Due to my low iron readings, my gp has initiated an endoscopy. It's come through really quickly- next week! As I'm on omeprazole, I thought I'd be able to push it out into the atmosphere 😆Unfortunately, they've just rung me and said I can simply not take it that particular morning - damn and blast! "But I also have a nodule in my throat..." that'll get me out of it - me thinks? "And I gag when anything goes down my nose, throat etc..."
"That's fine, we can put you under a light sedation " I've run out of excuses now...so next Friday it is then 😭
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Moomin8
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Oh poor you! I have never undergone one of those and would dread it like you. But I hear its not so bad with sedation. You gotta have it to make sure nothing is going on that needs treating. I recall needing a colonoscopy and it scared the shit out of me (joke). But I gritted my teeth and it was not as bad as I had expected. I hope it goes well!
I had sedation when I had a tooth out-I didn't feel or recall a thing! I think I was a cause for ridicule and hilarity afterwards though as one comes out as if a little inebriated lol 😂
I would definitely go with sedation. You may have to stay in the department longer but if you gag a lot you do need something. I would have sedation next time after going without the first time. Good luck and often the thought is much worse than the actual procedure. Farm
Sedation is the way to go. I had it with just the throat spray and retched and gagged the whole way through. I had sedation for a colonoscopy ( the other end!) and vaguely remember a few parts that were uncomfortable but that's all. Now I would,have sedation for anything like that. Clemmie
Actually thinking back there was one slightly embarrassing moment, before the sedation 'kicked in' I remember (vividly now I think about it) lying on my front with one of 'those' hospital gowns on and having it pulled up to expose my bottom 😬
I felt rather silly, then I woke up. 😀
Seriously, it's not that bad, particularly if it's going down instead of up. 😀
I haven't had this procedure done and if I was having it I am sure I would be just as apprehensive as you.
It sounds like the guys on the site recommend sedation ,so go with it.Perhaps the thought of this procedure is worse than the actual deed.As Cathy says you have got to have it done to rule out anything more sinister.
Sedation makes endoscopies a breeze. I've had them done both ways - with and without, and I'd always now go for sedation. I've come to from being sedated almost not being aware anything had been done.
I had to have an endoscopy a few years ago. I have never been so terrified in my life, I was shaking and in tears despite having been told I'd have light sedation. The staff were so kind and understanding, gave me the sedation and gently put a mouthpiece of some sort in then . . .I was out, I knew nothing until it was all over!
Seriously, after my terror, it was no worse than any other procedure and absolutely fine.
Thanks- Mike, I can assure you, there ain't any action I need to see there lol... mind you, I can't even stay awake during a film so maybe they could save the new money on the sedation and show me the 'film!' 😇
Don't worry about the endoscopy. I have had 3, 2 up and 1 down (no it isn't a crossword clue.) I had sedation for all of them and I honestly didn't feel a thing even though I apparently talked to the staff all the way through them, I don't remember any of it. Some people say they can remember things some time later but I never have. Good luck.
Just remembered another 'plus point' of an gastroscopy vs colonoscopy - you don't have to 'prep'. Google picolax effects. 😳😬 (pro tip - don't do an image search) 😎
Leaving the toilet 🚽 humour aside for a moment, when you say low iron readings, do you literally mean iron or haemoglobin?
I had a gastroscopy due to low Hb readings i.e. anaemia) and was told 'young men don't get anaemic unless blah blah'. I obviously went home and googled anaemia and scared the sweet picolax out of myself.
Turns out it's actually very common in autoimmune disease and once they'd ruled out anything sinister (a very worrying time, particularly when told they suspected gastric lymphoma) kind of said meh, go see a rheumy (this was back when it all kicked off).
So it's good they are checking, but try not to worry too much (I know it's easy to say), they'll probably end up scratching heads and concluding it's due to chronic inflammation or suchlike.
Who knows what the main cause is....my ESR / CRP have been 'in range' for a few years, I've been slightly anaemic for a few more years and I'm permanently knackered. 😬
With raised markers as well as low Hb it will be much worse.
Can't speak for Moomin8, but I've been on Adcal D3 for longer than I care to remember (point noted regarding gut absorption) and get plenty of outdoor Vit d (which I assume bypasses the gut issue), along with having fairly recently started (with the docs knowledge 😉) supplementing B12 sublingually with trimethylglycine, methylcobalamin (if memory serves) and potassium chelate. Think that's the b12 base covered.
The anaemia, which is only slight, doesn't respond to iron supplements and so idk what to do about that (apart from the gut thingy 😀). Eat some ball bearings maybe? (don't try that at home kids)
And still no energy....😴
Apart from after going to the gym, which really does help. But I can't do it everyday else the energy to get there in the first place coupled with the constant aching, nagging pain from various sources and causes ' 'do me in'.
Have you had your b12 levels checked at all? From the little I understand of it oral b12 (as Kai says above) may not work as we may have absorption problems. And even if we absorb it into our blood we can still have problems methylating - which as I understand basically means transferring it from the blood (which carries it around the body) into our cells where it is actually needed, hence a simple blood test not always being enough to show the tue picture.
I enquired about getting tested last time I saw GP but he said that he thought it unlikely I was deficient as my red blood cell size (from the last time I'd had a FBC) was normal and in deficient people they're usually too small (or too big, I forget).
So I told him I was going to supplement anyway, as it is water soluble we can't have too much b12, so apart from a few quid I had nothing to lose, and have a number of risk factors for deficiency (autoimmune, dad's got pernicious anaemia, and others).
Anyway enough waffling, must go get some more Vit d while it lasts. 😎
Potassium chelate as this in particular gets depleted when supplementing b12 I understand, I did read something about magnesium but haven't got round to it yet and I'm sure there are plenty others I could ingest too. More reading required 🤓
Have been eating lots of leafy greens in salad form (have always eaten salad but have replaced things like bread with salad at mealtime also now).
And kale by the bagful. Mainly in smoothies but also with meals.
I'm thinking the 'other end' has been most affected by cutting out dairy completely. No more whey, or any other dairy. Not even the odd cheeky bar of chocolate. Or cheese. 😰😨😱
Affected in a positive way I hasten to add. And I haven't yet made the final push (if you'll forgive the expression) and gone totally meat free.
Oh gluten largely out too.
And nightshade.
And processed food.
And I'm working on coffee (cold turkey proved more problematic that I had anticipated 😱).
And white rice (just black - highly recommend it too).
But if the 'big brains' are correct then as our intestinal lining renews without the stresses of all those 'inflammatory' foods, then eventually....
Hopefully.
Or maybe those that don't respond are the few that don't have 'leaky gut' as the trigger? Maybe there are other factors still causing intestinal permeability (chronic low-grade stress?).
Maybe the unlucky few need to remove themselves from the stressful environment they are in (bye kids 😀) before healing can occur?
Or at least learn new techniques for dealing with the stress. 🙏🏻🙈🙉🙊🌾🌲🌳🌴🌳🏊🏻🏋🏻🏝🔫📴
I was amazed the effect cutting out coffee had in so short a space of time. I decided to just stop, missed the usual strong 'real' coffee in the morning, by lunchtime I was dealing with what I thought was the start of my first ever migraine. Pounding headache, shivering slightly, massively fatigued (fell asleep which I try really hard not to do in the day) and woke up feeling the same.
Looked up caffeine withdrawal - bingo.
Had coffee, felt OK.
Couldn't believe how sudden and how bad I felt, it's not like I drank 20 redbull's a day (like some do😳), just one, maybe 2 strong coffees.
Have now reduced morning coffee in strength by 2/3 and cut out daytime coffee.
Mostly decaff is made by removing the caffeine with chemicals. There is a school of thought that this leaves residual traces of said chems in the end product and they aren't too great for you.
Besides I like strong, sweet coffee and I'm trying to cut out added sugar. Id rather not bother than drink it without sugar (and caffeine for that matter).
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endoscopy 
Update omeprazole versus Famotodine 
Still no diagnosis 
