Tomorrow is sedation day. I will undergo gastroscopy (upper gastrointestinal endoscopy) and colonoscopy at St. Luke’s Medical Center. I’ve had two or three colonoscopies in the past ten years done at Cardinal Santos Hospital. This would be my first gastroscopy.
I am terrified with the thought that I would undergo this kind of medical procedures which are painful. And of course, the risk of anesthesia scares me too.
I got a cardio clearance last Friday. I waited for an hour at St. Luke’s pre-anethesia evaluation area. Ang sungit ko nga kasi ang tagal, dalawang ulit ang tanong.
Nurse—–“May pneumonia ba kayo?”
Me——–“What do you mean? Kung meron akong pneumonia ngayon, today?
I hope wala. Kung alam kong meron, wala ako ngayon dito, hindi ako lalabas”.
Today I picked up two bottles of ek-tasting liquid. This is in preparation for the medical procedures tomorrow morning.
It was almost 1 pm, I went to Cafe Via Mare but it was standing room only. I went to the adjacent fastfood restaurant and had a bowl of shrimp wanton noodle soup. I ate the wanton, noodles and the soup. I am not allowed to eat fruits, vegetables and fiber for two days before the procedure.
This is my last meal for today. My next meal would be when I wake up from sedation tomorrow afternoon.
#prayingforgoodhealth
#problemspleasegoawaynow
#thistooshallpass
#lookingforwardtobetterdays
Hi Annie
I had both endoscopy and colonoscopy altogether a month ago. I did not feel any pain because I was sedated. Sedation is the simplest form of anesthesia because you breathe on your own. The full anesthesia is the scary one, you do not breath on your own, machine is helping you to breath. They did first the endoscopy by passing a cordlike wiring through the mouth, that passes through your throat, then to the esophagus and down the upper stomach. I was sleeping well when they did the colonoscopy.
Another hour in the recovery room. This is their finding: I have gastritis. Thank God, nothing worse.
Preparation was very difficult on the first day, I took one bottle of magnesium nitrate. I was only allowed to eat clear soup, coffee, tea, sprite, ginger ale, gelatine (jello), clear popsicle, and ginger candy. On the second day, I have to drink a gallon of salt water available at pharmacy. If you can not bear the taste of salt water, I was allowed to eat ginger candy.
Lastly, a tablet or four of dulcolax, for hard stool was the last step.
It took an hour to finish the two procedures, because I had a very good surgeon. Yes, a surgeon did it to me not the gastroentorologist.
So good luck, don’t be scared.
Thank you Dee for the moral support.
Praying for good results for you, Ms. Annie!
Thank you Cecile.