I had an endoscopy yesterday, and they sedated me with fentanyl and versed—a narcotic and an amnesiac. Does this mean I didn’t feel any discomfort, or did I feel like I was choking and then forget about it. The latter possibility gives me the creeps.
Assuming you had an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) as opposed to colonoscopy or bronchoscopy or other endoscopy, I expect the drugs reduced the discomfort you experienced in the first place, then made you forget about the discomfort you did have. And I expect you did at least some choking as the tube was passed down into your esophagus and stomach.
That possibility may give you the creeps, but trust me that it’s a whole lot better than being unmedicated and remembering the whole thing.
Ya really oughta read this thread:
I’ve suddenly become mortally petrified of undergoing general anaesthetic (personal identity Q)
Guy spent 9 pages of posts having the creeps about it.
In 2009 I needed back surgery. The anesthesiologists wanted to insert a breathing tube into my lungs. I have an unusually narrow opening to the esophagus so they tried, and failed. And tried, and failed, And tried, and failed. I was choking. In fact, I kept saying to myself that this is what it must be like to be waterboarded. I literally thought that I might die.
In 2016 I returned for another round of back surgery. I told my doctor what had happened and that I never wanted to go through that again. I told everybody I came in contact with in the hospital the same thing, probably including passing strangers. The anesthesiologists insisted on using a tube nevertheless. I remember being rolled out of pre-op. I remember waking up in post-op. I remember nothing in between. THIS WAS MUCH BETTER. I feel nothing creepy about missing the sensation of imminent death. That’s a WONDERFUL MIRACLE OF MODERN SCIENCE.
Take the gift of forgetfulness they gave you and cherish it.
You felt a muted amount of discomfort, you didn’t actually care, then you forgot all about it. It’s wonderful stuff.
I got propofol and fentanyl for a scope and the first thing I remember post-procedure was that everything was very funny between the hospital bed and the car. Putting underpants on required utmost concentration. The asphalt of the parking lot was made of trampoline rubber. My wife, who had to be there to take responsibility for me, says I was very chatty and animated with the recovery room nurses before falling asleep again. I don’t remember that bit or anything after the needle in the arm.
I do remember one of the drugs is cold and stingy on the way in. Maybe they’re all like that.
Yep. I’ve done a sigmoidoscopy, an endoscopy and a colonoscopy and the last two were vastly more comfortable because I was drugged. The undrugged sigmoidoscopy was decidedly safer( no drugs ), but a heck of a lot less pleasant.
Now if you want to be creeped out you can conjure all sorts of fantasies about just what happened that you can no longer remember - like that horribly embarrassing thing you spilled your guts about while all drugged up :p.
I’ve gotten that combination for a colonoscopy twice. What I noticed both times was that the initial test dose to see how I’d react before getting given the full dose was very pleasant. The effect was that the cold, sterile room I was in sort of took on soft edges, and I suddenly felt very warm, cozy and content. I often wondered which of those two drugs is talking at that point. I’m guessing the versed - it’s a benzodiazepine tranquilizer, and something was certainly making me tranquil.