Freaked out and pissed off...had an endoscopy yesterday.

[andee]

Hi Everyone,
Just wanted to share my experience with and endoscopy so hopefully this won't happen to anyone else. I've had one before so I know the drill. I always tell them my fear and anxiety, and that it takes me a little longer to wake up from anesthesia. The anesthesiologist told me that my chances of getting sick with propofol are just about zero. He offered me either zofran in the IV, no zofran, or zofran after in recovery if I need it. Stupid me listened to him and opted to just go for it without because I was fine before. Well, the test went fine and I was SLOWWWLY waking up from anesthesia, pretty comfortable, until the nurses start bugging me to wake up, have something to eat or drink, turn on my back...I wasn't even awake, could barely understand them, and they kept rubbing my shoulders, asking what I want to drink, etc. My hubby told them that I take longer to wake, etc. So to try to please them, I attempted to roll a little from my side...big mistake. I started feeling nauseous. I told my husband that if I move I feel nauseous. It's amazing that I was kind of panicking from the nausea even while still out of it!!! I was even touching my throat because I was trying to swallow and prevent anything. My hubby told the nurses and they did get me zofran, but I could barely wait for it...so glad it went right in the IV and started working in maybe 10 minutes. I was crying by now, not sure why...I guess because I was so fed up and felt helpless. They kind of laid off me when the doctor came in to talk and saw that I wasn't ready.

Finally, I woke up fully in my own time and I was sooo mad that they are so pushy, just to get you out so they can use the bed for the next patient. I told my husband "never again" and that they would be getting a letter from me. Two nurses came in and apologized and assured me that they want what is best for their patients and never want them to feel like they are being pushed out (yeah, whatever). I told them that they need to SLOW down. They kept saying that they just want to make sure I was okay. I told them that's what the monitor is for!!!

So, it was way too close for comfort for me. So anyone going in for a procedure like that, tell them ahead of time not to be so pushy getting you up. That's when the nausea struck, because I was still out of it, my stomach was empty, and the movement just made it awful. Also, just eat tiny bits at first. I had sips of apple juice and nibbled on a saltine.

I'm glad I did it because the worry about silent reflux, Barrett's, etc. was making me crazy. Thankfully everything looked okay (gotta wait for biopsy results though). But I am not going back any time soon. Just some words of warning. It's a business and they want to make money, even in healthcare!! Thanks all...I'd be curious to hear everyone else's experience with coming out of anesthesia!!

[KimberlyP]

Omg that is so frustrating! Especially because you told them before how you reacted and what to expect. You know yourself better than they do!

When I got my wisdom teeth out I went to an oral surgeon and was sedated. After the procedure they made me get right up out of the chair and walk to a big recliner. After a few minutes they sent me home. On the way home I started feeling really sick and very hot. I went to remove the gauze from my mouth thinking I was going to V but as I was reaching for the gauze I completely passed out. It was strange though because I felt my arms hit the sides of the seat and I felt myself slip between the door and the seat before I actually was completely out. My step-mom, who was driving, was at a stop light and when she realized I was completely unconscious, she started honking the horn and screaming for someone to help her. I woke up to her pounding on my chest and shaking my face back and forth and some man holding my hands above my head. I had no memory of why I was there or what I had been doing. When the ambulance came they said that I had been released too soon from the oral surgeon and I had actually been resedated. It was so scary!

[canonguy1]

it's so absurd how they do this! after having a double mastectomy, i was literally out the door in just one hour. After wisdom teeth it was like 15 minutes even when i was n* and still really out of it. like...give me a fucking minute! you would think that the would want to avoid people passing out and complaining.

[chicajojobe]

Ugh, great!

I'm having a colonscopy in a few weeks, so this freaks me out! They're also using propofol, but from what I understand that's better than versed and demerol for nausea risk.
I have a question. You said you told your husband that you were feeling sick, so obviously he was back in recovery with you.
Well I'm being driven by a co-worker, and I'm kind of a private person so I'd really prefer not to have my co-worker, even one I'm good friends with, in the room with me while I'm drugged up, with my ass hanging out! So can I tell the clinic staff that this person is just my ride, and is to wait for me in the waiting room only???

[blueridge212]

I had a similar experience with my eye surgery (where they told me I had a nearly 100% chance of v* due to several reasons). I slowly started coming out of anesthesia, was very tired, my eye was in AGONY, but I wasn't n*. But the one nurse kept bugging me to eat my crackers and sip my ginger ale, and all I could do was cry because my eye hurt so badly. And she said "well I'll give you more painkillers" and I vaguely remember begging her not to put any more in my IV because I didn't want to be s*. She said "Honey, if you don't v* from the painkillers, you'll v* from the pain eventually." So of course that sent me through the fucking roof. I could tell she was just frustrated. My surgery had gotten delayed from 11am to 7pm and she just wanted to get me out of there. But they can't rush you out like that, and I'm glad you said something.

chicajojobe, I can tell you that I've driven both my dad and brother to have colonoscopies and endoscopies and I didn't HAVE to go back there for either one. And your ass won't be hanging out anyway I had to go back for my dad once because they needed to communicate to me about his aftercare, and he was just laying on the bed with a robe on and the blankets pulled up. They'll protect your dignity! They mainly just want to make sure you definitely have a ride since they're on the hook if you go drive yourself home after being drugged up.

[chicajojobe]

Vomiting from eye surgery? That's a new one to me. Not that I claim to know much about eye surgery. Either way that nurse...of all the damned stupid things to say!

Yeah their rules about rides are a major burden! It isn't even that they won't let you drive yourself home, they demand that your ride sit in the waiting room for 2 hours! They flat out told me that Uber or a taxi were not acceptable. So I either way I'm paying extra for this...my choice was just that it be in the form of humiliation asking one of my friends to drive me to a colonoscopy or lots of money for medical transport at $50 + $18 for every hour over two hours. Neither one is all that easy for a grad student who is away from family studying and lives on a $25,000/year stipend! Can you tell I'm still a little bitter about it? lol

[blueridge212]

Well, it was very invasive and involved cutting muscles and nerves. So probably the reason for the heightened risk of v* was indeed due to the pain. But I didn't have an ounce of n*, luckily. I even begged my dad for pizza while I was slumped over in the car on the way back home lol.

And I understand completely! It's very frustrating I'm sorry you're having to go through this. Nobody thinks poorly of anyone else for having to have a colonoscopy. I mean sure, it's an embarrassing subject maybe, but nobody judges you for having to have one!

[andee]

Hi Chica, yes, you can ask them to only let her in once you are fully awake. You will be totally covered and you can change in the bathroom instead of behind the curtain. Propofol is very nice and it does feel like a wonderfu deep nap. It's just the damn nurses waking you up too soon. I would tell them ahead of time to go easy on you.
And I know you are a private person, but this is a necessary test and I am sure she is adult enough to respect that and your privacy. We all have "crap" we have to go through . Best of luck and pm me if you have any more concerns...had upper and lower...

[horsewoman]

Oh my Andee, that's terrible!! I don't know why they don't listen.. It's crazy.. I'm glad you did not get sick and thankfully your test looked ok, and yes, it definitely a business!!! It's hard to trust anymore.

[andee]

Thank you all! I haven't started the letter yet but plan to...I also got my results from the biopsies and they all look good, YAY! So now I am really not going back for a long time. I don't expect much from writing, but they need to know!!

Chica, keep us posted when your procedure is...good luck!

[chicajojobe]

Hey guys. Had my procedure today. I was given propofol, and, at my request, Zofran.

I had somewhat of a weird experience waking up from anesthesia. Basically it was a semi-awake bad dream. I didn't remember at first where I was, so I thought I was at home and there was an intruder in my house. So I started screaming, cursing and trying to fight away the nurses. When I did remember, though, I just said "sorry forgot where I was"
A few seconds later I woke up, woke up (as in I could see and was aware of my surroundings) as they were wheeling me into the the recovery room. Talked to the doctor about my procedure. Then the recovery room nurse and the nurse who had been there for my procedure came in to see me. I asked the nurse if I'd screamed at them and she said, "Oh that's totally alright."
The recovery room nurse was a little less tactful, he laughed about how they went into the hall to "see what that was"

Lovely. Must have been very loud!

No nausea, though, and I didn't feel rushed out. The recovery room nurse sat me up and had me pick something to drink. I sipped a small cup of water and then he told me "ok, lets get you out of here" and told me to get dressed, brought over a wheelchair, and took me outside where my ride was waiting.

So overall it was a little embarrassing, but not traumatic.

[canonguy1]

glad to hear it went (semi) well.