upper endoscopy question

[bjfoste1]

What parts of the body do they actually check during this procedure? I know they check the esophogus and stomach but does it check any organs like the pancreas/ gallbladder? I am having this done in about a week due to upper left sided abdominal pain and swelling/full feeling. I have had a cat scan that showed up with nothing... Any info is great thanks.

[patient915]

Those two things are looking at completely different things so there is no comparing them.

[bjfoste1]

MRI of the abdomen is better than an endoscopy?

[patient915]

It is rare rare rare that a CT and endoscopy wouldn't show anything but an MRI would.  Did your friend really have a normal CT but then the MRI revealed the tumor?

[bren2722]

You should just get an mri of your whole abdomen area. I had similar symptoms as you and they checked every single organ and abdomen thru mri and ultrasounds and found nothing..I have a friend who always complained of pain in his stomach they did an upper endoscopy 2 years ago and doc said he was fine ....two years later they find a malignant mass in his stomach that supposedly has been there for too long so his chances of survival are slim.  I strongly believe that if one doc is says u r ok you should always seek more than one opinion.

[patient915]

If you haven't had an endoscopy through all of this, then it sounds like this may be a good idea.

[bjfoste1]

the pain before the last two months was never that bad, I always thought i had a hernia because I was lifting heavy weights and a little pain would always onset.

[bjfoste1]

Ok I had this pain chronically in my abdomen muscle for the last couple years. Strangely, I know I should have explained that before and have had like 3 cat scans and an ultra sound over those two years. The doctor always thought it was a chronic muscle strain until recently with in the last two months i have noticed a very full feeling in the stomach area and a lot of pressure up against my ribs. It almost feels like there is a small balloon in that spot or something... Its so hard to describe. Sometimes the pain shoots down my low ribs. So now an upper endoscopy is what they have referred me to do? And no weird bowel movements that I have noticed.

[patient915]

How long have you had this pain?  A spleen rarely has problems to begin with, and a CT will rule out any spleen problems 99% of the time.  Your doctor isn't looking at your colon probably because you aren't having changes in your bowel movements (I assume).  It is rare to have colon problems without having changes to your bowel movements.  Left upper abdominal pain could be so many things.  It might be something simple like gastritis which is very common and which an endoscopy will show.

[bjfoste1]

I know your not a doctor patient915 but why would my dr. not look in the colon if that where that left sided pain is located...

[bjfoste1]

a cat scan would rule out spleen problems ?

[bjfoste1]

hmm im skeptical on him even finding anything now...

[patient915]

In that area is your spleen and colon (which usually don't cause pain), so your doctor is probably just looking for general problems with the endoscopy.

[bjfoste1]

so upper left abdominal and low rib pain is associated with the stomach and upper small intestine im guessing ? thanks for your help...!

[patient915]

If your doctor thinks you are having problems with your gallbladder, they can do an untrasound or a HIDA scan.  If your doctor thinks you are having problems with your liver or pancreas, they can do bloodwork to check for these things.  If the doctor thinks you are having problems with your esophagus, stomach, upper small intestine, they can do an upper endoscopy.  If the doctor thinks you are having problems with your rectum, large intestine, lower small intestine, they can do a colonoscopy.  A CT scan of the abdomen also looks at many of these organs and other organs too (like the appendix).

[bjfoste1]

I am concerned that I am not gonna get every part that needs to be checked, checked. I feel abdominal swelling/fullness and pain around the lower left ribs ... i know that could be a million different  things but were trying to rule out everything before claiming it is nuero muscular...

[bjfoste1]

if i was telling the doctor i had left upper abdomen pain right below the ribs and through the ribs why would he order just an upper endonscopy, with out checking those organs out? We did have a cat scan that showed nothing , but I know that just shows more soft tissue problems...any info would be appreciated...

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  An upper endoscopy look at the esophagus, stomach, and the first part of the small intestine.  It doesn't look at any other organs.