Endoscopy: What to Expect

If you’re having gastrointestinal (GI) problems, your provider asks you many questions to determine what’s causing your symptoms. Your provider wants to know when your symptoms started, how they feel, when they bother you most, and what impact they’re having on you.

Sometimes, your provider can diagnose a GI condition with a general checkup and discussing your symptoms. But often, your provider needs more information before making decisions about your diagnosis and treatment plan.

One way your provider collects information about your GI health is through a procedure known as an endoscopy. This test allows your provider to look closely at structures in your upper GI system.

At Texas Digestive Disease Consultants in The Woodlands, Texas, Dr. Ilyas Memon and his dedicated team of care providers have extensive experience conducting endoscopies. Here, they share useful information about what you can expect if you have an endoscopy.

A closer look

An endoscopy is a procedure that uses a flexible tube, called an endoscope, to give your provider a view of your internal structures, such as the stomach, esophagus, and upper part of the small intestine.

The endoscope contains a light and a tiny camera so your provider can easily maneuver and examine various parts of your GI tract. The camera sends images to a computer monitor that your provider views in the procedure room.

In some cases, your provider may perform procedures during your endoscopy, such as removing tissue samples (biopsies) for analysis or removing polyps.

Here at Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, we also offer a capsule endoscopy for some applications. A capsule endoscopy is a tiny camera that you swallow. As it goes through your GI system, it records information that it sends to a recording device. Your provider reviews the images collected by the camera after the test is complete.

Conditions and symptoms

Here are some conditions and symptoms that your provider can explore with endoscopy:

• Abdominal pain
• Acid reflux, heartburn, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Esophageal narrowing
• Gastritis
• Peptic ulcers
• Precancerous polyps and digestive tract cancers
• Trouble swallowing
• Ulcerative colitis
• Unexplained bleeding, vomiting, or nausea

What to expect

An endoscopy is a straightforward, minimally invasive outpatient procedure.

Before your endoscopy, you receive a gentle intravenous sedative to relax you. You also receive medication (usually a spray or a gargle) that allows your throat to relax so your provider can insert the endoscope without causing you discomfort.

Once you are prepared, your provider performs the procedure. Because of the sedative, you are in a state of relaxation that allows you to be comfortable and unaware of what’s going on.

After the procedure ends, you gradually awaken from sedation. You remain in the endoscopy center for up to an hour or two until you are ready to get a ride home from a friend or relative.

Your provider contacts you after your endoscopy with results from the test, along with recommendations for further testing, treatment, or follow-up care.

Care for all your GI needs

If you have any type of digestive health symptoms or conditions, our team of caring providers urges you to have them evaluated. To schedule an appointment at Texas Digestive Disease Consultants, call 281-764-9500 or book an appointment online.