Endoscopy, do they put anxiety sufferers to sleep?

Hi all,

The reason I ask, I have been to the doctors today and it was not the news I was expecting if i'm honest.

Obviously, I told him that I'm still having the nausea feeling, burping and sick taste in throat.

He asked me how did I get on with the omeprazole, which I was honest and told him that I noticed no difference and because of this, my anxiety was at it's highest point.

He asked me if taking a blood test would worry me more as they show abnormal activities, to which I said I would have one.

I'm having the blood test in the morning at 9:50, which I'm not looking forward to at all but this is least of my worries.

The doctor suggested lansoprazole, which he said it one of the strongest medications for acid as he thinks that is the problem.

He then said, in two weeks and if symtoms still exist then I would have to have a endoscopy, which would see if there is anything going on down there like an ulcer or tumour, to which I freaked out.

He then told me that it's unlikely to be anything serious as i'm not loosing weight and no signs of blood etc, but I was showing signs of worry.

He then told me that he can guarantee that these tablets will work and try not to worry.

I came home and told my wife, to which she was a little worried and phoned up my doctor, to which he said don't worry as it is very unlikely.

I was wondering if I did have to have a endoscopy, would they put me to sleep as my anxiety would be high etc.

My doctor also said that it must be hard to suffer with health anxiety and that he would talk to me anytime as I have clearly being diagnosed with health anxiety.

The waiting game is also not good for me as anxiety rises again.

I'm taking tomorrow off work, which I will go and have this blood test and regarding the endoscopy, I still have not googled.

Red

Hiya
my Mum had an endoscopy an also my friend and they both thought it was ok,neither went under,but my fiends hubby was really nervous and they put him under,have a chat with ya doctor and see what they say,i do find that my hospital have been very good with me in the past after all they are there for your well fare and care
Hugs
xx

hi red
i have just brought my 15yrd old son home he has had something similar to the endoscopy. he asked for sedation and he was fine. and he being only the age he is was exremely anxious. i do believe that you can be put under if need be.
hope this helps

Hi Red

I have the same problem as you and have had an endoscopy

It is nothing to fear and they dont put you to sleep but give you a sedative which makes you relaxed and sleepy:yesyes:

It is all over in 5 mins so please try not to worry!!!!

I take lansoprozole now and im fine

Take Care

Luv Kaz x x x

Is this down nose or throat?

Hi,

I'm not sure, doctor did not say much about it.

Red

ask him Red - makes a difference

hi red,

i was told by my doc that she might send me off for this test.
i beleive its down your throat. also, because my problems are all throat related, i was told it would hardly go down far. also, i was told you have the option of going under if you are very anxious about it. (my doc knows about my health anx too) its painless and quick so i hear. no needles- one reason i was willing to try it. having said that, ive been taking the meds she gave me for it, and tho my throat is still not 100% and its been like 2 months now( ive found it can take ages for these symptoms to clear,just our luck eh?), its almost there, and my burps etc are very very minimal.i know if i go see her again, shell prob send me for the same test as you, so dont worry!!!, were in the same boat.
lastly, 99% of the time they find nothing, and just confirm the acid problem.
i know we'd like to hear 100%, but 99 is pretty good odds...

take care.

Hi Red,I had the endoscope down the throat and I was put out for it.Had a lovely sleep!!!My friend didnt,she had it done at a different hospital.

I think he was referring to the throat, because he said they would look down into the stomach to see if something is going on.

I lost concentration at this time because my mind wondered when I heard the word Endoscopy.

Red

I think it varies according to your needs Red. I had one years ago and had heavy sedation. My hubby had one a few years ago and was offered sedation but turned it down and was fine. Sedation does keep the anxiety to a minimum. By the way, they found nothing with me, turned out to be IBS. My hubby had some inflammation which was treated with anti ulcer medication. The majority of the time, this is the worst that they find in the absence of other symptoms.

Good luck.

Hi red

As u know i waiting on an endoscopy as well.

A few years ago I got a lung biopsy done and it was a tube passed up my nose and down into my lungs and I felt absolutely nothing. I was sedated and it was over with in about 20 minutes.

So I presume that the endoscopy will be something similar.

As you know I am a scardey cat and if you explain to the nursing staff and the doctor when you are getting your procedure done that you are anxiuous then they will do everything to make it as comfortable as possible for you.

Take care

Darkangel

I had an endoscopy/gastroscopy a couple of years ago and actually chose not be sedated and I was fine. Also cos I wasn't sedated they were able to give me the results there and then and all was normal.

I did get sedated when I had one done at the age of 18 though and that was fine too - see how you feel on the day, as you can change your mind right up to the minute (well you could at my hosp)!

True I prefer having my hair done but this was quicker, you got tea and biscuits after and it didn't cost me anything.:)

Love Piglet :flowers:

I had an endoscopy a couple of years ago, (when I didnt suffer anxiety) they offered to sedate me rather than anaesthetise me. However I declined as it meant someone would have to be with me for 24 hours after. So I was brave and had it done without the sedation. BIG mistake wouldnt recommend it. They said it was unusual for someone to have it without sedation

Hi Red!

I had this done a couple of months ago. I was out for the procedure. It took longer for me (over 30 minutes) as they found stomach polyps (which had nothing to do with my symptoms) and removed them then and there. I felt nothing during or after - just a little whoozy from the sedation. And the polyps were thankfully benign! I did not have an ulcer (which is what we were looking for). I only had inflammation - have been on Losec since. They asked me to come in for a colonoscopy next week since I had polyps to make sure the rest of my digestive system is clear. They told me it is nothing to worry about.

I would go with the sedation... Don't worry, it really is painless.

Good luck! You are going to be fine :)

Lola

What is sedation as I'm not clear and what will it do to me?

Here in the UK you have two choices, throat spray or a very mild sedation but they do not put you to sleep. I have been present and helped with many of these and you will be fine, even my own hubby has had one. He opted for the mild sedation and i stayed with him until the scope went down then there was not enough room in there for me as well so i waited outside the door for him until he was done. You cannot be 'put to sleep' as you still have to swollow the tube (camera) and you cannot do that if you are totally asleep. The throat spray just numbs the back of your throat a bit to help the scope slide down, if you opt for the sedation you will have it injected into your vein and you will be awake but not know about it. When you come round it is all over and you wont remember much at all. I believe they offer everyone the two choices and you decide which one you want. Which ever one you choose to have you will be fine, there are many many people who have had this done and hundreds more each and every day. My hubby was fine and just drowsy afterwards so if you choose to be sedated you will have to have someone with you. Hope this helps, and all the best.x

Hi Reddevil !

Yes they do if you tell them you want to be asleep ! I've had many of these as I have had a hiatus hernia repair done and have to have regular check ups. You will be OK - honest ! In my experience the anticipation of the event is infinitely worse then the actual.

For me, the sedation was injected... I also had a mask put on my nose and mouth... I assume that was part of it, too. The next thing I remember, I was waking up - the procedure done. Felt nothing. Swallowed nothing consciously. Piece of cake! :)

Lola

Hi all,

Regarding this sedation, people say you can not remember a thing when sedated, but how does this work without being put to sleep.

Red

They give you the option of just the throat spray to numb your throat or the sedation, they give you a sedative which is just enough to relax you but not enough to really make you unconscious (its enough to take away your anxiety though as i had mine done when mine was at its height), they then put a mouth guard in your mouth to prevent you biting down on the scope and then they do the procedure the scope looks at your oesophagus, stomach and into the top of your duodenum, they will be looking for signs of reflux or ulcers, they will probably to a clo test to check for h pylori and if this is positive they will commence you on triple therapy which is usually losec and 2 types of antibiotics to iradicate the bacteria (nothig to worry about) they may also take biopsies but not always,it depends onlevel of inflammation if any present or if they find polyps. I can honestly say that when i started nursing 24 years ago hardly any one had procedures like these carried out but as equipment has evolved and modern scope units have developed a lot more people are now being scoped than ever. While this is a good thing on one hand, on another its not so good as it does raise the level of anxiety for some people. You do not meet the criteria for requiring a scope, either following the prodigy, sign or nice guidelines but your gp is organising this because the facilities are there and because you are anxious, this should make you feel a bit better and should help to reassure you, i am sure the most they will find will be some reflux which they will grade,depending on where you are will depend which grading system they will use, we use the los angeles grading which goes on A, B, C and D or they may find you have h pylori which is an infection (although your symptoms are not convincing of this). Im pretty sure your anxiety is what is causing the problem with your reflux and once you have been scoped and know you have nothing to worry about itwill be amazing how quickly your symptoms will lessen. Whenyou go for your endoscopy make sure you tell the nurse that you are anxious and that you would like sedation and dont want to see or hear anything going on when youare inthe scope room and she will pass this on, they deal with this more often than you can imagine. You will have to stop taking the lansoprazole at least 2 weeks prior to scope as it can interfere with test results but you will be informed of this by letter from scope unit. Im sure that your problem is just a bit of hypersensitivity caused by your anxiety.
hope this helps

Hello Reddevil !
Nell's reply is really comprehensive. I know you are feeling very anxious right now but just think how relieved you will be when its all over and everyhting is OK - and it WILL BE. Many of us have been through this procedure and we're all here rooting for you and sending happy vibes

Hey Reddevil

I just accompanied my mum to an endoscopy, and because i was a nurse and she was so anxious i stayed throughout the procedure.n This is very unusual, you usually wait until the sedation is effective and then leave.

The sedation they use as a first choice is called midazolam - it is a sedative and hypnotic drug, it causes you to forget the nasty bits of what is going on, but you can respond to voice commands. It is a short acting drug, so it gets out of your system very quickly after the procedure. But because of it's sedative and hypnotic properties they like someone to be with you for 24 hours. You are also not allowed to drive or operate machinery after the sedation (depending on your car insurance company for up to 48 hours, check with them if its 24 or 48hrs) or sign legal documents etc in case your judgement is impaired by the effects of the drug.

This doesn't mean that the effects actually last that long, you are usually fine within 6-8 hours, it's just a legal precaution because the drug is a mind altering drug.

You can usually remember little bits, like being told to do something but you can't remember the procedure in detail. You then stay in the recovery room for about an hour to hour and a half and then if you feel ok, they send you home.

Just make sure you have someone to drive you home or take a taxi.

Hope this helps

Freaky chick

Hi Red
I have had an endoscopy to look at my throat. It was under a local, up through the nose. I was given omeprazole but didn't get on with it. I am now taking ranitidine for heartburn! It is so linked with my stress levels and diet. When I am stressed I have heartburn as I eat the wrong thing and I don't digest my food properly! I am currently OK as I am on citalopram but hope to come off soon, so heartburn may be an issue again. I really hope all goes well and please try not to worry. My mum has had heartburn for years and has not got an ulcer or tumour - it is quite common!

Hi, everyone! I'm new to this forum, but not new to either panic disorder or to endoscopies (EGD's). I've had probably 8 EGD's and 4 colonoscopies. I have significant anxiety issues and usually go into these procedures quite anxious. Fortunately, my gastroenterologist is phenomenal, and he always addresses my anxiety immediately.

I've never had an EGD that I wasn't put under for. In the beginning, I was put in twilight sleep, where you don't remember anything but are awake enough to respond to commands. Eventually, the doctor was no longer able to get me into twilight sleep, so they had to start using a heavier sedative.

I never remember anything when I wake up.

The only pain I have felt post endoscopy is in my throat- like something had gotten stuck in it. Otherwise, it was really not a big deal! Which is a good thing because I'm scheduled for another EGD and Sigmoidoscopy on July 29th.

Don't worry... (easier said than done...)

Take care!
drchic

i had this proecedure a few years ago and i was terrified of being sedated - i hate not being in control so i had it minus sedation and it wasn't nice but it i could deal with it - it only lasts less than a minute and once its over you can go instead of having to wait to come round.

i did burst back in the waiting room and say to my mum - errgh - that was awful in front of others waiting to go in! but if i had to have it done again i would still have it done without sedation - its one of those things that you build up to be going to be a terrible experience but its soon forgotten about. x

Hey,

I had an endoscopy..it was very odd. I was given pethadine>>> ( think that's how you spell it) once I had the drugs I couldn't give a damn what was happening... I may as well have been knocked out! I was fine afterwards.... I went for a big shop at Sainsburys!
They found I had IBS>which was ok because I understand what triggers the pain.
Hope this helps x

Wow everyone's being so positive about it! I've had an endoscopy, where I chose to be sedated (well it's kinda half sedated) I remember most of it but also feeling out of it that I didn't really respond to them telling me to swallow. I remember a lot of gagging, that horrible feeling of something being stuffing down your throat! Never again.

I chose not to be sedated because I wanted it done quickly, off and out!! It wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world but I'd have it done like that again. I work in the place where they do it, knew the person who carried it out and probably didn't want to make a fool of myself!! Ridiculous I know!! Honestly though, for anyone who's going to have an endoscopy don't worry about it too much. I believe with sedation you don't remember much after it.
Myra x