upper endoscopy june 11th...

[Tink]

well, i went to the GI specialist today for the probs i've been having since christmas because my regular doctor is at a loss. although i'm not usually comfortable with male doctors he was quite nice and talked to me for an hour about my past mental and physical history.
he did bloodwork for siliac (spelling?) disease, gave me some probiotics to try out, and scheduled an upper endoscopy (camera down throat into the belly) on june 11th.
thoughts-
never been under anesthesia before. i know many people have different reactions when they wake up..will be interesting to see, i guess?
also, got the whole speech how if they do see something wrong they will "fix it" right then and there while i'm under...meaning i might have some minor outpatient surgery and they can clamp, harden, remove, etc. anything they want.
that's a little unnerving. they have a lot of freedom to do what they want once they are in there, don't they?
they also gave me a long list of complications and possible procedures they might do to me if need be while i'm under...eek, not the most comforting reading material.
my OH will be there to give me a ride home as i should be out of it for the day and also they want someone to talk to after the procedure in case there are complications or special care needed.
if they don't find anything, they will go back in again on a later date to the gallbladder as he doesn't trust my ultrasound results on it because he said it doesn't truly show how it functions and even though gallstones are ruled out, someone with a sick gallbladder can very likely still have a normal ultrasound.
so...anyone have one of these? he gave me cub's scout honor he has a very good anesthesiologist. what does it feel like when you get anesthesia and you are falling asleep..is it scary..are you relaxed then you just wake up awhile later? i'm a control freak so the thought of being passed out and in someone's care is really unnerving.
thanx for listening to me vent.
tink

[angieh]

Hi Tink. It's very natural for you to be anxious and the really good thing is that you haven't got to wait that long for it all to be done.

You asked "what does it feel like when you get anesthesia and you are falling asleep..is it scary..are you relaxed then you just wake up awhile later?" In my experience, you are given a pre-med and then the anaesthetic and usually you are asked to count backwards from 10 - you don't count much before you're asleep and then you wake up and it's all over.

So, again in my experience, the anaesthetic is not scary and it's really best to TRY and be calm beforehand.

Great good luck to you Tink. Hope they can sort out your problems so that you'll feel much better.

[Mags]

Tink, it must sound all very daunting to you, especially if you've had no treatment like this before. Please try not to worry, the doctors are very good and know what they are doing

Angie has described the anaesthetic procedure perfectly........the pre med that you'll have beforehand will relax you completely and when you have the anaesthetic you will be asleep in no time........... you will wake up again after how ever long it takes and it will all be over and you won't have known anything about it.

You will be fine Tink, try not to worry too much - you will be back here telling us all about it before you know it!

Wishing you loads of luck for June... ((((hugs))))x

[Tink]

thanx, you guys. i've only had procedures with local anesthetic where i was totally awake so this is a whole new world to me..i've heard some people wake up emotional, some chatter and laugh, some vomit...i wonder what i'll do?

[Moli]

I have had the procedure twice Tink, do not remember anything about it, till I woke up back in my room....felt fine, went home the same day...Sure you will be fine....

[Mags]

You will be told not to eat anything after a certain time prior to the procedure........ make sure you don't then you will be less likely to vomit when you wake....

[Kim]

Good luck with the procedure Tink, although I am sure you will be fine. If you do have celiac disease, I am sure with the right diet you will be amazed with the difference. ((hugs))

[babycakes]

I have had this done three times now,
In my experience:
first time Ichose not to be sedated, it is very hard not gag second time I was told I was sedated but wasn't
Third time I was sedated, it was a very happy giggly experience, you are not completely under just given an anasethic so you forget what you have had done. This was the best option.
Here they will take a biopsy of your stomach lining but never perform any surgery as it's just an exploratory procedure, and I have a hiatus hernia. Thye usually check for over production of acid, issues with stomach lining, ulcers and hernias.
They will suggest approaches that suit you following.
If they find nothing they will then do other tests such as barium meals, gallstones etc.
My dad has coealliac disease. Avoid dairy at all costs this will cause you major discomfort.

[dandysmom]

I can completely understand your apprehension about the anaesthesia. When I was scheduled for my first cataract surgery I was terrified, as I've always had excellent health and had never had any surgical procedure since I was 5 and had a tonsillectomy which I can't remember. I was terribly uptight being wheeled in on the gurney, but the anaesthetic took over so quickly ... next thing I remembered was waking up, and feeling perfectly normal. I know what you mean about not being in control, it's not a nice feeling, but since it has to be done just resign yourself to it and it will be over. I didn't have any funny reactions at all to the anaesthesia. The hardest thing was not having anything to eat or drink from midnight on .....

[Tink]

well, tomorrow's the day..from 2pm to 3pm. i'm off food since midnight and no water after 10am in the morning...ugh. it's gonna be a yucky day