Dear all,

I thought I would  share with you my Gastroscopy experince.  I read the threads on this site before my visit and I felt they helped me alot so I thought I would try to help others in return. I decided to get spray and sedation. You get no medals for being distressed by just using the spray!

Now I was quite nervous of choking and gagging. Also, of damage to dental work (veneers).

The staff at my endoscopy day ward were fantastic.from start to end. If you explain your concerns they will help you. The worst part for me was the canula because I have raynuald's and my veins disappear. But it's very important they put it in your vein properly or you wont get the effect of sedation. So the doctor had to do mine in the theatre rather than the nurse. No biggie. 

The doctor was lovely. She was so calm and reassuring. The nurses in theatre were fab and the student nurse let me hold her hand all the way through. I may have squeezed hard for some reason. She was so lovely to let me.

So you get the banana spray first to numb your throat. It's not bad tasting. It's no worse than dental injections that numb your mouth. Now you can swallow still. You just think you cant because you are numb. Just just force yourself to swallow and you will. 

Next they lie you in your left side and they make you have your face fully turned left in the pillow. They then put the mouth guard in. This feels weird at first but again dentist ones are much worse. Just put your teeth around the tube bit. I then had oxygen put up my nose to help me breathe.

The sedation was then injected and you feel a bit stoned and relaxed. You know what's going on but you have no panic. They insert the camera which is a bit bigger than a pencil. You CAN breathe! Both through your mouth and nose. It does NOT go down your windpipe. So breathe as normal. You are asked to swallow. So force yourself to do a big swallow and it goes past your throat and you may slightly gag but that's it it's in! Yes I felt the biopsy nip a bit but you dont really care! I did one little burp.

Once it's out i was given my results by the doctor. My clo was positive and I had mild gastritis. So i got 2 lots of  antibiotics (non penicillin based) and meds for the acid.  Once you sit in recovery for an hour and have tea and biscuits you are good to go. I can remember quite a bit of my procedure but not all of it. I came out with tissues in my hand....I have no idea how I got them.

Now this  is the important bit. Aftercare. As I write this I'm not very well from indesgtion and trapped wind from the air pumped into my tummy. This should ease over 24 hours. Also, sedation. It is vital you have someone with you for 24 hours. I felt fairly ok when I left hospital. Yes a bit dizzy but ok. The nurse on admissions and discharge was very clear about someone being with me for 24 hours. That i could not drive for 24 hours, go to work, cook, do anything involving skill, walk up stairs alone etc. She said it will hit you repeatedly over next 24 hours even though you think you are fine.  As I felt ok I thought this was an exaggeration. It isnt. 3.5 hours after discharge I go to loo only to have 2 funny turns and nearly keel over in my downstairs loo and have to get my husband to get me out of the loo and get my up the stairs and into bed where i write this. Its hit me like a ton of bricks. It's like being very dizzy and drunk from legs up. I still feel unwell from it and feel very dizzy. So please take this part very seriously. 

The procedure is not as bad as you think and I sure by tomorrow afternoon I will feel much better.