lump before they wheeled me out of the room - and I think that was only because I was craning my neck to get a look at them. I'll definitely ask to speak to the consultant again. I am really cross that I didn't listen to Mr L. about health care. We will definitely go private after this, the stress of the waiting and lack of information is unbearable.

The air was the worst part of the procedure, I felt as though my stomach might pop at one point. Oh and the burping while they are working too <shame>

I had some air pumped in too and I had the down the throat type of procedure, they were nosing around in my small intestine so I guess they get a better view with it inflated slightly.

I distinctly remember getting up off the bed and the whole side of my face being covered in tears, dribble and snot, I was so pretty! It's a hideous procedure really but it's a means to an end...

Hope you both get the all-clear soon

Out of interest why didnt you have sedation? my first was without and it was horrendous, after that, with the drugs and being knocked out - piece of piss

Thats funny, i had no bloated feeling and no burping. he said they just shove it down and have a look. and there was definitely no air on my first one (different place different cons)

There were three reasons for me. Firstly, my Mum has been referred for an endoscopy too. She is on other medication that could increase the risks of strokes / heart events, as can sedation, so I wanted to do it to see if it was bearable and to be able to tell her how it was without sedation. Secondly, I hate needles and am terrified of GA, so the idea of the cannula or being knocked out was just as bad as the thought of the endoscopy itself. Finally, I didn't want poor Mr L having to sit around in the hospital longer than he had to - not that he would have minded in the least - but it was nice to just be able to get out of there.

I think I would do it again with just the throat spray. Although it was unpleasant, it was over quickly enough.

Tut tut Nick, Hitched's resident endoscopy consultant and you've got your facts wrong ?

They have to pump air in as without it your stomach walls are flopped together and you can't see a thing down there.

Luthien, if you've got bad stomach pain/tenderness then I'd go and see a Doc. It's normally uncomfortable rather than outright painful.

And wrt the results, I'd say they'd definitely get back to you quicker than that if there's anything serious. Heistant about internet diagnosing but it sounds like what the nurse and consultant are both describing could well be an ulcer (= not life threatening).

Hth

Not sure if this was for me or not but I'll answer anyway!

When I got to the hospital the nurse asked me if I wanted the throat spray or sedation, I answered that I didn't really know much about either having never received any literature on the subject so could she advise me. She told me that if I had sedation I would have to stay in for a couple of hours and wouldn't be able to drive until the next day, if I had the throat spray then I wouldn't feel anything (total BS) and it would be such a quick procedure anyway and I could be out of hospital about 15 minutes after the procedure (more BS). She also told me that they could give me the spray and then if I couldn't handle the procedure they'd stop and sedate me - and I believed her ?.

They started the procedure, I started to object after a few seconds asking them to stop (or trying to) but a nurse told me to hush and it'd all be over soon, that's when I heard the consultant say "Ooh, that's interesting, sample that...it might take a few more minutes than we anticipated MsThief" That was when I started to cry.

I've had a fair few different procedures during my time but this was by far the worst, never again, well not without being sedated anyway!

Thanks - I actually now think the nausea was worry. Just having chatted to everyone here has calmed me down and it has subsided. How embarrassing.

The pain/tenderness is still there, it feels like a burning and my ribs feel bruised just above the epi-gastric area. If it continues overnight I will see a Dr tomorrow - it's definitely not as bad as it was last night. In the meantime, hopefully the unit will get back to me and I can discuss the wait / request a private follow-up.

I decided against the sedation because of a huge fear of needles. I think I would have been more worked up about having a canula in my hand than the camera down my throat. I had mine done twice, the first time they couldn't get the wire down for the biopsy so they had to pull it all back up and try again. The second time was worse than the first, i kept gagging and burping.

Luthien - regarding a diagnosis etc, there were two doctors (a surgeon and a gastroentrology specialist) and two nurses in with me and I know they were reluctant to discuss anything definite. I think I had the chopsiest surgeon in the world but he said they prefer you discuss results etc when all the information is available with your consultant so as they don't give a wrong diagnosis. That said they did answer questions and were quite reassuring etc (that said they were only looking for Coeliac Disease), I think it's the luck of the draw with things like that sometimes.

Did yours do the dentist thing of talking to you while you were completely incapable of answering?

Oh kebab thief, poor you! They told me that if I couldn't cope I could have sedation - I did wonder just how I would let them know. I only had a few occasions where I thought 'what the Hell was I thinking?', it was mostly ok once they were down and heading back up. There is that awful moment when you think it's done and they say 'just a few more minutes for us to take some biopsies'.

Fortunately the nurse didn't ask questions whist the tube was in - he did keep talking in my face though and that made me retch more than the tube did - I have never been able to cope with someone breathing on my face. I kept hoping he'd notice that the retching only came on when he did that, but alas it went unnoticed.

I can understand them wanting to wait, but 6 - 8 weeks!

6-8 weeks seems a long time, but each biopsy has to be sliced, stained and examined carefully by a specialist. Even for suspected cancer patients whose biopsies we send as an inpatient it takes 2 weeks.

To be a little bit fair to them I am a big wuss though ? I have a really strong gag reflex, I can't even watch someone clean their teeth without gagging and don't get me started on people sniffing and spitting ?

I must say that due to the fact that i scope animals regularly - I opted for the sedation! Having the cannula in was a teeny sting, then the drugs were in - next thing I knew was I was back in the ward. Half an hour later I left.

I was burpy but not sore. It may be sore from the biopsy. As you have said Luthian - if you are still sore tomorrow then see your GP.

I was scoping a dog today and taking biopsies from her stomach - it does make the lining of the stomach pretty angry so I would imagine it is uncomfortable afterwards.I certainly put lots of air into the stomach so being burpy is quite normal ?

Thanks Monkey Mavis. I haven't burped since, but the belching during was horrendous. It didn't even sound human - I was like Buddy the Elf ?

I'm in a fair bit of discomfort and pain, especially after I eat. Am definitely going to get checked out tomorrow morning. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about though, just irritation from the biopsies.

I didn't get a call back today, so will call again tomorrow too as I really do need to get some things clear.