I get this upper right quadrant burning sensation (rib area) everytime after I eat something. I had a hida scan done last week and it came back negative :) I am scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy this Tuesday. I am only 33 years old and kind of scared :confused:

Thanks

Hi ILoveTurtles,

Do not be scared of having the endoscopy and colonoscopy. The worse part is the emptying of your digestive system. The procedures themselves are not a problem. Maybe they will be a little scarey for you, because it is your first time, but once they get the knock out medicine going into you, you will not know a thing!

If you need to, I can decribe in detail what they will do to you. Just let me know, if you want or need that. Perhaps some others will reply in the am.

Just make for sure that you tell your Gastroenterologist and his helpers that you want to be totally knocked out for both procedures. You just need the rest of the day to rest afterward and cannot drive yourself - you will be sort of out of it! :>

And be sure and follow the directions they give you (for the preparation) to a T !!! If you do not, it might not work and you would have to come back again!

Take care and try not to worry.

Wannabe

Hi Wannabe,

Yeah, you are probably right, the worst part is the emptying of the system and also, the stupid liquid diet the day before :rolleyes: I am starving right now :eek:

That would be cool if you could tell me in detail what they do. I like to have somewhat of an idea what they are going to do to me :confused: I found out this morning that he is going to totally "knock" me out for the testing. Yeah :bouncing:

Ugh! I can't wait for this day to be over!! :eek:

Hi ILoveTurtles,

Of course, you know by now, that you have a diet of only liquids and only certain colors, the day before. Then you have to drink a LARGE amount of yucky tasting liquid to clean out your system! So, do not let anything or anyone get between you and the bathroom!!!! You are probably going thru this right now. The sooner you do it the better.

When you first go in to the procedure place, the tell you to either take off all of your clothes or just the bottom half. You can leave your socks on. They will give you lots of blankets and then ask you lots of questions. Then a nurse will come and hook up an iv in your arm and take your blood pressure. They take your blood pressure a lot. And the IV is just to get a saline solution going, so that later they can shoot in the medicine, really easy and really fast!

After, what seems forever, depending on how behind the dr. is, you are wheeled into the procedure room. The doctor is there and the nurse and an anesthesiologist. The doctor and the 2 others talk to you and the nurse and the anesthesiologist are getting you ready for your endoscopy and colonoscopy. I have only had both at the same time, once. So, not too clear on the sequence. I do know that you have to be on your side for the colonoscopy. And that you are usually on your back for the endoscopy (upper).

For the upper endoscopy, they will spray your throat with a numbing solution a couple of times and ask you to swallow. Not too tasty. Then they will insert a large tube, about 2 - 4 inches long into your mouth. This is for the endoscope to go through to your throat, esophagus and stomach. I made them wait, to put that in my mouth, til the anesthesiologist was shooting in the knock out meds and I could feel it start to work!!! Then you are out!!! You should not feel anything after that.

Mine asked me before, and you might want to tell them. If it takes a lot of medicine to knock you out. It takes quite a bit to get me totally out. Just depends on if you are taking anything now for pain. Or from your past experiences!

For the colonoscopy, you are knocked out and do not know any of it, but the insert a long endoscopy type thing in your anus and feed it in. In both procedures they go slowly. I do not know if they go in slowly and out slowly, or just slow one way. I know I talk really weird!!!

As they are directing the tubes, they are looking and taking pictures and recording (I think) what they see. Mainly the dr. He has a computer or ultrasound like screen he can look at while he does the procedures. I forgot to tell you, some doctors like to play music, so do not let that bother you! :>

You feel nothing, because you are out - and if you can feel something and do not like it let them know! Just do not jerk out the tubes - make a noise or a slight movement. I have heard this has happened a few times to other people, but it has never happened to me!!!

Anyway, when you are done, you are wheeled out to a recovery area. They watch you and when you start coming around, they go get the person you brought with you to drive you home. Like your husband, sister, mother, friend. They will tell both of you what they found out. You may not remember all of it, but your driver/friend should pay attention.

My gastro dr. gives me a small booklet, with a few pictures of my insides (about 3 or 4 for each procedure). And pamphlets about what is wrong with you and instructions on what to do that day and til you come back to see the dr. Then, you can go home.

The dr. will tell you if you had any ulcers, polyps or whatever and if they did any biopsies. They will schedule your appt. for when they get those results back.

I hope this helps you and you got it in time to read it.

Good Luck. And try not to stress. Yeah, right?! :>

Take care.

Wannabe

Hi Wannabe,

I survived :D

Thank you so much for the info and support :) It went exactly as what you explained it would be like except they had me on conscious sedation. I don't remember the colonoscopy, but I kind of remember the endoscopy because I kept gagging towards the end :confused:

Overall, everything went well. The doctor was actually running ahead of schedule and took me back early. I took the advice of another "postee" and arrived earlier then my scheduled appt just in case they could get me back sooner and it worked :)

He found a lot of inflammation while doing both procedures and found a small polyp and removed it during my colonoscopy. He said he took several other biopsies and won't know the results for about a week or so. Now, comes the waiting game :yawn:
At least, though, I have a doc who takes really good care of me and said that he is not going to stop until he finds out what is wrong. He also mentioned that he didn't see any cancer or major problems going on which is a relief. :bouncing: yeah! He did mention there were some impressions of gastritis and duodenitis. Do you know what that is?

Thanks again! I will keep you updated!
P.S. He said I could eat whatever I wanted until the results came back :D

Have a great evening!

Hi ILoveTurtles,

I am glad that you are finished with your procedures. I could not take consious sedation. Or whatever you had. I am a big baby when it comes to anything medical or dental. I have to be knocked out totally! All my drs. know that. I start asking for medicine as soon as I get there!

I have gastritis. I do not know what the other is. My gastritis, is sort of like an inflammation of the stomach. It gets irritated very easily. I take Nexium about 1 hour (in the morning) before I eat breakfast or take any other pills. And then ususally I am okay. Sometimes my stomach feels really tight and every now and then hurts.

My dr. said that I could take Pepcid Complete - up to 4 per day. And at night, if I get a bad indigestion attack, I can take a Zantac. I seem to be doing a lot better by taking Nexium for 1 hour before everything else. I do drink water and chamomile tea, tho. Or I try to wake up early and take it and go back to sleep for an hour! :>

Good luck to you. I have had polyps before and so has my husband. Sometimes they are nothing and sometimes they are precancerous. If they cut them out, you just need to come back in 1 - 5 years. Depends.

Let us hear about how your biopsies turn out and what the other thing is, that you were diagnosed with?!

Take Care.

Wannabe