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DRAFT
of patient handout
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What
to Expect During Your Endoscopy Exam
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Your
physician will be doing a diagnostic exam called an endoscopy (end-DAHS-coh-pee)
to look at the passageway from your throat to your stomach. This will
help your doctor decide on the best way to help you. Please be sure to
read all of this handout, so you will know what to do before your exam
and what you can expect during and after your exam.
What You Need
to Do Before Your Exam
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Do not eat or drink anything after midnight
the night before your exam, not even water, because your stomach must be empty. You may brush your teeth, though.
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Stop taking any medicine you normally take.
Your doctor or a nurse will tell you when to stop taking the medicine before your exam and when you can start taking it again.
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Bring a list of any and all medicines that you take,
including the prescribed amount and how often you take them. It's a good idea to bring the medicine containers to make this easier. Be sure to tell the nurse about any allergies you have, too.
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Please do not bring anything valuable with you,
such as money or jewelry. If you forget and wear jewelry, you will need to take it off.
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Remove nail polish, trim your fingernails.
This is so we can attach a small monitor to your finger during the procedure. This will not hurt.
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Have someone drive you to and from the clinic.
We will give you medicine to make you relaxed and sleepy during the endoscopy. Even though you may not feel tired after the medication wears off, your judgment and reflexes may not be as good as usual, so it is important to have a friend, neighbor or relative come with you, wait in the recovery area during the exam, then take you home, rather than driving or taking public transportation yourself.
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When You
Arrive for Your Exam
Please be sure to be at the clinic one hour before your examination, to allow time for you to check in and get ready. If you are being admitted to the hospital after your exam or have a heart problem that requires antibiotic medicine before your endoscopy, you will be asked to arrive earlier.
When you arrive at the clinic, go to the patient registration area. A nurse will show you where to get undressed, store your clothes and put on a hospital gown. If you wear dentures or contact lenses, you will need to remove them, too. The nurse will check your temperature, pulse and blood pressure, then ask you questions about your medical history and current condition.
What Happens
During and After Your Exam
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Your doctor will ask you to sign a form giving your permission for the examination (this is routine).
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To make you comfortable and to make it easier for the doctor to examine you, you will lie down.
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A nurse will attach painless devices to monitor your vital signs during the examination.
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The nurse will insert an IV needle in your arm, so you can get medicine through a tube to help you relax, perhaps even sleep, during the exam.
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The
doctor or nurse will spray your throat to make it numb, then your
doctor will put a thin, flexible tube called an endoscope through
your mouth, down your throat, into your stomach and the first part
of your upper intestine. The tube has a light for your doctor to see
things that x-rays cannot show in this area of your digestive system.
The tube is thinner than most of the food you swallow (about the width
of a pencil), and you will be able to breathe normally.
[Insert illustration. Please use simple line drawing of upper GI
tract with arrows to show path of endoscope.] |
| • |
The
exam takes only 15 to 30 minutes, and it will feel awkward, but it
will not hurt. |
| • |
After your exam, you will stay in the recovery room for at least an
hour. You may feel a bit groggy from the medicine, so you must remain
in the clinic until your friend or relative is there to take you home.
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Your doctor will answer any questions you have before you go home.
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Complications
or Unlikely Problems
Endoscopy is a very safe procedure, and the chance of complications or problems is low, because your doctor is specially trained and experienced in doing this exam. Although it is unusual for any of these things to happen, we know you want to know what could happen and what that might mean.
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You may have a sore throat for several hours after the exam.
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You might bleed, but any bleeding is usually minor and temporary. In rare cases, it could require a transfusion or surgery. There is a slight chance that the tube could cause a tiny tear in the lining of your esophagus or stomach, but that normally heals by itself.
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If you have any questions about your exam, the cost, or insurance, be
sure to call your doctor's office:
Doctor's name: _______________________________ Phone: _____________
Your endoscopy is scheduled for (date): _______________ (time) _________
Please check in at the clinic registration desk no later than (time):
________
You will be ready to go home with a friend at approximately (time): ________
Additional instructions:
[map
of intersection, parking]
The Endoscopy Clinic ¤ 422 E. Streetname St. ¤ City,
CA 12345
Phone 444-444-1234
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