Endoscope On Thursday

[jomakamcki]

Hi everyone. So after 2 months of doctor visits, we are having our daughter scoped on Thursday. I'm still not convinced it will show celiac, but hopefully it will show something so we know whats going on. I've read so many different "symptoms" in children, and she only has a couple of them, so we will see! The GI is thinking celiacs because of low IgA, elevated (but not terribly high) inflammation markers, and high fat content in her stool. Plus a history of diarrhea and chronic stomach pain. Also some family history, but not immediate family...grandparents, great aunts and uncles, etc...

Is there anything I need to know before the scope? She is 4, and will have IV sedation but not general anesthesia. I know she can't eat/drink after midnight, but what about after? Will her throat be sore? How about her stomach where they take samples for the biopsy?

Also, does anyone know if we will be able to know anything right away, or if it will all depend on the biopsy results?

Thanks for you help!

[1974girl]

I am not going to be much help but I'll tell you my 2 kids experience and their 2 very different experiences. They were at the same hospital and same doctor. My youngest was scoped first. They gave her happy medicine to ease the separation anxiety as they wheeled her away. We had to video that. She was talking to the hospital curtains and waving at them. Oh. She was almost 8 at this point. She was trying to grab things out of the air and laughing. She woke up just fine and very hungry. She doesn't remember going into the restaurant and using the bathroom. She did fall in the bathroom because she was still drugged apparently so just watch her. No sore throat afterwards. We knew immediately that everything looked ok but it took a week for the biopsy to confirm it really was ok.

2nd daughter to be scoped was 11. She woke up crying and seriously that went on all day long. When she wasn't sleeping, she was crying. At 9:00 that night she was still crying. She had it done at 7 that morning! She also threw up in the cafeteria....lovely. Her throat didn't hurt either. She was just emotional which the nurse said was normal. Oh they had discharged her and we took her to the cafeteria to eat because I had another appointment with a nutritionist later. When she threw up, we rolled her back to the 3 rd floor and ask for phenagran. They said sorry she has been discharged. So no help even 30 min later. You might want to ask for that before you leave. Oh she looked fine celiac wise too but biopsy confirmed blunting. If I were you I'd ask for a specific number of biopsies and to make sure they get the duadenal bulb. It hides in there a lot. In fact it's the only place my dd celiac was found. We asked for several and He took 2 from 2 spots. That's really not enough but it did find it with my dd.

[AGH2010]

Our 2.5 yo was scoped 2 weeks ago. I was so nervous. But it went by so quickly and effortlessly. She never complained of any pain or soreness at all.

As far as celiac, you'll have to wait on the biopsy but our doctor did mention that overall things looked good so I think they can report on the general state.

Good luck! Hope it goes as smoothly as possible for you.

[Minette]

My daughter was 6 when she was scoped. She had general anesthesia. (I'm surprised your doc will do it with IV sedation -- ours won't.) Most of her discomfort afterwards was from being intubated, not from the scope itself, but I guess they still have to intubate to do the scope (right?), even if she's not under GA.

Anyway, she woke up grumpy, groggy, and said her throat hurt "a lot." She wasn't crying, but it took a good 20 minutes before she was willing to even speak. Meanwhile, I spoon-fed an orange slushy (the nurse said it was partially melted orange popsicle mixed with ginger ale).

They waited till she was pretty well awake (though still grumpy and groggy) and then wheeled her to the parking lot in a wheelchair, which she would have enjoyed if she hadn't been so grumpy. She was nearly silent the whole way home and for at least an hour afterwards, but then it was like the anesthesia just lifted and she started to talk and walk and be a lot more like herself.

She still said her throat hurt for most of the rest of the day, and didn't want to eat anything but popsicles and applesauce. She never mentioned that her stomach hurt, and the doctor said it was very unlikely. No nausea, thank goodness.

We had to wait for the biopsy results for an official diagnosis, but the doc said she could visually see lots of blunting, so there wasn't much doubt. (Her antibodies were very high and she had lots of GI symptoms, so we were expecting the celiac diagnosis anyway.)

[Mom-of-Two]

Every child responds differently to anesthesia and the procedure, it is very difficult to say how your child will respond.

My 7 year old had her scope done back in May and it was way harder on me than her! She wasn't even nervous which surprised us, but the people at Children's hospital were fabulous! Showed her everything, including the mask that she would breath in- even let her "flavor" the inside with chap stick of her choice that would be a smell as she breathed in, she thought that was fabulous!

When she came out, she was a teeny bit emotional and complained only once of a tummy ache, but never got sick or anything. About 45 minutes later, requested a popsicle and was very happy to have it, by then was pretty much her normal happy self. Sleepy on way home but ok spirits, rested when we got home and watched some tv, requested several snacks- to answer your question, she had a 2 egg omelet at dinner time (her procedure was 11am in the morning), slept fine and woke up ready for school, had another omelet, never had any complaints.

She never once complained of sore throat. I know some kids do.

We had ZERO problems, no issues whatsoever. Not being able to eat the morning of was the hardest on my big eater!

Good luck!

[jomakamcki]

Thanks you everyone for your replies! I'm still a little anxious, but mostly I am just excited to finally (hopefully) have some answers.