Comic: Edna has an endoscopy

Edna: A lot has happened lately. Yesterday at brunch, this morning my granola bar, the sandwich I ate in the car on the way here… It hurts when I swallow and I feel like the food is getting stuck.

Doctor: This could be your esophagus. It could be inflammation or a condition like GERD or eosinophilic esophagitis, also called EoE. You only have one esophagus, so we make sure to check it out. I will request an upper endoscopy.

Edna: That scares me a little.

Doctor: It may sound scary, but it is a very simple procedure.

Doctor: This is done using a long, flexible probe that has a camera and light on one end and allows us to examine your upper digestive system.

Edna: Will I be awake during this procedure?

Doctor: We will give you an intravenous medication to relax you, it is not a general anesthesia. You will become sleepy and probably won’t remember this procedure.

Edna: Okay. It doesn’t seem like a very bad thing.

Doctor: You may feel a little lightheaded after taking the medication, so it’s a good idea to make sure you have someone to drive you home.

Edna: What happens if they find out I have EoE?

Doctor: We can do various things, such as taking medication or changing your diet. And you would need regular endoscopies and biopsies to monitor your esophagus and see how you respond to treatment.

The most important thing is to make you feel better so that it doesn’t happen again and it doesn’t damage your esophagus.

Nurse: This will be useful to monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.

This is a small spray that will numb your throat before the procedure to make you feel more comfortable.

Doctor: Hello, Edna. It looks like you’re ready. Using a gastroscope with a light and lens, I examine your throat and try to identify any inflammation or narrowing. He or she may perform a quick biopsy and send it to the laboratory. The entire process should take about 15 to 30 minutes.

Doctor: I see a slight swelling here.

Doctor: I’ll do a quick biopsy. Give me the tweezers.

Nurse: Hello, Edna. Things went very well for you. We’re done. You may feel sleepy or dizzy for a few hours. You may also experience bloating and moderate throat discomfort, but you should not feel any pain. Call us if you have any additional symptoms.

Edna: Okay. Thank you very much.

Nurse: It is advisable to rest the rest of the day. Lie on the couch and watch TV. I may be biased, but I love watching Gray’s Anatomy!