Endoscopy and Terrified!!!

My daughter has had multiple endoscopies, biopsies of stomach and several other organs, has swallowed a camera in a small pill that took photos of her entire digestive process, and once had to keep a tube through her nose down to her stomach for 24 hours. That was uncomfortable and weird.

But don't be worried or terrified. There are so many reasons for that feeling of something in her throat.

There is something called a globus sensation where there is no physical problem but a very real sensation of something in the throat. Treatments may include swallowing and speech therapy, antacids, or other fairly minimal approaches.

My daughter has lupus and has a dry esophagus (not a dry mouth - it was what was causing that feeling). She takes a medication three times a day that is a cholinergic that produces more mucus and relieves the feeling of blockages.

Also, you might consider getting your daughter to a good dentist. Sometimes there is a piece of food that's been stuck in a small hidden area, or a piece of baby tooth, that just is lodged there and can be felt. Tell the dentist what your daughter experiences and request that the dentist carefully examine the throat as thoroughly as possible for any obstructions. Make sure it's not just the hygienist, but the actual dentist who evaluates your daughter's mouth and throat.

Also, there are dry mouth rinses that may help - they're available in pharmacies over-the-counter. There are also sprays sold in health food stores for throat relief - they're not medicinal, they're just things like honey and other soothing things that people who talk a lot (professors giving lectures, for example) or people who sing use to keep their throats well lubricated and not irritated.

Your daughter might end up not having any problems at all. Perhaps she's consistently dehydrated, or chewing a lot of gum, or perhaps she's developed a habit of clenching her jaw in a particular way that causes discomfort. Make sure she's not eating things with artificial sweeteners - use raw local honey or maple syrup for sweetening things. Pay attention to what she eats and drinks. Maybe she's eating a lot of dry crackers or chips and not drinking enough fluids.

The doctors have ways of making the procedures seem less scary for a child, and your child might not have any problem with it at all. Please try to focus on using all the available tools to help your child feel better, and make yourself part of the team that's doing all they can to figure out what this sensation is. If you're terrified and dreading it, you can't be as helpful. Call on your inner strength, from whatever your source (God, meditation, exercise, rest, an enjoyable hobby, a dear friend) and know that you can handle this.

I had the same thing happen to me!
I've been hypothyroid since 32 (I'm 54 now) and they sonogram my thyroid periodically.
At one point I had this feeling like there was something in my throat that I couldn't quite swallow - a really weird feeling.
I was afraid my thyroid was growing or something was going on.
So I went to my Ear Nose Throat doctor, - they scoped me in their office - no hospital needed - he numbed up the back of my throat (to suppress gag response) and the tube goes in through the nose, down the back and into the throat and esophagus.
It sounds gross but you don't feel a thing and it's super easy!
I was awake the whole time - it was not painful or uncomfortable at all.
It took longer for the numbing (they used a spray bottle - they sprayed a little Novocaine) to take effect than the whole look see with the scope.
It was over in under 20 min.

Anyway - my throat was FINE as was my thyroid.
But the base of my esophagus down near my stomach was irritated.
It turns out I was having a bit of acid re-flux and instead of feeling the irritation near where it actually was - I was feeling it way up in my throat!
Nerves are funny that way.
A few weeks on Prilosec took care of it - and I've never had a recurrence.

Don't be scared - look at it as a cool way to have a look inside and be interested and ask questions.
If YOU thinks it's cool - so will your child.
You never want your kid to pick up on your fear.
You swallow it and suppress it for your childs sake.
Take a deep breath and relax over a small glass of wine later on.

First - please don't be scared. If you are scared - she will be scared and will make the whole thing worse.

Second. These are done DAILY. It's NOT a new procedure. They know what they are doing.

Third - you NEED to find out what's wrong with her.

If her esophageal flap is NOT working right, it can be repaired. They might be able to do it while they are doing the endoscopy.

BREATHE.

My now 13 year old son had this done when he was 9 months old - yes - it was scary. They gave him twilight sedation and I was there the WHOLE time. Got to watch and be there when he woke up. Mine was a BABY when this was done. He had no clue what was going on. Why did they do it? Because they were trying to figure out WHY he was spitting up and SCREAMING in pain all the time....he had GERD - or so they thought. He's now 13 and no problems!

You can do this mama!! BREATHE!!! Stay calm. Trust the doctors.

ETA: Sorry - don't mean to freak you out. When I talked about my kids, I was talking about being put under and going to the OR (mine had it as part of another procedure). Just for an endoscopy of course they would not go to the OR. Sorry if I freaked you out. You may be with the child when they do it - not sure. Be something to ask the GI specialist or whoever is doing it.

I have had 2 done on me. I don't remember them. Later my throat was a bit sore. Nothing major at all. My husband was in the room with me for one of them. It was just done at my GI specialist's office.

My son had one I believe .. with his adenoids out. He would have been around same age. He had to have his adenoids removed because he was snoring and it was affecting his sleep - they were slightly enlarged. He also had ear troubles. Anyhow, even after that whole procedure (he was out) he just woke up, had pain meds, and we gave him popsicles I believe. I think they gave us a bucket for the car ride home because sometimes they are a bit sick.

I always felt our kids were in good hands. If you get anxious, you can make your kid anxious. We didn't really go into detail with our kids. Just need to know basis. Mine were good - just the goodbye to mom and dad part was a little teary, but nothing major. They got to take their stuffy in and they have lovely nurses. I'm sure it will be fine.

And no - you don't go in the OR with the child. They come and get them when it's time and my kids are softies - and they were fine. My 2 year olds went under for tubes in their ears and did just fine too.

I have no experience with this specifically but what I can say is that when the doctors think it is something really serious they don't mess around. The fact that the appointment is over 2 weeks away is a great sign. They would send you to the ER if they thought this was something urgent.

Anesthesia is actually very safe. Trust your daughter's doctors. They know
what they are doing and how to handle children.

This will workout.

Hi M.,

ETA: I wrote before reading the other responses, but unlike one of the posters below, my son's procedure did take place in the hospital, not a physician's office.

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My son just had this procedure in December at age 10. I was also concerned about anesthesia for my little guy, even though I'm very familiar with medical and surgical procedures. It's normal to be concerned as a parent, but don't let fear drive you in this---let information be your guide so you can be calm, collected, and supportive for your child. If you are frightened, she'll pick up on that, and that may increase the natural fears she's already likely to have when facing an unknown situation like this.

I asked to be able to speak with the anesthesiologist, and he called me the night before the procedure to answer all of my questions, provide general overview of expected, typical responses to anesthesia, and to assure me of how many of these procedures he's done. He was truly wonderful and spent at least 15 minutes on the phone with me. That meant so much to me, and I cannot say enough about how wonderful this doctor was, the respect he showed to me as a parent and a partner in my son's healthcare, and his incredible bedside manner with my son the next day.

It really depends on the involved doctors' and the hospital's policies, but I was allowed to go with my son into the pre-op area and stay with him the entire time while they prepped him and put in the IV. I was able to talk my son's gastroenterologist and again with the anesthesiologist prior to the procedure. They were both incredible and were joking with my son to help him feel less frightened. They even allowed me into the operating room to hold my son's hand while they put him under. As soon as he was under, I went to the waiting area, where my dear friend had shown up to provide support for me as my husband was out of town.

The procedure was fairly quick, probably 30-45 minutes. I was allowed back in while waiting for him to recover from the anesthesia. The anesthesiologist came in to check on him, and then the gastro came back to give me a copy of the photos of the procedure. The gastro showed me the areas of inflammation and told me what he thought was going on but said we'd get the biopsy results in about a week.

When my son woke up, the doctors talked with him again and told him how well he did. Then my son ate a popsicle, got dressed, and we headed home. On the way home, he decided he wanted his favorite burger and ate it with no problem.

Ask your doctor what his/her policies are regarding the pre-op procedures and how long you can stay with your child, and also make sure to ask the hospital what they allow. Even if the doctor says it's okay, the hospital may have different procedures. The same friend who stayed with me was not allowed to stay with her son when he had his tonsils out….different doctors, different hospital, different procedures, so get your list of questions together and find out so you know what to expect.

As for what they found, my son has ulcerations and inflammation in the esophagus and stomach, most likely related to food allergies. This is despite having outgrown many of his food allergies, but according to the pediatric gastro, there are some children who still show sensitivities to foods even when the allergic reactions are no longer present. He'll be working with our allergist to figure out what to do next. They put my son on medication to help with the ulcerations, and we have a follow-up scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

These doctors do these procedures all the time. I know it can be scary for you, but find physicians you trust, and let them do what they need to do to help your child. Your role is to gather information so you can make the best decisions on behalf of your daughter and to reassure her and be her source of strength.

Wishing you the best with this.

Breathe mama!! Our son had an endoscopy last year (he was 4). The whole procedure took about 20 minutes. Fortunately (or unfortunately), our middle son (now 7) has had 3 open heart surgeries, 6 heart caths, and a cardiac MRI that all required anesthesia, so we weren't too worried about the scope.
They will probably offer to give her Versed before taking her back. It's a sedative that will just help take the edge off for her. She'll act like she's drunk. I really didn't want it for my son at first (the one going in for heart surgery) because I figured he'd be on enough medication, but it was wonderful. When they wheeled him back he wasn't upset or crying. It made passing him off to the doctor much easier. He was acting silly and relaxed.
((Hugs)) I hope you get some answers!

My husband was also having food "stuck".
He ignored it and it progressed to a choking like feeling.
The walls of his esophagus were thickening because of seasonal and food allergies.
He says the symptoms of food being stuck and choking were worse then the scope.
She is going to be fine, and much better off after this procedure.
I have found talking to the pre-op nurse to be very comforting.

My son was to have an operation at 3. The Anesthesiologist came in met him, met us, checked the chart, asked us questions, rechecked the chart, reconfirmed our answers, checked the chart and again reconfirmed our answers. In other words, he was thorough.

She is going to be fine, but please don't let her pick up on your anxiety.

sweetie, i understand the terror but you have GOT to get a grip. your 7 year old is way more perceptive than most give kids credit for and your terror is going to impact her powerfully and negatively.
it IS scary. i'm not downplaying it. i haven't encountered this particular problem, but having had a toddler undergo a heart procedure and being sick with fear that he was going to die, i totally do get it.
there's no way to not be scared, but you need to talk yourself down just the same way you'd talk her down. anesthesia is a well-researched and practiced branch of medicine. a well-trained experienced professional will be handling it. the tube going down her throat won't be any problem. it's happening thousands of times right now as you read this post. they know what they're doing.
of course you're afraid of bad news. but it's more likely you'll have good news. don't allow yourself to wallow in the negative and the fear. be firm with yourself. the terror is natural, but you are the boss of your head.
be the boss.
what they found in someone else's child has zero impact on what they'll find in yours. zero. some got awful news. most didn't. the odds are in your favor, but that doesn't matter when you're marinating in worst case scenarios. stop.
ask the doctor how long the procedure will be. you will get to stay with your child until she falls asleep, but no, you won't get to be there during the procedure. you can imagine how not thrilled the trained skilled professionals would be if they were working diligently on the job they know inside out but kept getting distracted by the hysterical tearful mother sitting on the sidelines.
go to your doctor and get a valium if you cannot prevent your fears from getting the better of you. but you need to mom up and be calm and strong and sensible and comforting right now, and don't think you can fool your kid.
good luck, sweetie. the odds ARE in your favor.
khairete
S.

I would be scared too, no one likes their baby having something like this done. So I don't want to downplay your fear- totally normal. Having said that, I hope you are taking lots of deep breaths from reading the other responses. There are SO many reasons this could be happening, and most of them are totally minor. I have two friends whose kids had this done- can't remember the ages, maybe 9 and 12. Both turned out to be normal- one needed to stretch the esophagus out a little (not a big deal) and one was related to allergies, an even easier fix.

I have had a few endoscopies and it was really not a big deal. Obviously any procedure is nothing to mess with, but on the scale of procedures, really easy. Not sure if it's different for kids, but mine was an IV sedation which is much safer than going totally under. IV 'stuff' put me to sleep, when it was over (like 15 minutes) the stop the 'stuff' and I woke up. I was tired for a few hours and then back to normal around the house. I heard a few people who were next to me saying they were going back to work in a few hours after, but I'm much wimpier than that. :-)

So try to keep your worries realistic. You hate that she has to have anything done and you can't be with her. Hard to argue with that. But don't let your feelings spiral to the worst case scenario. Try to bring yourself back to the wise words of others who posted. It's way more likely that the news is going to be FINE! Good luck, and please let us know what happens, ok?

It's a surgery so I wouldn't expect you to go into the operating room. I expect they'll sedate her and you should ask if they do general or gas, kids do better when they use a general. It gets out of their system sooo much quicker.

If they can't find anything on a cat scan or X-ray then they might not find anything in there either. It might be muscle spasms.

Hi Marie,

You are completely justified in your feelings, especially about the potential findings. I have to agree with the moms below though that you need to calm down, she is picking up on your fear and anxiety.

I may get slammed for this but I'll tell you how we roll on stuff like that. If my DS has any procedure done that is at all invasive or involves needles or knives, my DH takes him. I am DS's source of comfort and it is NOT comfortable for anyone if I take him and want to clock the practitioner for going after my kid (I know that's not the reality but it tends to be my perception). I recall when he was 3 his dentist found a strange lesion on the inside of his lower gum. Dentist wanted it removed and biopsied by an oral surgeon. I knew that if I were to take him it would be a bad situation, even with my mom pants on, for both of us. So this is what we did. I sat him down, he was still small enough to sit on my lap, and calmly explained to him what was going to happen and that Daddy is much better in these circumstances and that I was going to be with him for all the comfort and attention he'd need after they got home. I don't know if this is an option for you or at the very least you can both take her and he can be the calming dynamic in the room. I know this may be controversial and some might say that I'm shirking responsibility but I stand by our collective parenting decision. Its always works best for our family when we work from our strengths. DS has never felt slighted, abandoned or neglected.

As far as the anesthesia, she will be in a twilight state. They will not put her completely under and she won't feel a thing. It will be the best nap she's ever had. You simply can't see around this corner so please stop trying to do so. I am sure she is just fine and any intervention that may possibly be needed is best pursued while she's young and otherwise healthy.

oh and the oral surgeon that worked on my DS was named Dr. Royal the Oral surgeon but my DS at 3 flipped it around and kept calling him Dr. Oral the Royal surgeon.
Tree?? Apple?? not so far apart, hoping that last makes you smile a little. :-) S.