Good, I'm glad everything went well!
I had the procedure done on Friday and everything is fine. I had some mild stomach discomfort on Sat probably from the biopsies but other than that I was fine. I hope everyone is doing well. Thanks for the support.
Propofol (otherwise known as general anesthesia) is a lot more dangerous and has many more risks that versed/fentanyl and other sedation medications. If they use propofol, they will usually need to intubate you which means a tube will be put down your throat and it will breathe for you. I assume newpatient2011 is one of the few people that had a bad experience with versed/fentanyl, but this is not the norm and I truly recommend against propofol for something simple like an endoscopy.
Try to get propofol for sedation rather than the usual crappy mix of Versed./fentanyl...............this often causes significant distress (it doesn;t work) then the patient gets sent home in a daze to experience nightmares/PTSD....
Thank you so much to all of you for answering me. I am a bit more relaxed now. I go this afternoon so I will let you know how it goes....
Thanks again!
I had it done twice.
The first time was back in 1998 where they just put me on the table stuck the tube in my throat, no pills, no liquids, just do it live while you are awake. I was choking/gagging the whole time, but survived.
Nowadays they numb you or sedate you, and it's very safe. I actually had an upper endoscopy done 3 weeks ago and don't remember a thing. After the procedure I remember bits and pieces but its really weird!
Anyway, the whole "procedure" takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes to 30-40 minutes and you are out the whole time. You shouldn't be nervous at all.
Hope all will be well! Good Luck!
Sorry, that posting was supposed to be directed to jul04, not leoshelby.
Endoscopies are very safe procedures. You will usually be given sedation (not general anesthesia) and most people don't remember any of the procedure at all. I've had many endoscopies and I have no memory from most of them. Some people have some mild reactions to the sedation such as dizzyness, hallucinations, fatigue, or just "feeling strange". These might last for the rest of the day but they are almost always mild and are gone by the next day. Make sure that you have someone to drive you home after the procedure and I'm sure you'll do fine!!!
Hey jul04,
I'm not a healthcare professional, but I had one done today myself and it was a piece of cake. I was given heavy sedation so I was asleep throughout the procedure, which lasted (I think!) about 45 minutes or so (give or take). I've been under anesthesia before, but this was much more pleasant after coming to.
Don't worry about it, you'll be fine!
leo