Need Advice From You All Please

[Snowcrystal]

Hello all

Next Friday I have to have my Gastroscopy (Camera down the throat, Oesophagus, and stomach) to see if gastritis is still present and to see if I have developed Barrats oesophagus.

My GP suggested a while back that the doctors at the hospital might want me to stop taking my Omeprazol so that they can get a true look at what is going on.

The doctor at the hospital never mentioned it when I had my consult with him last month.

I rang the nurses in the endoscopy unit to find out and she was, yeah but, no but about it all...In the end she said that if I could live without Omeprazol for a while then fine...If not carry on taking it.

I have stopped taking it for 3 days (today) and am starting to suffer...Do you think as it takes 3 days for me to start suffering to just stop taking it 3 days prior to the scope?

What would you do?....I don't even know the name of the doctor that will be performing the procedure....(as it's not noted) so I can't exactly leave him/her a message...(Obviously the nurse was not that informative).

Any ideas please.

(((hugs)))

 

[thinkbethin]

Hi there, I think if it was really important for you to stop taking them then the consultant would have made you aware of this. Usually when its detrimental then you would be given the directions to stop in writing. Don't suffer because of what your GP told you. They don't always know what the surgeon wants as its not in their field. I'd carry on taking them if it was me. Good luck for friday.

 

[serenitylove]

unless its been stated i wouldnt stop them, if you know the name of your consultant ring his secretary they are usually really helpfull an she can ask the dr what he wants you to do

 

[PinkyButtonz]

When I had the procedure done. I was told to stop Lansoprazole two weeks before. I was told if I had any problems I could take Zantac that I by over the counter, but not to use it 48hrs befor proceedure. Which they were aware I took when Lansoprazol didn't work alone.

I was give 2-3 pages of do's and don'ts and explaining the prceedure. I also has contact numbers.

 

[Bonita]

Hubbie was also told to stop his Omoprazole two weeks prior to his procedure and to take over the counter antacids if it gets too uncomfortable.

 

[Snowcrystal]

Thank you everyone

I did a little more research and apparently the reason they ask you to stop taking it is because Omeprazol and the like can mask early stages of some cancers.

You would think that the nurse would have known more than the 'whatever' attitude that she had...She was not horrible or anything but she works in this department and should have known or at least sought the answer from the relevant doctors.

I did get a pack of do's and don't s but there is nothing about proton pump inhibitors.

Oh well.............I won't have made a full 2 weeks but only a couple of days short.

Thank you everyone for your advice.

(((hugs)))

 

[PinkyButtonz]

Thank you everyone

I did a little more research and apparently the reason they ask you to stop taking it is because Omeprazol and the like can mask early stages of some cancers.

You would think that the nurse would have known more than the 'whatever' attitude that she had...She was not horrible or anything but she works in this department and should have known or at least sought the answer from the relevant doctors.

I did get a pack of do's and don't s but there is nothing about proton pump inhibitors.

Oh well.............I won't have made a full 2 weeks but only a couple of days short.

Thank you everyone for your advice.

(((hugs)))

I hope all goes well.

My gastroscope was actually done by the Nurse I saw a my first appointment. She explained every thing and gave me a print out of what to expect.

 

[Flibber]

Hi there - as you know I recently had an endoscopy and I take Omeprazole. Nobody even mentioned that I should stop taking my Omeprazole so I didn't. But the other thing I want to say is that I was offered "light sedation" or a "numbing throat spray". I went for the latter as you had to have someone to drive you home if you had sedation. Bad choice!! It was one of the most awful experiences in my life - starting with the spray itself which was vile. The doctor seemed to be down there for eternity and took about 4-5 biopsies from the stomach wall which I wasn't expecting (and I felt every one! The nurses congratulated me afterwards and said I behaved "better" than many of the sedated ones - this was actually because I just froze, gritted my teeth and tensed my whole body! They must expect something because there were 3 nurses round me as well as the doctor - whether to hold me down or what I don't know!! No, go for sedation (you even get a cup of tea and a biscuit with sedation) and bribe someone to take you home and stay with you for a while!

 

[looking forward]

I have had the scope done with and without anesthetic.

I would never recommend it without. One of the most horrible experiences of my life ( no joke)

Make sure they put you out.

 

[swizzlestick]

Snow Crystal, insist on aneasthetic. I've had it done both ways. First time without, BIG MISTAKE.

I never had to stop my PPI's for the gastroscopy but I did when they done the acid function tests.

When I had the acid function tests, (tubes ad wires up nose, through eosophogus and into stomach for 24 hr with some kind of reading monitor) After 1 day without the ppi's I was unable to cope without them, I was completely unable to eat, the acid was horrendous, had to cancel the tests, they rebooked me and told me to stop taking them at least 3 days before. I didnt end up stopping them until 24 hrs before. My readings were still rocketing sky high, they would have been even higher if Ide managed to stay off the ppi's for the 7 days they told me to.


BTW, Have you had the schrimmer test done for eye wetness, re the sjogrens, its a simple easy test that can help with diagnosis, sjogrens is one of my many co morbidities to the lupus. Also, sjogrens can affect the digestive system.

 

[Snowcrystal]

Thank you All

I have had a gastroscopy before and you are all right.......It is terrible...I had the sedation and the spray and it was still horrible...The spray makes you feel like they whipped your throat out and gives the most weird sensation and lasts for hours...it's like there's nothing there anymore...and the sedation quite frankly was not enough.

When I had it done before I was an inpatient in hospital...there was a consultant there, the doctor doing the scope (who was a real a#s#o#e) and 2 nurses...You do have to be very still as that scope can do a lot of damage...I was really poorly at the time and the consultant told me the findings outside the room when I was waiting for the porter so it all went in one ear and out the other at the time...(I did find out later)

My husband and I were chatting last night and he asked me if I had to choose the colonoscopy over the gastroscopy....You know, I just could not make up my mind...they are both horrible...The colonoscopy is as undignified as you can imagine and the air they pump you with hurts like hell...But that sensation of the gastroscopy is pretty nasty too....I must say though, visually the view along the colon is quite surreal and far prettier than the view down the oesophagus.

I'm having the sedation this time and I have decided not to have the spray...My husband has taken the day off of work to go with me...

Thanks again everyone

(((hugs)))

 

[tpt]

Ooohh hope it goes ok for you!! And I hoe hubby takes you for a nice treat afterwards!!!

 

[Snowcrystal]

Snow Crystal, insist on aneasthetic. I've had it done both ways. First time without, BIG MISTAKE.

I never had to stop my PPI's for the gastroscopy but I did when they done the acid function tests.

When I had the acid function tests, (tubes ad wires up nose, through eosophogus and into stomach for 24 hr with some kind of reading monitor) After 1 day without the ppi's I was unable to cope without them, I was completely unable to eat, the acid was horrendous, had to cancel the tests, they rebooked me and told me to stop taking them at least 3 days before. I didnt end up stopping them until 24 hrs before. My readings were still rocketing sky high, they would have been even higher if Ide managed to stay off the ppi's for the 7 days they told me to.


BTW, Have you had the schrimmer test done for eye wetness, re the sjogrens, its a simple easy test that can help with diagnosis, sjogrens is one of my many co morbidities to the lupus. Also, sjogrens can affect the digestive system.

Hi Swizzle

We seem to have gone through a lot of similar stuff you and I;
I have never had the acid test though...It sounds like fun...lol.

Without being given advice by the doctor at the meeting I had last month...I did not make the connection that I am being tested for Barrats Oesophagus as well this time...Barrats has a chance of being cancerous and Omeprazol can mask early signs of cancer apparently.

My GP mentioned leaving out the Omeprazol for the procedure or else I would not have considered it at all.

With regards to Sjogrens I am having bloods done on Monday.

Any news on your surgery yet?...How you doing?

<*<*<hugs>*>*>

 

[Snowcrystal]

Ooohh hope it goes ok for you!! And I hoe hubby takes you for a nice treat afterwards!!!

Lets hope so eh!,,,

(((hugs)))

 

[swizzlestick]

Hi Snowcrystal

Good luck for next friday , funnily enough, my mum has got to go for one on the 6th or 9th august, she asked me whether to have the spray or be knocked out, I told her take the aneasthetic lol.

I had my sleep apnoea results on the 7th July, they came back as mild, I would have laid money on it that I dont suffer with apnoea, but apparently when Im on my back my breathing gets quite low, thankfully not enough to warrant oxygen. The doc I saw said he would write to my consultants at Homerton to try speed things up wahooo, just got to wait to hear from them now with a next appointment, for all I know the next one they send could be the pre op assessment. Longtime coming eh!

Yea we do have quite similar health pathways, there are so many cross overs and co morbidities with auto immune conditions its sometimes hard to work out what symptoms belong to what illness. There are two or three other people on minis that also have similar health backgrounds, not that you would wish ill health on anyone, but it it nice to know there are others who have been successful with their wls journeys who have the similar health problems to overcome too. It's a great support network in more ways than one.

Have you got to go to St Thomas for the tests, The Louise Coote Lupus unit covers sjogrens and mixed connective tissue diseases. Thats who I'm under, I had a wonderful consultant there, professor Hughes, he retired a couple of years ago now, but was meant to have been one of the worlds leading doctors in the field, even had a syndrome named after him that he discovered.