Dad's Reminiscences - Episode 91: My First Gastroscopy

The other day, I went for a comprehensive medical checkup. Since it is an important opportunity to check the state of my body once a year, I have been voluntarily signing up for these checkups even after retiring from work.

One of the important test items in a comprehensive medical checkup is the stomach examination. You can choose between an endoscope, which is a gastroscope, or a barium swallow test, and it seems that many people choose the gastroscope.

The biggest advantage of a gastroscope is that the doctor can directly see and examine the stomach, duodenum, and esophagus. However, because it is a test that puts a burden on the body, it is considered acceptable to space out the examinations, such as once every two years or once every five years, depending on the situation.

The first time I had a gastroscope was in 2000. I was approaching 40, and at the recommendation of my company, I decided to have my first adult disease screening, and a gastroscope was one of the test items.

At the time, I had resistance and fear toward gastroscopes and wanted to do the barium test if possible, but I remember reluctantly choosing the gastroscope after being told, "We strongly recommend a gastroscope for first-timers."

As expected, my first gastroscope was, in a word, "painful." Even now, I dislike it, but the intense discomfort when it passes through the throat, the feeling of pressure from having a foreign object in the esophagus, and the bloating from having air pumped into the stomach...

It was so painful that I thought I would just close my eyes and endure it, but this actually had the opposite effect. The more nervous I got, the more painful it became, and when my body tensed up, I fell into a vicious cycle where I couldn't hold back burping.

After finishing the hellish few minutes of the examination, I thought, "I never want to have a gastroscope again," so the following year I requested the barium test early on. However, I also had a very difficult time with the discharge after the barium test.

In the end, I returned to the gastroscope for my 2002 checkup, but the doctor at that time was quite skilled at maneuvering it, and I was able to undergo the examination smoothly with almost no pain.

Since then, I have been having a gastroscope every year for over 20 years. I hate it every time, but I tell myself, "I just have to endure it for a few minutes," and I enter the examination room with a resigned attitude.

As for advice on how to undergo a gastroscope well, there are four points: 1) Relax your whole body, 2) Never close your eyes, 3) Breathe slowly and deeply, and 4) Just try not to burp. During the examination, drool and tears will come out, but I've stopped caring about that (laughs).

With that said, I successfully underwent the gastroscope again this year, and I am relieved to find that there is "no change from last year." For those who have never had a gastroscope, why not try your best to have one at least once?

★ Michael Oz's Book PR: This is a book that derives lessons on how to live a "second life" while looking back on the later years of my career as a company employee!