I'm afraid of having an endoscopy. What should I expect?

please someone help?

Hi Emma,
I wouldn't worry. I have had two endoscopic procedures and even though both were different, there was nothing worse than a sore throat afterwards.
The first one I had done 5 years ago in a private clinic in Spain, and for that , they knocked me out with general anaesthetic .
I woke up with the worst sore throat ever , so I was expecting that again when I went for one 2 weeks ago in DOha Qatar.
This was totally different. ! They put the needle in my hand and gave me a sedative and I was half awake for most of the procedure.
No sore throat either after.
It was a piece of cake.
I think having a general anaesthetic the doctors can be a bit rougher , so if I have to have one next time I will do it the twilight way.
They removed 3 polyps ( benign) and it showed I had duodenal erosion ( peptic ulcer) and gastric astral erosion.
I am glad I had it done. Don't be scared.

???

Hi. As far as I know, sedation is normal in the US. From what I have read people who have sedation have no pain and most sleep through or do not remember the procedure.
I elected to have mine (this morning) without sedation as I had to drive myself home.
It was not a painful experience. I had some numbing spray (it tasted of old bananas)and then laid on a bed on my left hand side. Swallowing felt a bit funny with no feeling in my throat, but it was OK. I had a plastic thing with a hole in it to hold with my front teeth. The surgeon put the endoscope in through the hole and although I could feel it a bit it was OK.
He looked at my upper tract and carried on to the stomach. That also was OK.
He did some manipulation to get to my duodenum and that pushed me in to gagging. I gagged about 8 times I guess and he took about the same amount of biopsies.
I felt bad while it was going on but as soon as the tube was out and I sat up I was fine again.
While it wasn't pleasant, the knowledge that I do not have a serious illness made it very worth while.
I could breathe through my mouth without any problem (don't ask me how that works...)
I am left a little sore if I think about it but am fine otherwise.
I very much hope yours is OK. Like I said, not pleasant, but it is all OK after and very much worth going through to check for serious problems.

Good luck.
Jim, UK

I am a sedation nurse and bypass patient myself. I have had three endo procedures in the past. It all depends on the the doctors, the surgical center and you. I prefer to have prop idol for mine, but that requires an anesethesologist. It's a paralytic but you recover very quickly. The other common drugs are used in combinations to give you that old twilight feeling. Drugs like fentanyl and versed or Demerol and versed. These work and are used all over the country everyday, but they are harder and longer to recover from them. One is a pain medication and the other is a an antianxiety drug, in the Valium.