An endoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor look inside your body. Your doctor will use an endoscopy to look at your stomach and esophagus, the part of your body that connects your mouth to your stomach. During endoscopy Houston, your doctor might take a small tissue sample for testing.
The main types of endoscopies include:
Upper GI or gastrointestinal endoscopy– This looks at the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, the first part of the small intestine. This test can help diagnose certain conditions such as cancer or ulcers. It also helps check for blockages in these areas, which may be causing problems like heartburn or indigestion.
Colonoscopy-This examines all parts of the large intestine. The test can find hidden cancerous growths and other abnormalities in the colon before symptoms appear.
How long does the test take?
Endoscopy is a noninvasive test that examines your throat, esophagus, and stomach. The test takes about 10 to 15 minutes but maybe longer depending on how many things are found.
How endoscopy work
The procedure involves inserting a small tube with a tiny camera on the end into your throat, down into the esophagus, and then into the stomach. You will be sedated during this procedure and may feel some discomfort while it is happening. At no time will you have to swallow anything or drink any fluid during this process. All of it is done through suctioning or injection of air into different parts of your body.
The sedation will be administered through an intravenous (IV) line in your arm. This is the same type of IV that doctors use when giving medication in their offices or hospitals. It is important that you tell your doctor if you have any allergies or reactions to medications, especially those used in anesthesia.
During endoscopy, most patients need help breathing while they are under sedation. This is because they cannot hold their breath on their own when they are asleep like they would normally do when not under anesthesia. A nurse or respiratory therapist will monitor a patient’s breathing throughout the procedure by watching their chest rise and fall with each breath taken through an oxygen mask placed over their face during this period.
Things to avoid during endoscopy procedure
You should not eat or drink anything for two hours before your endoscopy appointment. If you are having a colonoscopy and have any bowel preparation instructions from your doctor, follow those instructions carefully so that there is room for everything to move through your system once your colon is cleaned out. Do not put anything in your rectum, butt such as suppositories or enemas. These may interfere with getting good images of that part of your body during an endoscopy procedure.
Are there risks related to endoscopy?
After the procedure, you may have abdominal pain. Your risk for complications is low, but serious complications can occur, as with any medical procedure. These include bleeding from tissue removed during a biopsy or from polyps removal or perforation of the esophagus or stomach wall in rare cases.
Finally, if you do experience intestinal pain after a procedure done through an endoscope, contact an endoscopy specialist right away so that they can evaluate how to help you manage this discomfort.