Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Endoscopy Without General Anesthetic?


kimchi

Recommended Posts

kimchi Newbie

Hi everyone

I am new to the board and wending my way through the celiac-testing-muddle. I am having the endoscopy late this afternoon and am debating whether or not to be 'knocked out' for it... I don't like how it feels to come out of anesthetic, but I'm worried this might be a painful thing to be 'awake' for. Have any of you had endoscopy without being knocked out??

Kim


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



penguin Community Regular

The only thing they used for me was Versed, which is a amnesic drug. You're awake for it, but you don't remember it. They also used a topical anesthetic of some kind that I had to swallow. It was fine for me, and I didn't even have an IV.

Make sure you have someone to drive you home either way, though.

jerseyangel Proficient

Hi Kim--welcome!! I was "out" for mine. I woke up feeling rested, not groggy, and ready to go home very soon after. The next time I have a procedure like that done, I will definately do the same. It was not the same reaction I had to the true general anesthetic I had for a surgery previously. That is a bit more difficult to come out of. Best of luck today :)

mmaccartney Explorer

Be knocked out. The endoscopy was not fun, I woke up twice during it, and it was terrible. I felt like I was choking due to the tube in my throat. My instinctual reaction was to try to "cough it up" and that just got the med staff yelling at me to "swallow, swallow" then I heard the doc mention something about more anestesia, and I was back out again....

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular

I've had 2 upper endoscopies without anesthesia (except for a topical spray for my throat). It's not pleasant, but it's not painful, and it's actually really cool to see your esophagus and stomach on the TV monitor. It's also quite fast--5-10 minutes tops.

Be sure they spray your throat really well, as that really helps deaden the gag reflex. They sprayed my throat twice. Practice relaxation exercises--you need to be able to relax your tummy muscles and the back of your throat (the epiglottis thing) on command.

I brought a celiac disease player and headphones to give me something else to concentrate on, but seeing the TV monitor was very interesting and distracting. The nurse kept telling me to relax, swallow, etc, which did help (she didn't scream at me, and she held my hand).

The second time was easier than the first, as I was prepared for my gag reflex (I have a horrendously strong gag reflex, always did). My doctor was cool about it, and told me in advance that as long as I didn't mind gagging a little here and there, she didn't either!

I've been on Versed (for resetting a dislocated shoulder, and also in labor)--I'm not sure that I agree that it's amnesiac, as it wasn't the least amnesiac for me, but it definitely knocked me out--my husband said I was snoring.

However you do it, good luck!

CarlaB Enthusiast

I did not have a general anesthesia. I think they called it conscience sedation? It was fine and I don't remember a thing.

kimchi Newbie

Hi all

Thank you all for your quick responses! I opted to go without sedation, and it was ok. I figured if I could do drug-free childbirth 3 times, this couldn't be so bad... So they did spray the back of my throat with that local anesthetic stuff, and then it was just the 4-5 minutes of 'yuck'. I'd say it was 'deeply unpleasant', but not painful. It was all done pretty fast, and then I was totally alert to ask the doc all the questions I had brought. Whew - glad it's done. Now it's just the gluten-free-diet-forever thing...

Cheers,

Kim


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



flagbabyds Collaborator

wow you are brave, i would say no the instant they said if i wanted to have it w/out anesthesia. I hate the gagging reflux sooooooooooooooooooooo much, i can't even do the step tests they have at the doctor.

Glad you went through with it and didn't mind.

jerseyangel Proficient

Kim--You are a braver woman than I!! Glad to know all went well :D

Fiddle-Faddle Community Regular
I brought a celiac disease player and headphones to give me something else to concentrate on, but seeing

Oh, is that funny--I forgot that this board automatically abbreviates Initial-C Initial-D as celiac disease!

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,130
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Tony White
    Newest Member
    Tony White
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @rei.b,  I understand how frustrating starting a new way of eating can be.  I tried all sorts of gluten-free processed foods and just kept feeling worse.  My health didn't improve until I started the low histamine AIP diet.  It makes a big difference.   Gluten fits into opioid receptors in our bodies.  So, removing gluten can cause withdrawal symptoms and reveals the underlying discomfort.  SIBO can cause digestive symptoms.  SIBO can prevent vitamins from being absorbed by the intestines.  Thiamine insufficiency causes Gastrointestinal Beriberi (bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation).  Thiamine is the B vitamin that runs out first because it can only be stored for two weeks.  We need more thiamine when we're sick or under emotional stress.  Gastric Beriberi is under recognised by doctors.  An Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test is more accurate than a blood test for thiamine deficiency, but the best way to see if you're low in thiamine is to take it and look for health improvement.  Don't take Thiamine Mononitrate because the body can't utilize it well.  Try Benfotiamine.  Thiamine is water soluble, nontoxic and safe even at high doses.  I thought it was crazy, too, but simple vitamins and minerals are important.  The eight B vitamins work together, so a B Complex, Benfotiamine,  magnesium and Vitamin D really helped get my body to start healing, along with the AIP diet.  Once you heal, you add foods back in, so the AIP diet is worth doing for a few months. I do hope you'll consider the AIP diet and Benfotiamine.
    • captaincrab55
      Imemsm, Most of us have experienced discontinued, not currently available or products that suddenly become seasonal.   My biggest fear about relocating from Maryland to Florida 5 years ago, was being able to find gluten-free foods that fit my restricted diet.  I soon found out that the Win Dixie and Publix supper markets actually has 99% of their gluten-free foods tagged, next to the price.  The gluten-free tags opened up a  lot of foods that aren't actually marked gluten-free by the manufacture.  Now I only need to check for my other dietary restrictions.  Where my son lives in New Hartford, New York there's a Hannaford Supermarket that also has a gluten-free tag next to the price tag.  Hopefully you can locate a Supermarket within a reasonable travel distance that you can learn what foods to check out at a Supermarket close to you.  I have dermatitis herpetiformis too and I'm very sensitive to gluten and the three stores I named were very gluten-free friendly.  Good Luck 
    • rei.b
      Okay well the info about TTG-A actually makes a lot of sense and I wish the PA had explained that to me. But yes, I would assume I would have intestinal damage from eating a lot of gluten for 32 years while having all these symptoms. As far as avoiding gluten foods - I was definitely not doing that. Bread, pasta, quesadillas (with flour tortillas) and crackers are my 4 favorite foods and I ate at least one of those things multiple times a day e.g. breakfast with eggs and toast, a cheese quesadilla for lunch, and pasta for dinner, and crackers and cheese as a before bed snack. I'm not even kidding.  I'm not really big on sugar, so I don't really do sweets. I don't have any of those conditions.  I am not sure if I have the genes or not. When the geneticist did my genetic testing for EDS this year, I didn't think to ask for him to request the celiac genes so they didn't test for them, unfortunately.  I guess another expectation I had is  that if gluten was the issue, the gluten-free diet would make me feel better, and I'm 3 months in and that hasn't been the case. I am being very careful and reading every label because I didn't want to screw this up and have to do gluten-free for longer than necessary if I end up not having celiac. I'm literally checking everything, even tea and anything else prepacked like caramel dip. Honestly its making me anxious 😅
    • knitty kitty
      So you're saying that you think you should have severe intestinal damage since you've had the symptoms so long?   DGP IgG antibodies are produced in response to a partial gluten molecule.  This is different than what tissue transglutaminase antibodies are  produced in response to.   TTg IgA antibodies are produced in the intestines in response to gluten.  The tTg IgA antibodies attack our own cells because a structural component in our cell membranes resembles a part of gluten.  There's a correlation between the level of intestinal damage with the level of tTg antibodies produced.  You are not producing a high number of tTg IgA antibodies, so your level of tissue damage in your intestines is not very bad.  Be thankful.   There may be reasons why you are not producing a high quantity of tTg IgA antibodies.  Consuming ten grams or more of gluten a day for two weeks to two months before blood tests are done is required to get sufficient antibody production and damage to the intestines.  Some undiagnosed people tend to subconsciously avoid lots of gluten.  Cookies and cakes do not contain as much gluten as artisan breads and thick chewy pizza crust.  Anemia, diabetes and thiamine deficiency can affect IgA antibody production as well.   Do you carry genes for Celiac?  They frequently go along with EDS.
    • rei.b
      I was tested for celiac at the same time, so I wasn't taking naltrexone yet. I say that, because I don't. The endoscopy showed some mild inflammation but was inconclusive as to celiac disease. They took several biopsies and that's all that was shown. I was not given a Marsh score.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.