Endoscopy Test

 

Before I was properly diagnosed, I had to have an endoscopy test. It involves the patient swallowing a long tube with a camera at the end, so that the inside of the stomach can be inspected.

 

Was I panicking? Yes. My wife was with me, and we were sitting in the waiting room with the sweat dripping off my forehead, and my hands shaking.

 

The nurse came round, and I held her hostage until she explained every aspect of the procedure and answered all my questions. (I have always found that I crave information about everything.) I was offered a general anaesthetic of simply having the back of my throat frozen. I choose the latter option.

 

I calmed myself, closed my eyes, relaxed back into the chair and visualised the whole thing from start to finish.

 

Opening the door;

walking into the room and  lying down on the bed;

opening my mouth;

the doctor squirting the back of my throat to freeze it;

my throat going completely numb;

the long tube being picked up and dangled over me;

me, looking at it and thinking it wasn’t so big;

me, leaning my head back;

the doctor putting it in my mouth and being amazed at how easily I swallowed it, without any gagging or discomfort;

me, breathing very deeply as the nurse recommended;

me, feeling absolutely no pain;

the doctor eventually pulling it out;

the doctor congratulating me on being the best patient he had ever had.

At the end of ten minutes, I was looking forward to it, and when the nurse did call me, I nearly sprinted into the room.

 

The outcome? Ok, he didn’t congratulate me, but I had no problems, it went just like I visualised, and I would do it again, without any problem.

 

The only small problem is wind afterwards, as they put some into you to expand the cavity. It’s not painful, but you will pass a lot of it from both ends when the examination is over, so be prepared, and try not to be embarrassed.

 

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