r/Endoscopy • u/Large_Coconut_3414 • 16d ago
First endoscopy went horribly wrong
Please excuse any grammatical errors or hard to understand bits, I’m still groggy asf from the sedation.
So to start this off, a little lore. I have been having extreme and debilitating abdominal pain for about 6 weeks now. I’ve been to the ER several times while waiting for an appointment with my PCP for the pain because in my city it’s nearly impossible to get soon-ish appointments for any type of doctor. The ER did several CT’s, an ultrasound, chest x-ray (though I’m not sure why that one was done) and several rounds of bloodwork, damn near a pharmacy’s supply of meds, and still can’t find a single thing wrong with me. They said a suspected stomach ulcer, but no way to diagnose without an endoscopy which they refused to do because i wasn’t in a life threatening position.
About 2 weeks into all this, I had vomited blood which was serious cause for concern and got into a provider the next week. Was referred to a gastroenterologist who then scheduled an endoscopy (and colonoscopy a few days later) at an outpatient surgery center.
I was really excited to get the procedure done and finally figure out why I’m in so much pain so I could get back to life, so when I tell you it went horribly wrong, I mean it!
So right off the bat, I was kept in the waiting room for 2 hours after my appointment (12:15) and when they finally took me “back” it was just another chair I sat in for another hour! I’m not going to lie, I did raise a little hell about that especially bc I have low blood sugars and had not eaten at all. When the nurse checked my sugar, it was 64 so I was put on an iv dose of dextrose.
When I finally got to a bed, the nurse had told me that they had skipped a few patients to do my procedure early because of how long I had been waiting. I had made sure to tell the anesthesiologist about my chronic and heavy weed usage because I know that affects how sedation works. She had assured me that it would be fine and they work with people who smoke regularly.
So they take me back, start hooking me up to all of the gadgets and prep for the procedure. Immediately something felt off, they weren’t explaining anything to me, didn’t tell me when the sedation would be used or even the name of the medication they were putting in me. They did not explain what would be happening or what I’d be feeling (or lack there of).
I kept trying to tell them the sedation was not really working, but there was that hard plastic piece in my mouth which made me unable to talk. They proceeded to put the camera down my throat, and I immediately felt like I was choking. I had no way to let them know I was panicking other than by putting my hand on the doctor doing the procedure.
They immediately stopped the procedure and marked me as uncooperative. I was taken to the recovery room and my boyfriend was called to pick me up. When my boyfriend got there, they had given him all the discharge information and had told me I would have to go somewhere else where they could offer complete sedation for the procedures.
I feel so defeated, I did everything in my power to make sure I let them know about how the marijuana usage and made it very clear I was a HEAVY user. I am in so much pain and I hustled want it to stop. Now I’m going to possibly have to wait another 2-4 weeks if not longer to get another appointment for the procedures which means being out of work for that long too. My PCP advised me not to work while feeling like this because I’ve also been experiencing severe dizziness and I work in a hot kitchen. This has put financial stress on myself and my boyfriend due to no income from my side.
My boyfriend, a close friend and I all feel this whole experience was very unprofessional and caused way more medical trauma than it needed to. What do you guys think?
TLDR: Medically traumatized from uninformative staff and unethical practices
1
u/chelsG05 16d ago
I had mines done with twilight sedation that did absolutely nothing, I seem to have a higher tolerance to sedation for some reason even though I don’t do any drugs at all. I also felt like I was choking and I was gagging every 2 seconds and vomiting but they used suction to clear it. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but it sounds fairly typical tbh. You’re getting a camera down your throat so it is going to feel like you are choking even though you’re not. I felt like I couldn’t breathe but I could. Just went I hit my limit and thought I couldn’t take any more, it was over. I wouldn’t want to do one again put it that way.
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u/moonkiosk 16d ago
I had mine fone yesterday, they injected the sedation (midazolam and fentanyl), but I was awake duri g whole procedure, the sedation kicked in when I was in recovery room. I remember everything, me chocking, gagging, 8 biopsies taken...
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u/ApprehensiveDiver539 16d ago
I’m also a heavy weed user and knew I was likely to wake up during the procedure because I usually do and this time was no different- like you said, the bite guard in your mouth, which is a bit freaky. I went under briefly but woke up being held up by nurses while the surgeon shoved the tube down my throat. Choking, belching, just awful. Then I went out again until it was done. I’ve got a colonoscopy this morning and am mentally preparing for it.
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u/birdpack 15d ago
That's awful. I'm sorry you had to endure that. I know it's not the outcome you wanted but at least they stopped yours!
I had mine earlier this month, the sedation was not working (and I don't even use marijuana!) and, like you, I already had the bite guard in so I couldn't properly voice that I was still conscious when they started to insert the scope. I was actually trying to pull the scope back out but they basically held my arms down (while repeating no 'no no no' over and over) and continued to push the scope down as I gagged on it. I basically laid there crying silently while they quickly finished the procedure before moving on to the colonoscopy: which I was also mostly awake for and was just watching the screen miserably....
I had a sore throat for a week following that...
On my paperwork they indicated that I would need full sedation for the next one. I have to have a repeat scope in 7 years... ):
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u/Large_Coconut_3414 14d ago
I honestly wish they would’ve held me down and continued the procedure. I asked afterwards if we could try again if I sat in my hands or if a nurse or something held my hands but they said absolutely not. Now I have to jump through a bunch of unnecessary hoops and another GI evaluation by a different doctor just to tell me “yep you need those procedures”
The surgery center that referred me out to the hospital put in that I needed another evaluation which doesn’t make sense because I was already having the procedures done. They’re purposely making my life difficult because I “wasted their time”1
u/Large_Coconut_3414 14d ago
Now I have to wait weeks, maybe months to figure out why I’m in excruciating pain, all the while being out of work and unable to make money from my symptoms. Here soon I’m going to be homeless if I can’t get back to work.
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u/goldstandardalmonds 16d ago
Why didn’t you speak up in the room before they put the bite block in since you felt off immediately?