I would consider this day, July 12, as one of the most stressful and nerve-racking day for me. This morning, my wife, @Ivez, had to undergo an endoscopy procedure at a hospital in our city. Let me share some details of the event.
For some few weeks now, my wife has been suffering from intense stomach pain. She described the feeling as a stomach pain, a burning sensation, or somewhat difficulty in breathing reaching up to her throat area. This is not new to her, since she was diagnosed as suffering from GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease), more commonly known as acid reflux. It can be triggered by sour or chilly food, stress or even an intense emotion. What was unusual this time was the length of her stomach pains. Even after she took some usual acid-suppressant medicines which normally fix the problem, the pain still persisted.
After a couple of visits to the doctor, and different medicines were tried out, her Gastroenterologist suggested that she undergo an endoscopy. Endoscopy refers to a non-surgical medical procedure wherein a camera will be inserted to her mouth up to the stomach to see what was inside and finally figure out the cause of her acid reflux.
(Photo is mine)
The procedure took place at the endoscopy section of the emergency room
Before the procedure, she was having second thoughts since she thinks that she is now feeling much better. I insisted that we proceed with it since this may be our only chance. After tons of prayers for several days, we decided to follow the doctor's advise to go ahead with it. She was then scheduled to undergo the said procedure this morning at 8 in the morning. But instead of 8am, we had to wait for more than 2 hours for her Gastro doctor and another anesthesiologist. Yes, the procedure needed an assistance of an anesthesiologist since it had to be performed while she is asleep and under anesthesia.
(Image is mine)
The wait for the doctor was stressful as well
The endoscopy nurses started to prepare her for the procedure. One thing I noticed was her blood pressure. It was higher than usual. Her diastolic (lower number) even reached more than a hundred. So I kept telling her to relax while we're waiting for the doctor. However, the staff seemed unalarmed by her blood pressure so I guess I had nothing to be worried about.
(Photo is mine)
(Photo is mine)
Although it is a non-surgical procedure, an endoscopy patient had to be prepared as if he or she will undergo an operation.
At half past 10, everything is prepared for the procedure. I wanted to record the event but they told us that it is prohibited to do so. I had no other choice but to just watch it. I was really anxious and worried at the same time. Not knowing what is going to happen or be discovered is too scary. I think this is one of the reasons why many Filipinos decide not to see the doctor even when they're not feeling well. She was then sedated and put to sleep. I was watching closely as the doctor started to insert the tube through her mouth. I could see what was inside. I realized that the stomach was all pink and slimy and has different textures. The doctor noticed a polyp and an erosion and had them removed and tested. In the video, the polyp looked like an acne while the erosion looked like a slight discoloration on the surface. But in reality, these abnormalities are too small but can still cause an ulcer or a more serious problem if left untreated.
After more than 10 minutes, the procedure was over. At exactly the same time, my wife was awake. It took more than an hour for her to be fully awake and recovered. Our next visit to the doctor will be by next week to find out the result of the biopsy.
She is now doing fine and we just wish that the result next week will be good as well. This day will definitely go down to our history as one of the most unforgettable.
I would like to say thank you to @surpassinggoogle for his generosity and bright ideas. You can also show appreciation by voting him at https://steemit.com/~witnesses and type in"steemgigs" at the first search box.
Also, I would like to thank my steemit family, @ivez, @saskia, @juwel, @atongis, @yadah04 @cutirenskei @jetskie @franbel @jysui @shula14 @sisonengg @joonz @iyann @phantum04 @maaq
@snowhite @shawmeow @dunkman @el-dee-are-es @ivez @dwightjaden @glight @iyanpol12 and many others. I am unable to upvote all of your wonderful articles and for that I apologize. I will try to do it whenever I can.
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