Endoscopy- is it a must-do?

[Lizaboo 23]

Hello everyone!

My friend and I are both going through the pre-surgery process, although I'm a few months ahead of her. I've had my gross taste-test and found a small hiatal hernia and some reflux, and my surgeon says I have to do the gastric bypass due to the reflux (bummer, I was hoping to do the sleeve, but oh well). Next up is the dreaded endoscopy. I'm more worried about that then the surgery right now!

My friend had her first consult, and was told SHE had to do the sleeve, not the bypass, due to some pulmonary edema issues she at a gallbladder surgery. Poor girl. But, they told her (the other surgeon at hospital), that some people prefer to do bypass just to avoid endoscopy.

Avoid endoscopy? What?!? This was put on my list! So my question is this- How many of you have had to have it? Is this just the norm for bypass as well? Would it be worth it to contact surgeon and ask about getting out of it, or is this something I really should just take a deep breath and deal with?

Thanks!

[Creekimp13 5,840]

1. Endoscopy is a piece of cake. You go in..get prepped. It takes about 20 minutes and you're done. You get a drug that gives you amnesia about the whole thing, and you rapidly feel normal. You do have to have someone drive you that day....but hubby and I went in the morning, and were done in time to go to lunch. Had no problem enjoying a restaurant and shopping that afternoon. It's not bad at all. A little sore throat:)

Some people don't have to do endoscopy. My surgeon has us do barium x-rays first. If they look normal, we can skip the endoscopy. Mine looked abnormal so I had to have the endoscopy......I had a little gastritis, probably due to a hiatal hernia and NSAID use...but it wasn't bad enough to stop me from getting sleeve. Have not had any problems with GERD since my surgery:)

Please don't worry about the endoscopy, it's super easy.

[Mhy12784 423]

Everybody gets an endoscopy preop at my hospital. Sleeve bypass, lap band. I'm not sure why a surgeon would do it on some and not others (I guess they use it to exclude sleeve candidates with bad GERD).

At my hospital they also do an endo at the end of every bariatric case

So if you get a sleeve or bypass they stick a scope down at the end of the surgery to double check that everything is fine and take another look around.

Honestly the endo is nothing compared to the surgery

[GassyGurl 428]

I was self pay and didn't have to get one. Out of 3 surgeons I did a consult with, only 1 required it.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

[Mhy12784 423]

16 minutes ago, GassyGurl said:

I was self pay and didn't have to get one. Out of 3 surgeons I did a consult with, only 1 required it.

Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

Well if you're a self pay it makes a LOT more sense why they wouldn't require an endo. It would drive up the price of the surgery unnecessarily for prospective patients, which makes you as a surgeon less attractive to potential customers.

That said if your insurance covers it I think it's generally a good idea for patients to get one, it really only benefits you giving you the most information to make an informed decision

[MarinaGirl 609]

I think getting an EGD endoscopy prior to surgery is a great requirement. It gives your surgeon data on your GI tract prior to cutting, which can help her/him decide on the right procedure for you, finalize their surgical approach, and identify any issues that need to be addressed prior to surgery to mitigate risks & complications.

I’ve had many EGDs pre and post gastric bypass. They’re done with twilight sedation and aren’t a big deal, really.

Edited June 22, 2018 by MarinaGirl

[EsoKev 94]

My surgeon is very adamant about doing an EGD. It helps not to go into surgery blind. I thought the whole thing was rather funny. I'm normally very claustrophobic and anxious, but one of the nurses said something that just seemed to help me relax a ton - "We're NOT going down your windpipe." For some reason, that immediately put at ease. The meds didn't put me out entirely, but it didn't hurt. I remember a lot of burping, which I didn't expect at all. I even watched my little pink tummy on the monitor. The nurses and doctor were amused by how lucid I was.

[moondoggie1983 202]

My EGD was nothing. I’d never had surgery before so I was terrified of being put under. Ha! I was in and out in 15 minutes! I remember NOTHING after they said something about we’re giving you something that will relax you.
I was clean so I was good for the sleeve which I was sooo glad about. I absolutely did not want the bypass.
Yes, my surgeon requires it. Plus, when I went in for surgery, he simply uses the endoscope as the bougie. So my tummy is quite a bit smaller than most surgeons create. It’s a 32. A pretty tight 32. Here’s a nifty little comparison of bougie sizes.
After I had such an amazing and easy time with the EGD, I never panicked about surgery. Not one bit! I have terrible anxiety so I guess knowing I would be ok being put under made the actual surgery a breeze.
I’d say if your insurance covers it, go for it. Even though I did not want the bypass, I’d rather have had the EGD come back with the results that told my team I needed the bypass than have to go through a revision surgery later on.

[Oceanlove 98]

I went in had no choice. It was super easy. They drug you up. Put you a sleep while doing it. And all done.