A woman in her late 30s feeling nervous after booking a same-day gastroscopy and colonoscopy

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I haven't been feeling well for the past few days, so
I haven't been able to write on note at all.
(I've been feeling nauseous and lethargic, perhaps because the medication prescribed by my psychosomatic doctor doesn't suit me, or maybe due to the back-and-forth with my company regarding the extension of my leave of absence...)

I haven't been able to visit everyone's articles either.
Things have finally settled down, so I'll be visiting you all slowly from now on ☺️

The other day, I went for a pre-examination consultation to prepare for my "same-day gastroscopy and colonoscopy."

*This is a continuation of the article below.
(If you'd like, please start by reading that article where I'm completely freaking out ⭐︎ lol)

The perks of being on leave! Booking an appointment during a time that seems empty on a weekday!

I arrived at 9:45 on Thursday, but...
I-it's crowded...!

It's a clinic in front of a station quite far from the city center, so I never expected there to be so many people inside...!

Are they all here to have their
butts and stomachs looked at...
I find myself looking at it in a strange way.


When a clinic is
clean and bright,
it helps me feel better...
(Because I'm already feeling depressed and down...)
This was a clinic with a very nice atmosphere.

Let me summarize what I did during the pre-examination consultation!

1. Medical Interview

I thought I was coming on a day with a female doctor, but
it was a young male doctor, which left me a bit confused.

Resisting the embarrassment,
I tried looking him in the eye while listening to him as a housewife.
(I end up thinking strange things again, like, 'Does this young man also look at a lot of anuses...')


The doctor was very matter-of-fact, but
at the beginning,
he said, "This is your first colonoscopy and gastroscopy, so you must be very nervous," which was kind of him.

Regarding the anesthesia in question

In my previous article,
everyone gave me advice saying,
"You should definitely tell them in advance that anesthesia doesn't work well on you!"
so I, a nervous housewife, made sure to emphasize that point!

According to the doctor,

"It is true that in rare cases, some people wake up midway through, but even then, your consciousness will be hazy, and no one has ever said they were in pain. We will immediately add more medication, and you will fall back asleep right away, so please rest assured."

That's what he said!

During the interview, I was asked about what symptoms were bothering me.

*If you have concerning symptoms and a doctor determines that an examination is necessary, it seems you can have the test covered by insurance (30% co-pay).

Regarding costs (in the case of a 30% co-pay)

*This varies by clinic.
These are just reference prices.
Also, the amount may fluctuate slightly depending on the examination method and the drugs used.

[Gastroscopy]
Examination only: approx. 5,000 yen
Examination + biopsy: approx. 10,000 yen
[Colonoscopy]
Examination only: 6,500 yen
Examination + biopsy: approx. 11,000 yen
Polyp removal: approx. 28,000 to 33,000 yen


*H. pyloriwill be detected as present or absent during the examination process!
→ If it is present, the doctor will let you know later.

[Symptoms I reported]

・Since around August of last year, I have occasionally had a stinging, nauseous feeling in my stomach. (It has settled down now.)

・Since around October of last year, I sometimes have a stinging, sharp pain in my lower abdomen right before having a bowel movement (my apologies to those who are eating!).

・Recently, I sometimes can't sleep because my stomach feels sick. I feel nauseous, like I have seasickness. (No possibility of pregnancy.)
→ I have already reported that this might be a side effect of the medication prescribed by my psychosomatic doctor.
(I also reported that I am taking anti-anxiety medication and sleeping pills.)

・Since around October of last year, my lower left abdomen sometimes stings when I lie on my back. (It has settled down in the last month.)
→ I had surgery for an "ovarian cyst" about 5 years ago, so I thought it might be that, but I visited a gynecologist 2 months ago and confirmed there were no problems with my ovaries.

・Regarding the abdominal pain, I mentioned that my psychosomatic doctor said they think it is "irritable bowel syndrome" caused by stress...

② Blood draw

While having my blood drawn, I received an explanation of the upcoming process.

Since I feel unwell
when I see other people's blood lined up,
I kept my eyes closed while listening and nodding.

All the doctors
were very kind,
and their first words were,

“It’s really nerve-wracking the first time, isn't it! But don't worry, it will be over before you know it while you're asleep (^^)”

So, I felt encouraged.
I'm glad I chose a good hospital...

I chose a hospital that heavily advertises
“For first-timers of endoscopy!!”
so I assume they are more accustomed to this kind of support...

The information explained to me while my blood was being drawn is as follows↓

[1] Try to eat easily digestible food starting about a week before.

[2] The examination starts as soon as the patient's bowel is empty, so it does not proceed in the order of appointments.
Because of this, some people may take up to half a day.

[3] Because of point 2, it is better to bring a book to kill time or a charger.

[4] For the meal on the day before, eat easily digestible food without dietary fiber.
Finish eating by 8:00 PM at the latest.

A “3-meal kit” for the day before

(1,700 yen) can also be purchased if desired.

I purchased this one. (Not covered by insurance)

If this is not enough,
・Banana
・Yogurt
・Jelly without fruit pulp
・Salted rice ball
・Udon without toppings
It is okay to eat a moderate amount of the above.

I thought I wasn't allowed to drink coffee on my own, but it seems it's okay as long as it doesn't contain milk🙆‍♀️

★Added later: I could buy it cheaper on Amazon!

③ Final booking for endoscopy and explanation regarding the day of the procedure

I booked the official examination date here.
I received documents detailing the procedure for the day and important precautions.
We went through the documents together, and the doctor explained everything to me again.

I was told to sign the consent form only after carefully reading through the documents by the day of the examination.

When I took a quick look,
in the section explaining anesthesia (sedation),
it stated that in a nationwide survey by the Endoscopy Society over the past five years (about 12 million cases), there were three reported deaths...

Even though I know in my head
that anything can happen,
it's still scary... but doing it without anesthesia is even scarier!

...So, I'm going to sign it and go through with it.

When I got home,

my husband was there,
having just returned from his company health checkup.

"I think I've gotten better at the gastric endoscopy! I've learned how to control the gag reflex! While they were examining me, I watched my own stomach, and it looked clean~♪"
he said, more energetic than usual!

...Husband, I'm glad you're doing well ( ´∀｀)
You're the first person I've ever seen get excited about a gastric endoscopy lol. I respect that.

There are so many people in the world who want (or need) to have an endoscopy.

It was also quite hard to get an appointment for the endoscopy.

In the end, I'll be having the examination next month in June.
(I was determined to get everything settled this month, so having the fear postponed makes me feel restless...)

The total time required for the preliminary consultation
was about 2 hours.


I'll report more in June!

See you later (*^^*)