EGD: Esophagogastroduodenoscopy

May 22, 2012

Yesterday I had an EGD (Esophagogastroduodenoscopy) test as part of my preop appointments. They asked me to do a quick physical in the morning with a Nurse Practitioner and I certainly will not be going back to her again. I didn't care for her personality, which is besides the point, but when I told her I was having bariatric surgery (I had to explain what VSG was to her) she asked,"How did you ever qualify for that surgery?" I know she didn't mean it as a negative comment...actually I'm sure she thought she was complimenting me but I felt like it was kind of inappropriate. She met me for all of 30 seconds before making that comment. She has no idea what my life has been like, what other medical problems I have and so forth. I constantly get told by people that I carry my weight well. I tell you though, being inside my own body and carrying this weight around is not an easy task. I am bottom heavy as I've said before and because of that, I do not let the girls out (my legs). Ever. The fact that I have a photo on my profile here of me in shorts is a HUGE leap forward in my confidence that this surgery will be the tool I need to help me. I am thinking about taking another photo that shows how when I stand with my feet together (after some adjustment to get my feet together) there is no gap from my thighs all the way to my ankles. Anyway, enough of that sob story. I don't need to justify my choice to have this surgery to anybody. 

The EGD: I don't remember anything about the test itself, at all. I actually even doubted they did anything cause I felt perfectly fine when I came around from the anesthesia. I shoud explain that this procedure involves swallowing a tiny camera on a flexible tube that allows the docs to get a good look at the insides they are preparing to hack apart. They took a look at my esophagus, stomach and the first part of my intestines. There are photos in my medical record that I can see and I gotta tell you, I look as cute on the inside as I feel. They had me fast for 6 hours before hand which ended up being more like 14 hours since I didn't want to wake up super early for breakfast. I checked in and they got me situated in a hospital bed. This was the first time I have ever even laid down in a hospital bed and I gotta say, it was pretty comfortable. They got me hooked up to a monitoring machine and put an IV in with some saline dripping (again a first for me). The IV was about the worst part. Once my time came for my test, they wheeled me in to the procedure room  and made sure I had oxygen in my nose and that my bp and heart rate monitors were working. The technician sprayed some cherry flavored numbing spray in my throat and they asked me to roll onto my left side. The nurse injected my IV with something to make me sleepy (my chart says Fentanyl and another drug that starts with a V but I can't think of right now). She said I wasn't sleepy enough so she gave me more and that my friends is the absolute last thing I remember about the procedure. Next I remember I was being wheeled out and when I got to my room again, they had me drink an apple juice. When I finished they said that was the test to know if anything went wrong. I vaguely remember the doctor coming to talk to me about how it went. He said everything came back normal and wished me luck on my upcoming surgery. They took out my IV and had me sit and then stand and then slowly walk to make sure I could. I felt pretty ok from then on...like I was drunk. A little happy and I had that lightheaded, carefreeness that comes with being drunk. My friend walked me home (I live literally next door to the hospital) and that was that. My throat is still a teeny tiny bit sore but nothing to write home about. Stay tuned for more fun pre-op stuff next week as the countdown continues!

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