Gastroscopy is usually done as an outpatient ‘day case’. It is a routine test, which is commonly done. The operator will numb the back of your throat by spraying on a local anaesthetic, or give you an anaesthetic lozenge to suck. You may be given a sedative to help you to relax. This is usually given by an injection into a vein in your arm. The sedative can make you drowsy but it does not ‘put you to sleep’. It is not a general anaesthetic.
You lie on your side on a couch. You are asked to put a plastic mouth guard between your teeth. This protects your teeth and stops you biting the endoscope. The operator will then ask you to swallow the first section of the endoscope. Modern endoscopes are quite thin and easy to swallow. The operator then gently pushes it further down your oesophagus, and into your stomach and duodenum. The video camera at the tip of the endoscope sends pictures to a screen. The operator watches the screen for abnormalities of the oesophagus, stomach and duodenum. Air is passed down a channel in the endoscope into the stomach to make the stomach lining easier to see. This may cause you to feel ‘full’ and want to belch.
The operator may take one or more biopsies of parts of the inside lining of the gut – depending on why the test is done and what they see. This is painless. The biopsy samples are sent to the lab for testing, and to look at under the microscope. The endoscope is then gently pulled out.
A gastroscopy usually takes about 10 minutes. However, you should allow at least two hours for the whole appointment to prepare, give time for the sedative to work (if you have one), for the gastroscopy itself, and to recover. A gastroscopy does not usually hurt, but it can be a little uncomfortable, particularly when you first swallow the endoscope.
Most people are ready to go home after resting for half an hour or so.
If you have had a sedative – you may take a bit longer to be ready to go home. The sedative will normally make you feel quite pleasant and relaxed. However, you should not drive, operate machinery or drink alcohol for 24 hours after having the sedative. You will need somebody to accompany you home and to stay with you for 24 hours until the effects have fully worn off. Most people are able to resume normal activities after 24 hours.
The operator writes a report and sends it to the doctor who requested the gastroscopy. The result from any biopsy may take a few days, which can delay the report being sent. The operator may also tell you what they saw before you leave. However, if you have had a sedative you may not remember afterwards what they said.