Bournemouth Digestive Diseases Centre: Endoscopy Procedure

An endoscopy is a medical test. It helps doctors see inside your body. They use a tool called an endoscope to do this. It looks inside spaces and organs in your body.

An endoscopy is a test that helps doctors see inside the tummy. It can find problems like sores, swelling, celiac disease, and cancer. Doctors also use it to take a small piece of tissue for testing.

Before the test, you might need to stop eating for a few hours. Your doctor will tell you exactly what to do. This depends on what kind of test it is.

You will usually get medicine to help you feel calm. The doctor then gently puts a special tube into your mouth, bottom, or through a small cut. This helps the doctor see the part of your body they need to check.

The test takes about 15 to 45 minutes. But you might stay at the clinic or hospital for a few hours to get ready and to rest afterward.

Getting an endoscopy is mostly safe. But sometimes, it can cause problems. These problems can be things like infections, bleeding, or small tears in the organ they are looking at. It is important to talk to your doctor if you are worried.

Here are some tools and techniques that might help:

• Ask Your Doctor Questions: Before you get an endoscopy, make sure you ask your doctor all the questions you have. This will help you feel better and understand more.
• Bring a Friend: Take someone you trust to the doctor's appointment. They can help you remember what the doctor says and support you.
• Write Things Down: Write down your worries and the doctor's answers. This will help you remember what you talked about.

You might feel a bit uncomfortable when you have an endoscopy. This is a medical test. Doctors often give you medicine to help you feel better and not hurt during the test.

You might feel sleepy because of the medicine. Your throat might hurt a little bit, or you could feel a bit full in your tummy. Most people can go back to doing what they usually do the next day.

After the medicine you get, you can't drive a car. It could be dangerous. Ask someone to take you home. Don’t use big machines for the rest of the day.

Your doctor will talk to you about what they found after the test. If you need to come back, they will set up another appointment. It might take a few days to get the biopsy results.

Here are some tips to help understand this:

• Read each sentence slowly.
• Use a finger or a bookmark to keep your place on the page.
• Ask someone to explain any words you don't understand.

CT scans and X-rays are special pictures of the inside of your body. They give doctors some information. But they don’t let doctors see inside your body as clearly as an endoscopy.

We have different kinds of tests to look inside your body. These include looking inside your stomach (gastroscopy), looking inside your bowel (colonoscopy), and a tiny camera you can swallow (capsule endoscopy). Your doctor will choose the best test for you based on how you feel.

Some tools can help. You can use pictures and videos to understand better. If you're worried, you can talk to someone you trust before the test.

How often you need an endoscopy depends on what is wrong and what your doctor says. Some people who are sick for a long time might need endoscopies often to keep an eye on things.

Insurance is how you pay for health care.

Different places sell different insurance. That means they do not all work the same.

It's a good idea to ask your insurance company what they will pay for.

Ask the clinic, too. They are the people who give the care. They can help you know what you need to pay by yourself.

Some tools can help, like asking someone you trust to help, or using simple apps that explain things clearly.

Bring these things with you:

• Your ID (like a driver's license or passport).
• Your insurance card.
• A list of the medicines you take.
• Any papers or instructions your doctor gave you.