Purpose of endoscopy exam?

Hi,  did anyone else have to do an endoscopy exam?

If so did the doctor tell you why?  i asked my doctor why and he said he will not perform surgery without one...but no clear reason of the significance.  i've had an upper GI and liver sonogram done by another surgeon who doesn't require an endoscopy exam.

In my case they found a bacterial infection called HPylori and they can't do surgery until the meds knock it out. Also, I think they check for hernias and ulcers

First they look for any damage caused by GERD. Then they look for a hiatal hernia since that will have to be repaired during surgery. Then they look for ulcers. Then they look all the way into your small intestine to make sure everything is alright. Then they take biopsies in three spots looking for bacteria and cancer.

They are just wanting to make sure everything looks right on the inside before they proceed in cutting off 85% of your stomach.

My surgeon put me to sleep and did a colonoscopy at the same time. It wasn't so bad and I now know I'm good from either end.

Exactly what Deckeriv said. They actually found both the H.Pylori and an ulcer when they did my endoscopy and I had no symptoms so I would not have ever checked had I not started the surgery journey. I had three weeks of treatment and then had to wait for another month and had another endoscopy (I am told I am a Ninja - no anesthetic and I lived to tell the tale) and then got the all clear for the surgery. What worries me Marcus is that the surgeon didnot take the time to explain to you the significance of the endoscopy - in his opinion and as it fits into his standard operating procedures. I hope, if this is going to be your surgeon, that he will be better at explaining the significance of after care and follow up to you as well as the nutritional post op program of eating throughout the weight loss phase and beyond.

my doctor does the endoscopy during the surgery to avoid a separate test.   He also uses it for the leak test following the surgery. The reason for it is to check, via a biopsy, for h.pylori, the bacteria that causes ulcers.

If your doctor is not clearly answering your questions, this is the time to find out!!  I left my first doctor for exactly that reason!!!!!

Good communication is very important and your doctor should respect your questions and answer them.

 

Good luck!!