endoscopy/colonoscopy

[watteee]

Hi everyone,im new to the site but i registered after reading how helpfull it looked.
looking for advice on my problem,about 6 weeks ago i was feeling weak and generally unwell,i never go to the doctor but i went and after blood tests they said i was anaemic,so after 6 weeks ive to go for my endoscopy and colonoscopy in the one visit,i dont know what im more scared of, the procedures or what they wil find,i didnt notice any blood when going to the loo neither did i vomit blood or experience any pain,ive been on stomach acid reducing pills for 10 years due to heartburn so the doctor reckons my anaemia has resulted from a bleed somewhere in my guts,since being told i was anaemic i started to feel better and my blood has improved but they need to check it out,the last 2 weeks ive been weak and dizzy and all i can think about is what i have wrong with me,ive totally convinced myself that my number is up,for instance i thought i had stomach cancer and since the letter came through and i found out i was getting a colonoscopy too ive convinced myself i have bowel cancer and thats why im getting that done,ive been told by the GP that im very young (38) and its very rare in my age group to have what i think i might have,they did loads and loads of blood tests they checked for everything she told me and all that came back was low red blood cells and low iron meaning ive lost blood,i go in on wednesday for the morning and to be honest in a strange way im looking forward to getting told that im going to be ok but when i imagine the flip side of the coin that it might be serious i go into a panic...please help

[countrygirl]

You don't say if you are male or female but if female then if you have heavy periods this can cause anaemia but then again this is not appropriate if you are male

I have had both proceedures and the worst bit is the prep for the colonsocopy the day before - its not pleasant and make sure you have some vaseline and lots of loo roll and don't whatever you do move far from a toilet! i found that the proceedures themselves with lots of sedation ( I insist on this) was nothing- over with before I knew it.

The chances of it being anything sinister are very very slim at your age and thankfully you don't have to wait long.

Let us know how you get on.

[watteee]

im male,38,ive no pain before or since blood tests.

[watteee]

and no vomiting or loss of appetite and no weight loss either,just dizziness and weak sometimes but i think thats the worry because worry can do you in big time.

[countrygirl]

At least being male rules out one thing causing aneamia!

Are they checking you for caeliac disease at same time as endoscopy as that can be a cause of aneamia in men ( gluten allergy if you don't know what it is). I have a male friend who had anaemia and he tested positive for this - they take a small biopsy at same time as looking at your stomach so assume they will do this. Your Dr can also test for it with a blood test which needs confirming with a biopsy. Worth asking about this before you have the test but sure they are already thinking of this.

YOur Gp sounds as if they are being very thorough and once you are through the tests at least you will know they have ruled out anything nasty.

As I said worse bit is the prep but its only one day of your life.

Good luck and keep us informed

[davey]

worry very nearly destroyed me, after lots of cbt i figured worry was causing me really bad stomach cramps-I had an endoscopy and I was petrified, I wasn't sedated because I have a fear of medication and to be honest it was fine, a little uncomfortable obviously but not painful, I wouldnt drive yourself there though as I was on the loo quite often afterwards. At a guess I would think these procedures are being done just to have a look see if there is any blood loss from the intestines etc or for any infections there rather than for cancer, however once its done you can be happy in the knowledge that your all clear regarding that. Try not to worry I promise its not too bad a procedure and I hope all goes well for you. Keep us updated

[uk23]

Ive had an endoscopy and its not painful and they mostly offer diazpam if you need it. It took about 5 minutes and then they let me rest for 25. After a while they gave me my results then and there. If you would like to talk feel free to message.

[watteee]

just an update...i got my endoscopy/colonoscopy today and to honest the colonoscopy wasnt at all bad,the klean prep before was the worst bit and im still having some gary glitters,the endoscopy was quite bad although it only lasted about 2-3 minutes,i had sedation but i think it was useless as i was fully awake through it all,the results were clear,no ulcers,nothing sinister found,just 3 polyps removed from my bowel so its still a mystery to what caused my anaemia so thats worried me in a strange way,the doc did take a sample of my small bowel he said something about my body not absorbing iron so i think thats why he took that sample (celiac).anyway the worry was not worth it,the tests were fairly easy,anyone going for any of these tests should not worry,im the worlds worst for worrying and i feel silly for acting like a baby.