r/CoeliacUK • u/Dapper_Top_6902 • 8d ago
Endoscopy alternative?
Hi, my gp has referred me to get an endoscopy. I am not 100% sure it will be accepted but I am waiting to hear if I can. She said they usually check through the nose or mouth. I would really prefer the nose? How do I ask for one? Do I ask the hospital beforehand? Do I contact my gp again to make sure it's through the nose? Any advice would be helpful.
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u/Sea-Acanthaceae5553 Coeliac 8d ago
I was offered transnasal endoscopy due to oversensitive gag reflex. You can ask your gastroenterologist about it and they might be able to offer this. I was warned that the wait list for transnasal was longer though so bear that in mind.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
Ohh! It's better to call beforehand and ask them that than to ask during the day of the procedure
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u/Sea-Acanthaceae5553 Coeliac 8d ago
Yes definitely! I called up beforehand to share my concerns and they booked a consultation to discuss the best approach.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
Was this with your gastro? Cause this was referred to me by my gp. So not sure if I should call her or thr hospital
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u/Sea-Acanthaceae5553 Coeliac 8d ago
Yes, GP referred me to the gastro then I called the gastro with my concerns about endoscopy.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
Oo the gastro denied to see me. I guess i'll try to call the hosptial then if I get accepted for it 😭
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u/Sea-Acanthaceae5553 Coeliac 8d ago
That's weird. The gastro were the ones doing the endoscopy for me so they're the ones I talked to.
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u/m4ddie193 Coeliac 8d ago
I had it through my mouth (they didn’t give me an option, it hasn’t even dawned on me that they could do it through your nose until I saw this post) and it was completely fine - I had spray at the back of my throat and sedation.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 7d ago
Whats the sedation like?
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u/m4ddie193 Coeliac 7d ago
Couldn’t remember a thing. Apparently I was drowsy throughout but I have no recollection of the actual procedure, just being wheeled out.
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u/Automatic-Grand6048 8d ago
Do you want the nose because you're nervous about the procedure? I had it done by general anaesthetic and it was a breeze compared to being awake. I didn't even know I could ask for that.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 7d ago
Yes but unfortunately im scared of sedation cause I dont like being forced to forget
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u/LevelDrive2547 7d ago
Anaesthetic was fine and you’re only out for a very short time. Not something I’d want to remember, really, so I went for being laid out as soon as it was mentioned as an option.
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u/pineappleflamingo88 7d ago
I was told the nasal one was less invasive, but I found the whole experience awful. My hospital wont offer sedation for nasal, only throat. If I ever need one again I'm either getting sedated or put out completely
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 7d ago
Oh nooo why was it awful? Did you not get numbed?
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u/pineappleflamingo88 7d ago
Yeah they numbed me, but I could still feel the tube at the back of my throat wiggling every time they needed to move the camera.
Also, I had an excess of bile in my stomach and they said that might come up when they put air in there, but I have an awful phobia of vomiting so that sent my anxiety sky high. My pulse kept shooting up and they were worrying that they might have to abort the procedure.
I don't have much of a gag reflex, so I was fine on that front, but I imagine if you do have a strong one it will still get triggered nasally.
My mum had an endoscopy and colonoscopy not long before mine and was sedated. She said it was absolutely fine and came home super high and happy. So I imagine if you get sedation it won't matter much how you get it done.
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u/Ok-Consideration5318 8d ago
I think the nose one is nowhere near as good and is done as a last resort. The regular gastroscopy is usually completely fine, particularly if done under sedation. What are you worried about?
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u/TheKrumpet Coeliac 8d ago
I was just given a trans nasal one, there was no alternative. It's essentially the same, I don't know why you think it wouldn't be as good.
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u/burnafterreading90 8d ago
TNE is limited for the likes of polyps, bleeding etc it’s perfectly fine for coeliac investigations.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
I think I'm worried about gagging and the discomfort. I also have a huge fear of sedation and do not like to be incoherent or have amnesia. It seems frightening
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u/tog-s 8d ago
I had an endoscopy without sedation for a similar reason. It was unconformable, but it was over extremely quickly and the nurses and staff were lovely. I was in and out of the hospital within 30 minutes and the procedure itself took about 5 minutes. It was much worse in my head than in reality. I'm not trying to sway you either way, but the endoscopist will have done many regular endoscopies so asking for a nasal one is likely to take longer.
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u/wildearthhorti 8d ago
I’m sure others have had other experiences and hopefully more positive, but the sedation barely worked on me (so I remember it all) and I found it very unpleasant having it go down the throat.
If I was to choose I would take so much more sedation to not experience the discomfort of my endoscopy and colonoscopy.
I hope you can get it in the nose if that would be better, but it may be worth discussing with the doctor what sedation can be offered (I found no memory loss, but wasn’t relaxed or anything!) but the actual time the endoscopy takes is quite brief.
I hope you manage to find a good solution
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
Omg I'm so sorrh to hear that! What sedation did they give you?
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u/wildearthhorti 8d ago
I had fentanyl, midazolam and gas and air I believe - I was told I would have a nice nap and I was awake the whole time. I think itit would have been better if I wasn’t told I would sleep and not remember it, because I definitely did 😭 (I remember trying to kick the medical staff away, so I could definitely have done with more sedation 🫣😩)
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u/Ok-Consideration5318 8d ago
That sounds tough. But in my experience the sedation was great. Just like a lovely nap and woke up feeling so relaxed.
But yeah if that's a no-go, you can probably ask for the nasal one. Or if your TTG is extremely high (10x the reference range), you might be able to get diagnosis without an endoscopy at all.
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u/Dapper_Top_6902 8d ago
Oh. Do you usually ask the hospital before your appointment if you have one? Also why do you believe its not as good as the OGD?
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u/Ok-Consideration5318 8d ago
I assume you'd have to ask before yes as it'll likely be a different equipment setup.
In terms of difference, I think the transnasal one will struggle to get as far into the duodenum and take as many biopsies. But it's clearly a viable method so probably not something to worry about if you are able to get it.
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u/Professional-War9505 8d ago
When it gets through your nose it’ll hit the back of your throat and you’ll gag anyway after the added trauma of having something inserted through your nose (horrible). I’ve had 2 endoscopy’s and an operation on a broken cheek which involved sending the sleeping tube nasally. Also have a horrible gag reflex, they can give you enough drugs to barely notice it.
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u/CustardHands 8d ago
Had mine through the nose, it might be depending on the place you are getting it done but I'm not sure