Before that, a little back story. You can scroll down to the actual endoscopy experience if you want.
I have been having really bad acid reflux since the termination of pregnancy in February. Not only that, I've been having palpitations and hives since then too. I will save all that for a different post. Back to my acid reflux. It's so bad that I will wake up every morning feeling nauseous and running to the toilet to vomit. Then I will feel like crap the whole day. No appetite and no energy to do anything whatsoever. It got worse and I started vomiting at night and in the middle of the day too.
So my symptoms were:
- vomiting
- felt like food was stuck in my throat all the time
- loud reflux sounds from stomach
-indigestion
-heartburn
-pain in between collar bone
When I first experienced the vomiting, I went to the Polyclinic. They gave me nausea medication. It stopped the vomiting but I had no appetite to eat or interest to do anything. I was like a zombie. Then the vomiting came back. I returned to Polyclinic and they gave me Omeprazole. It is medicine to reduce acid production. It came in a capsule form. If you know me, I cannot swallow medicine. Wimp. So naturally I asked for an alternative. They told me they don't have any alternatives and that I have to swallow the capsule whole to minimize side effects. What.
So I tried my best. They told me to take 1 before breakfast and 1 before dinner. I let the capsule swim in my mouth while it softens before I swallow. And guess what. The medication burned my throat. It is not your normal sore throat kinda burn. It really hurt like nobody's business. I then went back to Polyclinic to tell them the problem. They reduced my intake to once a day; before dinner.
After a month, I was supposed to stop the medication. I did and the vomiting came back. I went back to Polyclinic and they told me to take 4 capsules a day. I was like, WHAT NOW?! I told them there is no way I can do that as it will hurt my throat. The Doctor told me, it's either I take 4 a day or I go for an Endoscopy.
I was a little pissed. I was pissed at myself for not being able to swallow tablets and capsules and also at the doctor for giving me an ultimatum.
Unsatisfied, I went to my family doctor. The reason why I went to Polyclinic in the first place was of course because it's cheaper by alot. Alot. My family doctor told me that I have really bad reflux and was shocked when I told him the doctor at Polyclinic told me to take 4 capsules a day. He told me to take just once a day and told me how to counter acid reflux.
No food after 8pm.
No spicy or sour food.
Eat first thing in the morning.
Eat small portions.
My throat got better but my acid reflux still persists even when I was taking medications. However, they were less frequent. I got my appetite back and felt like myself again. After about 2 months, I stopped taking Omeprazole. The vomiting returned. I quickly went to Polyclinic to ask for referral to see a gastroenterologist; a specialist in Changi General Hospital. I got an appointment soon enough. He checked my stomach and I told him that I have been on medication for about 3 months total and he weighed my symptoms. He immediately told me to go for endoscopy. He was afraid I might have ulcers or polyps. I agreed to it as I have been on medications for quite some time and it's not doing me any good. The date was set; 28/11/2017.
Endoscopy@ Changi General Hospital
The day arrived and I was so damn nervous. Thank God for my MIL as she agreed to look after Adam for that day. So Wan accompanied me. After arriving, the lady explained to us the procedures and payments. The procedure will take about 15 minutes and it was all deductable by Medisave. Of course I asked if I can be under general anesthesia and wake up only after the procedure. The lady told me that they will only half sedate me as it is dangerous to be under full anesthesia. *faints*
They brought me to a ward with six beds. I saw that three beds were occupied as I took the fourth one. They told me to rest first. Shortly after that, a petite and friendly nurse came to take my blood pressure and heart rate. Surprise surprise, my heart rate was at 120bpm. It was too high to proceed. I did inform them that I was on medication for palpitations. They quickly called a doctor and they did an ECG. True enough, it was sinus tarchycardia. Fast but regular heartbeat. I have been having this since February and it has been bothering me but that's a story for another post. The doctor gave the green light and I was then pushed to the endoscopy room.
The room was small and there were about 4-5 nurses surrounding me. I was told to take my hijab off for the procedure. One nurse made small talk but I was too scared to appear friendly. LOL. They then told me they are going to spray something to numb my throat. It was spicy and so damn bitter. You know when you spray your perfume, you won't have like a pool of liquid collected? This one did. There was pool at the back of my throat and I could feel the tonsils area going numb. I signaled them asking if I should swallow the liquid. They nodded hurriedly. Things I do when I'm nervous. Lol. So because Ii didn't swallow the liquid fast enough, I could feel that my whole mouth was numb more than the back of my throat. You feel like the walls of your throat is closing in but it is actually just numb and you can't feel your saliva going down. They then asked me to lie down on my left side.
The gastro then came and said hi and asked me how I was doing. I told him I was damn scared and he told me he will cover my eyes. The nurse gave me a mouth piece with a hole at the front for me to bite on. A cloth was being placed to cover my eyes. I heard the gastro said that he will insert the anesthetic through my IV. I shut my eyes really really tight. After a few seconds, I heard the gastro said hi to check on me. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to look at him. He was shocked and said, "Wah, still up? Ok, I will insert more."
So he inserted another round of anesthetic. I felt that one. I felt the muscles in my hands and legs relax. I then cannot remember what happened. The next thing I remember was feeling a rough swishing in my stomach. I started to gag. I felt something being pulled up slowly from my stomach to my sternum area. I gagged. Then it went up again and I gagged even more. I remember it being in my throat right below my adam's apple. That one hurt like crazy. I gagged violently. It was so painful. I heard the gastro saying, almost there almost there. I felt tears going down my face. WHAT HAPPENED TO BEING HALF SEDATED?! I FELT EVERYTHING.
I opened my eyes and saw the gastro talking to me. He said that I had no ulcers but my stomach lining and esophagus is inflamed because of excessive acid and he will give medications for that. I remember nodding and being pushed back to the ward.
I saw Wan. From this point on, it's like I can remember exactly what I did but Wan said I was rambling. He told me I started crying when I saw him. Lol. I remember crying, feeling sad and scared though but I don't exactly remember. Get it? Haha. After that I started telling him that I'm not sedated and I remember everything clearly. I could repeat exactly what the doctor told me but Wan said I was in a daze. I've been sedated before but it was a stronger one for cesarean so I told him to take a video of me after I came back to the ward. He pressed record on his phone but it was facing down the whole time because he was overwhelmed by me suddenly crying.
A nurse gave me warm Milo and bread after about 2 hours. I couldn't eat. I drank abit and Wan finished everything. So now I'm on a stronger and much smaller tablet; Rabeprazole for a month before going to see the gastro for a post review.
After the procedure, my throat hurts so bad. The exact spot where I felt pain during the procedure. It has been 2 weeks now and the spot still hurts. I have been having sore throat and fever because of it. I'm seeing the gastro earlier than I should because of it. Hopefully it's nothing serious.
Overall the experience was scary but made better with friendly staff and a comfortable environment. I can't believe I went through endoscopy. Although I was only half sedated and felt the pain, I'm thankful that there are no ulcers or whatnot. I mean, those grandmas and grandpas can do it without being sedated.
Maybe my threshold for pain is just plain trashy.
Here's to mummies and the sacrifices they make for their families,
Ja
No comments:
Post a Comment