My Gastroscopy Experience and Waiting for Biopsy Results

My Gastroscopy Experience and Waiting for Biopsy Results

Hospital appointments can take so much out of you when you already live with chronic illness. My first gastroscopy was difficult, both physically and emotionally, and afterwards I was left waiting for biopsy results and a CT scan.

I originally wrote this account while that uncertainty was still very fresh. It reflects my experience of the appointment and how I felt at the time.

An appointment with very little notice

The gastroenterology department at my local hospital called about my referral and offered me an appointment for the following day. Talk about a quick turnaround!

My husband took the day off to drive me because we had expected that I might have sedation. In the end, I chose the numbing throat spray instead.

This was my first gastroscopy, and I honestly had not expected to find it as difficult as I did.

Having a gastroscopy with throat spray

For me, the procedure was horrible. I am already prone to panic, and having a camera passed down my throat was something I struggled with.

The doctor and nurses were amazing. They talked me through what was happening and helped calm me whenever I started to panic. Their kindness made a difficult experience more bearable, and I was very grateful for it.

Looking back at how I felt that day, I regretted choosing the spray. That is my personal experience, though, rather than a recommendation about what anyone else should choose.

If you are preparing for a gastroscopy, talk to your hospital team about your concerns and the options available. The NHS guide to gastroscopy explains the procedure, preparation and aftercare.

Managing the waiting room with ME/CFS and spinal stenosis

The procedure was only part of what made the day difficult.

I spent nearly two and a half hours in the waiting room. Living with ME/CFS and spinal stenosis, that wait took a lot out of me. I was in pain, and my body felt stiff before I was even called through.

By then, the discomfort had almost overtaken my anxiety about the test itself.

That is something I find difficult about repeated hospital appointments. There is the investigation you are there for, but there is also everything involved in getting through the day when you are already unwell.

Waiting for biopsy results

During the gastroscopy, the team found something abnormal and took biopsies. I was told these would be sent for urgent review, and a CT scan was also recommended.

Then came the waiting.

As I lay in bed afterwards, I did not quite know how I felt. Scared, fed up, anxious and exhausted all seemed to fit. I wanted answers, but I was worried about what those answers might be.

At the time of writing my original post, I was still waiting for the biopsy results and the scan. I hoped the results would be reassuring, but it was hard to stop worrying.

The exhaustion of one appointment after another

The previous three years had already brought so much uncertainty about my health.

Sometimes I felt I had come to terms with living with chronic illness. Then another appointment, another test or another worry would leave me feeling overwhelmed again.

Appointment fatigue is the best way I can describe it. You need the investigations, and you want to understand what is happening, but the process can still leave you completely drained.

That evening, I did not have a neat conclusion or a positive message to finish with. I was tired, uncomfortable and waiting for news.

Sometimes, that is the honest reality of living through medical uncertainty.

About me

I am a married mother of four children. One of those four children is our granddaughter, for whom we are SGO (legal guardians)/kinship carers. I run a small business and enjoy writing, so I blog. My blog focuses on my family life as well as my experiences of living with chronic illnesses and disabilities such as ME/CFS, spinal stenosis, chronic pain, and fibromyalgia. Oh, and I am only in my mid-40s.