Going For The Scope?

[Marlene]

Hey,

I have been gluten/casein free for 9 1/2 months. While I have seen major improvement in some areas, I continue to struggle with upper abdominal issues. I get this upper abdominal pain sometimes accompanied by nausea. The pain can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days or even a week. Spicy foods, acidic foods, caffeine, chocolate, and stress really seem to aggravate it. It seems to get worse when my stomach is empty. I am also still losing weight. I have gone from a size 12 to a size 6 in the last year and a half. I still feel tired and often weak.

I really think there is something still wrong with my small intestine/duodenal area. Ulcers, maybe?? I had a blood test for H Pylori about 1 1/2 years ago. It came back negative. However, I have learned since then that if you are taking Pepto Bismal (which I was practically living on at the time) you can get a false negative.

I really think I should get an endoscopy and biopsy of my small intestine to see if there is anything else going on. As much as I can't handle anything stuck down my throat. Do they put you completely out for this procedure? I really hope so.

Any similar experiences or advice for me?

Thanks!

Marlene

[deedub]

I just had one done this past wednesday, it really was soo easy, quick, painless. I didn't even need to sleep off the drugs the rest of the day. I was put out, but not totally..more like a twilight state..not too bad at all. Apparently its' considered the best test for these GI issues, but still not always accurate.

Good luck, it's really not a big deal at ALL..really !

Dave

[jmengert]

The drug they gave me was for "conscious sedation," but once that stuff went into my IV, the next thing I remember is getting wheeled back to the recovery area. I slept and laid around the rest of the day, but it was really no big deal--and I was *terrified* of having the procedure done. Just make sure to have someone there with you to drive you home and have it in the morning since you can't eat or drink after midnight. I took the day off from work but was fine to go back to teaching the next day.

Good luck--I hope they can figure out what's going on.