"Gastroscopy"

Anything else?

It was a horrrendous experience from start to finish. I was really nervous and brought my boyfriend with me for support, when I was called down he was told he had to wait in the waiting room, this was ridiculous as I thought I was just going for the procedure so left everything with him, I was then taken to a cubicle and left on my own for a long time, I didn't have a watch so can't tell you exactly the length of time. Someone did then come in and see me and told me briefly what was going to happen. I was then left on my own again for a while before being taken in for the procedure. When I got into the procedure room they introduced themselves and then said that they were going to spray something in my throat to numb it and once it was numb I needed to swallow the endoscope, this they said would only hurt until it was passed the back of my throat. At no point was I ever offered any sort of sedative.... The spray was administered and I was told to lay down on my side and then they pushed the endoscope into my throat, I was gagging on it and in distress and they comletely ignored this and 2 nursed held me down, one held my head and the other my body as I was trying to get up. They say that you cannot feel the endoscope when it's inside you, which is a lie, I felt it bumping into my insides and when they took biopsies it was literally like my insides were being torn out. When they did eventually take out the endoscope I sat there crying and was told what are you crying for it's over now!! I was happy that the whole experience was over, but my unhappiness doesn't end there... my biopsy results were meant to be with the Dr within 2-3 weeks, after 3 weeks when I hadn't heard anything I chased the Dr's who advised that the hospital said that they would be longer than that... I called the hospital myself and spoke a very rude lady who told me that results are always longer than 3 weeks, I told her that I had in writing in front of me that it would be 2-3 weeks, she then said that she was the manager of the department and she knows that they don't tell people that.... the results were never physically sent to the Dr's and the Dr had to get results over the phone, which makes me wonder if they were actually just made up... I've since been told that I need to see a Gastro specialist so have requested to be referred to Chelsea and Westminster as I cannot imagine having to have any further procedures in this department or having to deal with the staff in this department again.