C
cookiedough321
Guest
Hi to all who are about to have an endoscopy and have concerns. I read many accounts this board, most of them positive and a few negative, yet I was still scared to death of this procedure! I don't know if reading my account will make you feel better, but I felt like I should post my experience regardless.
So I was having stomach problems and I went and saw a gastrologist. I told him my symptoms - he thought I might have an ulcer so he said to get an EGD done. I was not happy when I heard this! I hate going to the doctors, and I am scared of any medical procedure. (I am a teenage girl by the way.) So I did not want to get this procedure done, I so wanted to cancel it but my parents made me keep it. Oh well. So yes, I cried out of fear for this procedure. And yes the waiting was much worse than the procedure was!
Waiting waiting waiting....
My dad and I arrived at the hospital at 8. I did not get wheeled into the procedure room until 9:40. I was hungry, I was thirsty, and I didn't sleep the night before so I was certainly cranky.
In the room I was on the verge of tears, I didn't actually cry but any thought of that big tube being shoved down my throat caused me to feel quite scared. So more waiting there. Changed into the gown, I did get to keep my pants on at least. The nurse set up my IV, felt like any other IV. I felt it go in despite her saying she would put something to nurab it, but oh well. Several nurses asked me questions, I was asked my birth date and my name many times. I don't know if this is a way to check if the patient is responsive or if they really needed to double check.
I found out that the throat spray is banana flavored from my research online, so I ask the nurse if they have anything else. Banana flavor, real or artificial has always made me want to vomit. So she said they did have another spray that has no flavoring and said she would look for it.
So finally, I have no idea what time it was, it must have been more than half an hour, I get wheeled into the procedure room. A little more waiting in there, I see the doctor come in and the nurse tells me to lay on my left side, by this time, I think they had started the versed because I was feeling weird. She puts a pillow behind me to support my back. That is the last thing I remeraber!
I don't know how long after the procedure is already done, I'm in some other room and the nurse is standing by my side. She hanRAB me a cup of cold water with a straw and I drink it greedily. She then tells me I can get dressed. I'm disoriented but I managed to get dressed without falling over or anything. I feel a little dizzy. She helps me into a wheelchair. My dad tells me that I apparently spoke with the doctor - I do not remeraber this at all! I remeraber being pushed into a wheelchair heading to the car. The nurse tells me to keep looking forward while she pushes me. We reach the car and my dad helps me as I clirab into the car. I got into the car without much difficultly, I actually had more control over my body than I expected.
The car ride home was not as tame however. The hospital is thirty minutes from my house. I kept my eyes closed and pressed my hand on my forehead.
My dad tells me he was driving slowly, but it did not feel that way for me.
Finally we get home, my dad holRAB me as I clirab up the stairs to my room. He helps me get off my shoes and jacket, and I flop on my bed with the rest of my clothes on. I wake up about two hours later, still feeling sick but I wasn't dizzy anymore. I got up, went to the bathroom, drank some water and went back to sleep again. I wake up for the second time and I'm feeling a lot better. I have a headache and I feel like eating bland food. I ate some soup.
So to wrap up my experience, I did not have any sickness or pain from the procedure itself! They found inflammation in my stomach and took a biopsy of it, I have no pain from that. My throat felt a little raspy in one spot, but after eating and drinking I don't feel it. I don't even know if they gave me the throat spray! I also can swallow perfectly fine, even when the nurse woke me up after the procedure I was able to drink the water she gave me without a problem. I did have some gas since they blow air into your stomach for a better look.
The bad: I got hangover like symptoms from the versed. Headache and nausea. I haven't eaten much. Today is the day I had the procedure, I'm sure I will be fine by tomorrow. I was also given fentanyl, but I think it was the versed that made me feel sick.
The procedure is not a painful one, it is uncomfortable and might make you feel a little sick. No pain. I would say the waiting before the procedure and the versed making ME feel sick was the worst part. Now I say ME because my dad did not feel sick from the medication, he has had 3 EGRAB, my mom had one and she said she felt sick. I suppose it is because my mom and I are petite women and my dad is a larger male.
Hopefully this might make you feel better if you were scared like me, I know no one can eradicate your fears completely - you will just have to go through the procedure. But please if you need it done, don't delay it, it's not a hard procedure at all. By the way, I never saw the camera tube and I'd say that is a very good thing.
Edit: I forgot to mention I tried eating lentil soup which had onions, my dad is saying I shouldn't have eaten onions. I had a little hiccup episode. So don't eat anything that would irritate your stomach.
So I was having stomach problems and I went and saw a gastrologist. I told him my symptoms - he thought I might have an ulcer so he said to get an EGD done. I was not happy when I heard this! I hate going to the doctors, and I am scared of any medical procedure. (I am a teenage girl by the way.) So I did not want to get this procedure done, I so wanted to cancel it but my parents made me keep it. Oh well. So yes, I cried out of fear for this procedure. And yes the waiting was much worse than the procedure was!
Waiting waiting waiting....
My dad and I arrived at the hospital at 8. I did not get wheeled into the procedure room until 9:40. I was hungry, I was thirsty, and I didn't sleep the night before so I was certainly cranky.
In the room I was on the verge of tears, I didn't actually cry but any thought of that big tube being shoved down my throat caused me to feel quite scared. So more waiting there. Changed into the gown, I did get to keep my pants on at least. The nurse set up my IV, felt like any other IV. I felt it go in despite her saying she would put something to nurab it, but oh well. Several nurses asked me questions, I was asked my birth date and my name many times. I don't know if this is a way to check if the patient is responsive or if they really needed to double check.
I found out that the throat spray is banana flavored from my research online, so I ask the nurse if they have anything else. Banana flavor, real or artificial has always made me want to vomit. So she said they did have another spray that has no flavoring and said she would look for it.
So finally, I have no idea what time it was, it must have been more than half an hour, I get wheeled into the procedure room. A little more waiting in there, I see the doctor come in and the nurse tells me to lay on my left side, by this time, I think they had started the versed because I was feeling weird. She puts a pillow behind me to support my back. That is the last thing I remeraber!
I don't know how long after the procedure is already done, I'm in some other room and the nurse is standing by my side. She hanRAB me a cup of cold water with a straw and I drink it greedily. She then tells me I can get dressed. I'm disoriented but I managed to get dressed without falling over or anything. I feel a little dizzy. She helps me into a wheelchair. My dad tells me that I apparently spoke with the doctor - I do not remeraber this at all! I remeraber being pushed into a wheelchair heading to the car. The nurse tells me to keep looking forward while she pushes me. We reach the car and my dad helps me as I clirab into the car. I got into the car without much difficultly, I actually had more control over my body than I expected.
The car ride home was not as tame however. The hospital is thirty minutes from my house. I kept my eyes closed and pressed my hand on my forehead.
My dad tells me he was driving slowly, but it did not feel that way for me.
Finally we get home, my dad holRAB me as I clirab up the stairs to my room. He helps me get off my shoes and jacket, and I flop on my bed with the rest of my clothes on. I wake up about two hours later, still feeling sick but I wasn't dizzy anymore. I got up, went to the bathroom, drank some water and went back to sleep again. I wake up for the second time and I'm feeling a lot better. I have a headache and I feel like eating bland food. I ate some soup.
So to wrap up my experience, I did not have any sickness or pain from the procedure itself! They found inflammation in my stomach and took a biopsy of it, I have no pain from that. My throat felt a little raspy in one spot, but after eating and drinking I don't feel it. I don't even know if they gave me the throat spray! I also can swallow perfectly fine, even when the nurse woke me up after the procedure I was able to drink the water she gave me without a problem. I did have some gas since they blow air into your stomach for a better look.
The bad: I got hangover like symptoms from the versed. Headache and nausea. I haven't eaten much. Today is the day I had the procedure, I'm sure I will be fine by tomorrow. I was also given fentanyl, but I think it was the versed that made me feel sick.
The procedure is not a painful one, it is uncomfortable and might make you feel a little sick. No pain. I would say the waiting before the procedure and the versed making ME feel sick was the worst part. Now I say ME because my dad did not feel sick from the medication, he has had 3 EGRAB, my mom had one and she said she felt sick. I suppose it is because my mom and I are petite women and my dad is a larger male.
Hopefully this might make you feel better if you were scared like me, I know no one can eradicate your fears completely - you will just have to go through the procedure. But please if you need it done, don't delay it, it's not a hard procedure at all. By the way, I never saw the camera tube and I'd say that is a very good thing.
Edit: I forgot to mention I tried eating lentil soup which had onions, my dad is saying I shouldn't have eaten onions. I had a little hiccup episode. So don't eat anything that would irritate your stomach.
