I have written this to describe my experiences in undergoing an endoscopy procedure and in hopes of alleviating any concerns or fears of anyone needing to have this done.

I am not very brave, when it comes to medically invasive procedures. In lay person's terms, my intentions are to describe what I thought and how I felt before, during and after the procedure. I have gone through this test twice; once many years ago and again in January of 1997. This is my experience; others may have had a different experience.

The two tests were significantly different due to much improvement over the years, especially in the patient's comfort. Depending on your doctor and on your capability of being anesthetized, this procedure, today, is easy as getting a haircut (well, not quite). It consists of the doctor inserting a tube down your throat and snaking it through your upper digestive system; esophagus, stomach and small intestines. There is a light at the end of the tube that allows the doctor to look for abnormalities and to take pictures. A smaller tube can be inserted into the lager tube for taking tissue samples and removing certain abnormalities.

The first time that I experienced this procedure, very little anesthetic was administered and I was completely aware of everything that was happening. The doctor had some difficulty and the procedure took about an hour and a half. There was absolutely no pain but it was extremely uncomfortable. I do not know about anyone else, but I gag relatively easily. It seemed as if I gagged for the entire time. As long as the tube was not being moved or was being withdrawn, I was OK but with every movement inward, I gagged. OK, I know that it does not sound pleasant so far, and I am losing credibility but please stay with me, it gets much better.

The procedure was so uncomfortable, that I vowed never to allow it again. Unfortunately in July of 1996 I began experiencing some internal problems. I had begun having stomach pains horizontally around the navel area. I had severe heartburn and was living on anti-acids. At first they helped but by November it seemed that nothing worked and I finally decided see a doctor. Of course you know I was procrastinating all the while, because in the back of my mind I knew what was coming; the DREADED ENDOSCOPY procedure.

My primary care physician sent me to a specialist. It started out innocuously with an upper GI, which is relatively easy; no pain or discomfort. The worst is not being able to eat or drink anything for 12 hours in advance and then having to drink the liquid chalk. According to the doctor, the test revealed that I had a "fold" -- whatever that meant. Then I heard those dreaded words. "I would like to do an ENDOSCOPY procedure to find out what's going on and possibly take a biopsy". GULP! He assured me that there would be no pain or discomfort. Ya, right!

In a very weak moment, I made an appointment for about two weeks, hence. Two weeks was a long way off. It gave me a lot of time to change my mind; and, of course, I really had no intentions of going through with this anyway. The closer I came to "BLACK" Tuesday, the more anxious I became. Considering my previous experience, I really could not bring myself to go through with this but I could not afford not to. The abdominal pains and heartburn were getting worse.

The Saturday immediately before the test, I decided that I would call the doctor's office on Monday and tell him that I could not go through with the test and was going to cancel. However, on Sunday the pain increased and I was very close to going to the Hospital emergency room. I received the support of my wife, daughter and sister, and they convinced me that I must have the test done; it was the only way. Once I reconciled myself to this fact, I became more relaxed and actually began to feel better. In fact, I even went to work on Monday.

So, there we were; Tuesday morning, 8:00am in the West Penn Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA. I walked up to register at the desk and told the receptionist why I was there. And, for some unknown reason, I told her that I had this same procedure done a number of years ago. She said, "Oh, this procedure is still pretty much the same." Great, that's just what I wanted to hear. She then said "please have a seat, until were ready for you." I sat down in the waiting area, with my wife, and remembered telling her that I was very nervous.

Exactly at 8:30am another hospital employee called my name. I got up and followed her. My doctor arrived at the same time; he stopped, shook my hand and said he would see me shortly. I followed the hospital employee down the hall and she took me into another waiting room. From there, she directed me to a dressing room, where I expected her to tell me to get naked. She only directed me to strip to the waist, leaving the rest of my clothes on, including my shoes. She also instructed me to put on one of the hospital gowns that I would find in the dressing room. She told me to come out and have a seat, whenever I was ready. I thought it very strange that she wanted me to leave my shoes on.

In a few minutes, a nurse escorted me to one of two small rooms. One room was for endoscopy and I noticed that the other room was marked for colonoscopy (that's another story for another time). The nurse asked me to lie down on the bed, which had the back tilted up, kind of like a lounge chair. As I lay there, looking around the room, I spotted a rack on the wall containing the endoscopy instruments; there appeared to be about 5 different sizes. A second nurse removed the next to the largest from the rack. I remember thinking, why couldn't they use the smallest one.

A nurse placed what appeared to be a piece of tape on my forehead and explained that it actually was a thermometer for monitoring my temperature, during the procedure. A blood pressure cuff was placed on my right arm that automatically pumped up and recorded my pressure every few minutes. I heard the nurse read off my pressure and I thought was extremely high at the time -- I think it was 189 over 96. I commented how high it was, which she attributed to my being nervous about the test. The other nurse was busy inserting a catheter in the back of my left hand for administering an anesthetic. A non invasive device, kind of like a butterfly clip, was placed onto my index finger. This was to monitor my blood oxygen.

I was then given what appeared to be a one ounce plastic cup filled with a whitish liquid to drink, which I found out later was something similar to Mylanta. The taste was really inconsequential. In fact, up to this point, I had not experienced any pain or discomfort. Then the nurse asked me to open my mouth so that she could spray the back of my throat, in order to numb it. She instructed me not to breathe or swallow while she was spraying. Once finished spraying, she told me to swallow, which I did. I could immediately feel the back of my throat getting numb. It became difficult to swallow but nothing in which to really become alarmed about. Remember I gag very easily. She also told me not to become alarmed, if they place oxygen on me because some people become lazy from the anesthetic and do not want to breathe. This did not really concern me either. At this point, I really had confidence in both the nurses and my doctor.

Then my doctor entered the room. There was no backing out now. He asked me to roll over a little on my left side. I noticed that he was holding three vials of some liquid. I could then feel him insert a syringe into the catheter in the back of my hand. Then I felt a second one and I remember saying to him, "your face is getting very fuzzy.

That was all I remembered!

He administered 100mg of Demerol and 4mg of Versed. The Versed is an amnesia type of medication that does not allow you to remember anything about the procedure. The Demerol completely relaxes you and makes it easier for the doctor to insert the endoscopy instrument and snake it down your esophagus. The procedure took about 20 minutes.

The next thing I remember was someone saying "sit up and place your legs over the side of the bed," which I promptly did. I was in a "holding" (recovery) room. I noticed two other patients in beds to my right and to my left. I remember speaking to them but they both ignored me. I have no recollection of what I said to them. Later I realized that even though they had their eyes open and were looking at me, they probably were still under the anesthetic. While sitting on the bed, I was given a brown paper sack and a Polaroid picture. The picture was of my insides taken during the procedure; the pictures you saw at the top. In the bag were some sample pills and a written prescription. I remember walking out to the waiting room to meet my wife. I really do not know how or when I became dressed. In fact, I do not really remember much of the rest of that day.

I was diagnosed as having a "Hiatal Hernia" and "Espohagitis." I was prescribed 45mg daily of "Prevacid" for the esophagitis and 30mg daily of "Paxil" for spasms and the hiatal hernia. In addition, my diet is restricted to low fat and high fiber. Prior to my abdominal pain, I was exercising regularly; running 5 miles per day. I stopped and gained about 20lbs. I again resumed running, successfully shedding those pounds.

The ease and comfort of a patient during this procedure are directly dependent upon the doctor and the nurses. I found out later that I was actually awake during the procedure and responding to the doctor and nurses in the room. The anesthetic that I received totally blocked out any recall of the procedure. It was truly a fantastic experience. My doctor does not believe that patients should experience any pain or discomfort, if avoidable, and he takes the time and makes every effort to ensure this.

There is no standard amount of anesthesia that works the same for all patients; some require more and some less to remain sufficiently sedated. It is up to the doctor to be aware of the patient's state and to "fine tune" the medication during the procedure. If you are required to have an endoscopy procedure, talk to your doctor about your concerns. It can be done without any pain or discomfort. At least that was my experience.

Well, don't just stop here; it will only take a few more minutes to read about the Colonoscopy procedure, which is also very important.

Well you finally got here! I hope that you read about the Endoscopy procedure, first. There are some people who have both procedures done the same day, which I did not. But, it may be beneficial, after going through the preparation and under the anesthetic. My first colonoscopy, in February of 1997, was performed separately, but after having two endoscopies.

Please be aware that the procedures described were performed in a clinic and hospital by trained and certified medical professionals, and where facilities and technical expertise were available should a rare but possible unexpected problem occur. Some doctors will perform these procedure in their offices because of cost concerns, but it is emphasized that the procedures could be very uncomfortable or not completely safe.

This procedure consists of the doctor inserting a tube into your rectum and snaking it through your lower digestive system. There is a light at the end of the tube that allows the doctor to look for abnormalities and to take pictures. A smaller tube can be inserted into the lager tube for taking tissue samples and removing abnormalities.

Before going on, let's take a time out for a commercial. This is purely my opinion and may not be that of the medical professional or anyone else. I think that it is essential for anyone over the age of 50, or anyone who has a history of colon cancer in their family to have this procedure performed on a regular basis. Why? During my first colonoscopy, the doctor removed one polyp; no big deal. A year later, he removed two. You may or may not know that these polyps have a tendency to turn into cancer. If you aren't aware of their existence and not having them removed, well...

You can see the polyps in the lighter photos; I will explain the darker ones later.

Ok, no more preaching. Actually the most difficult thing about this entire procedure, is the preparation the day before. I will try to say this as delicately as possible; you must be completely cleaned out, purged, emptied, etc.

There, are a number of options available. My doctor instructed me to take a "Fleet" laxative. I really don't know if one is any better than the others. This product may be purchased over the counter; no doctor's prescription is necessary. It is 3 ounce liquid. You mix 4 ounces of water with 1 1/2 ounce of the laxative early in the morning, and gulp it down. Then, you just wait and sort of do what comes naturally. You probably don't want to be too far from bathroom facilities. You repeat this procedure between 6 and 8 pm.

Sounds innocuous so far. I like that word innocuous, it makes it sound harmless. Did I mention that you are also restricted to a total "liquid" diet? Non-alcoholic, of course.

For breakfast, I had jello gelatin, juice and coffee. Lunch consisted of chicken bouillon, jello gelatin and coffee. Dinner was a real treat, though; I had beef bouillon, jello gelatin and coffee. In between meals you may drink more coffee and any liquids of your choice. In fact a lot of liquids are recommended. Yes, I do like coffee. You might as well eat and drink all you can because, after 12 midnight, you are permitted nothing by mouth.

So, finally you may finish preparations by getting a good night sleep. I had to awaken early the next morning and be at the hospital by 7:00am. I answered the typical hospital admission questions (although I was not really being admitted), signed their required forms and was directed to a changing room. For this procedure, you must get totally naked, except for the hospital gown.

I was led into a large room where there were a number of other people in hospital beds awaiting their procedure or recovering. I was prepared in a very similar fashion as described in my endoscopy procedure. My assigned nurse inserted a catheter into my right arm for sugar water and administering an anesthetic. Then, my wife came in to wait with me.

After a few minutes, I was wheeled into the actual room where the procedure would be performed. My wife went to the waiting room; so she says. A blood pressure cuff was placed on my left arm that automatically pumped up and recorded my pressure every few minutes. A butterfly type clip, was placed onto my index finger to monitor my blood oxygen. My doctor appeared and we had a short conversation. He asked me to roll over on my side and then gave me an injection. He said I would feel a burning sensation. Shortly thereafter, I did feel a mild burning in my neck.

I really do not recall a burning sensation during any of the other procedures. This time 5mg of Versed and 100mg of Demerol were administered. I'm not really sure why I had this burning experience this time, but it did not present any disomfort. In addition, I did "awaken" during this procedure for about a second or two. I could hear voices and I felt the inserted tube. I did not experience any discomfort, at all. If you are searching for a good reason not to have this procedure, you won't find it here.

Again I heard voices. This time it was my doctor and my wife speaking. He was giving us the results, but he wasted his time with me. I don't have a clue as to what he said. However he did explain that the two benign polyps shown on the pictures were removed. He said, "the two darker pictures are; well the only way that I can explain it is something I was playing around with." I think he was trying to see farther than the capabilities of the scope.

I layed around the holding area until I was somewhat coherent. I do remember wanting to walk around and explain to each of the patients about the procedure. Of course, my wife thought better of it and convinced me that I shouldn't . Hopefully, I got fully dressed, before leaving. I do remember being taken out of the hospital in a wheel chair but not much else, until a little later in the day.

If you are required to have a colonoscopy procedure, talk to your doctor about your concerns. It can be done without any pain, discomfort or unpleasant side effects. At least that was my experience. After this procedure, my doctor advised that I would not need this done for about 10 years. Ah, it gives one a feeling of comfot.

Since you made it this far, it may be beneficial to continue on to Three Rivers Endoscopy Center - Gastroscopy, for more information. It gives us a very professional but clear explanations and information plus much more.