Very anxious waiting for endoscopy diagnosis

[Emjean]

Hi this isn't necessarily helpful but I need to vent too! 

I'm 17 and from the UK also and extremely anxious about most things especially hypochondria and emetaphobia .

I recently , very reluctantly had a blood test as I've been having nausea in the morning and instantly needing to poo which would get better in the day , dizziness, lower back ache ,9brain fog , insomnia, stomach cramps all the time ect...list goes on and my result came back as something like 25 I think so I have been referred for an endoscopy but I'm on a waiting list thst takes months to a year .

This doesn't help the fact I'm extremely anxious and worry about my health all the time and I have decided to go gluten free until prior to it. I've just been free for about a week now and am already starting to feel better my nausea has gone down a lot my back aches and a few other things but not all symptoms of course . 

I'm also very very anxious about an endoscopy and the waiting list doesn't help .

I was wandering is the best way about it mild sedation as I'm to afraid of general anesthetic making me feel or be sick. 

I'm so sorry for the rant !

[cristiana]

Hello Emjean and welcome to the forum

I'm a British coeliac and I can imagine the waiting times for an endoscopy must be pretty long at the moment.  

I'm afraid you will need to go back to eating gluten prior to the endoscopy.   

You could give it up for a while and then go back to it, but something to bear in mind: some people do find that if they give it up completely, they get a worse reaction when they go back to it, so you may wish to just eat less for the time being and ramp up the consumption prior to the test.

In the UK most private clinics and some NHS settings will offer mild sedation.  I tried without it once (I've had three endoscopies) but I had the sedation in the end, and would always have one now.  I feel instantly relaxed once the sedation  has been administered and for some hours after the endoscopy.  It's like waking after a lovely sleep - my gastroenterolgist refers to it as having too much to drink without the hangover, but I have to take his word for it as I have never liked the taste of alcohol so have never experienced that!

Cristiana

[Emjean]

1 minute ago, cristiana said:

Hello Emjean and welcome to the forum

I'm a British coeliac and I can imagine the waiting times for an endoscopy must be pretty long at the moment.  

I'm afraid you will need to go back to eating gluten prior to the endoscopy.   

You could give it up for a while and then go back to it, but something to bear in mind: some people do find that if they give it up completely, they get a worse reaction when they go back to it, so you may wish to just eat less for the time being and ramp up the consumption prior to the test.

In the UK most private clinics and some NHS settings will offer mild sedation.  I tried without it once (I've had three endoscopies) but I had the sedation in the end, and would always have one now.  I feel instantly relaxed once the sedation  has been administered and for some hours after the endoscopy.  It's like waking after a lovely sleep - my gastroenterolgist refers to it as having too much to drink without the hangover, but I have to take his word for it as I have never liked the taste of alcohol so have never experienced that!

Cristiana

That's quite funny ! Thank you for such a quick reply I really appreciate it , one question is would I also need more than one endoscopy ? I just want to have one done , know the results and for it to be out the way. 

Once again thank you

 

Emily 

[trents]

4 minutes ago, Emjean said:

That's quite funny ! Thank you for such a quick reply I really appreciate it , one question is would I also need more than one endoscopy ? I just want to have one done , know the results and for it to be out the way. 

Once again thank you

 

Emily 

Usually just one if the biopsy is done correctly. You may want to have another one done 1-3 years down the road after going gluten free to check for healing progress in the small bowel lining which can take up to two years to be complete. It's okay to go gluten free up until a few weeks before the scope but then you will need to start consuming an amount of gluten equivalent to two slices of wheat bread daily in order for the scoping/biopsy to be valid. At least two weeks before the scoping you will need to be back on gluten.

Edited December 14, 2021 by trents

[Emjean]

Just now, trents said:

Usually just one if the biopsy is done correctly. You may want to have another one done 1-3 years down the road after going gluten free to check for healing progress in the small bowel lining which can take up to two years.

Thank you so much , it makes sense 

[trents]

1 minute ago, Emjean said:

Thank you so much , it makes sense 

Read my last post again. I edited and added some.

[cristiana]

1 minute ago, Emjean said:

Thank you so much , it makes sense 

Yes... sorry, I had to have a scope for reasons other than coeliac disease - don't worry!  Coeliac friends who were diagnosed the same time as me have never had more than the one! 

[Emjean]

Just now, trents said:

Read my last post again. I edited and added some.

Thank you

Just now, cristiana said:

Yes... sorry, I had to have a scope for reasons other than coeliac disease - don't worry!  Coeliac friends who were diagnosed the same time as me have never had more than the one! 

No need to apologise ! I need all the reassurance haha thank you , haply holidays if you celebrate 🎄

[cristiana]

Thank you.  I love Christmas but Omicron has put paid to our Christmas Dinner plans with wider family already.  We're not sure where things are going with this locally but being a hypochondriacal pessimist, I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Thankfully there is a lovely outdoor Christmas event nearby which hopefully is slightly lower risk, we're hoping to do that on Boxing Day instead!

[Emjean]

6 minutes ago, cristiana said:

Thank you.  I love Christmas but Omicron has put paid to our Christmas Dinner plans with wider family already.  We're not sure where things are going with this locally but being a hypochondriacal pessimist, I prefer to err on the side of caution.  Thankfully there is a lovely outdoor Christmas event nearby which hopefully is slightly lower risk, we're hoping to do that on Boxing Day instead!

Yes it's not the best we probably won't be able to see my grandparents or other members now , enjoy the event !

[cristiana]

Thanks Emjean, Happy Christmas to you too.  Let's hope Omicron is milder as some experts seem to be suggesting!

[Emjean]

3 minutes ago, cristiana said:

Thanks Emjean, Happy Christmas to you too.  Let's hope Omicron is milder as some experts seem to be suggesting!

Fingers crossed 🤞