Is it possible to drink water and tea before gastroscopy of the stomach?

What should you do before endoscopy?

FGS is not a rare study. It is often prescribed to patients in order to examine the stomach, its mucous membrane and take a biopsy for analysis. Endoscopy is performed for 5 to 20 minutes. All steps have been worked out by doctors, there is an action plan for unforeseen situations, so no need to worry.

The main task of preparation is to follow all the doctor’s instructions.

Preparation for EGD of the stomach has several important recommendations, which consist of the following stages:

1. Home preparation.
2. Morning preparation before endoscopy.
3. Moral attitude.

You should not ignore any of the above stages, as the consequences may be unfavorable.

How to prepare at home?

Preparing for FGS of the stomach at home involves proper nutrition. A well-structured diet will help prepare the stomach cavity for examination.

It is best for an adult to prepare a week before the scheduled procedure. To do this, you should exclude the following foods from your diet:

• bread and flour products, including pasta;
• fatty and fried foods;
• semi-finished products;
• fish and fatty meat;

• smoked meats;
• spicy and canned foods;
• mayonnaise, ketchup and other sauces;
• alcoholic drinks.

If the examination is scheduled for tomorrow, then it will be enough to exclude dinner at a later time and eat your last meal 12 hours before the procedure. During this time, the stomach will have time to digest the food that has entered it. Digestion takes 8 hours, but since human metabolism slows down at night, foods are also digested more slowly. It is for this reason that the difference between food intake and examination should be at least 12 hours.

If this recommendation is not followed, then the remaining food in the stomach will interfere and may regurgitate during the procedure.

To make dinner easily digestible and nutritious, you can prepare the following dishes:

• buckwheat porridge;
• steamed or boiled vegetables;
• steamed cutlets;
• lean meat, such as chicken, rabbit or fish;
• mashed potatoes.

Do not eat too hot or cold food; it is recommended to exclude raw vegetables and fruits. It is also not recommended to eat chocolate the day before the test.

Side effects and complications of gastroscopy

Most gastroscopy is performed without any problems or complications. Some people may experience mild inflammation of the throat lining for a day or so.

The patient may feel tired or drowsy for several hours if a sedative was used during the procedure. There is a slightly increased risk of developing a chest infection or pneumonia after a gastroscopy.

Sometimes the endoscope causes some damage to the intestines. This can cause bleeding, infection, and (rarely) a hole (perforation). If any of the following symptoms occur within 48 hours after gastroscopy, you should contact your doctor immediately:

• pain after the procedure in the abdomen (particularly if the pain gradually becomes worse and differs in intensity from any “normal” stomach pain);
• increased temperature (fever);
• labored breathing;
• vomiting blood.

A small number of people have had a heart attack or stroke during or shortly after a gastroscopy. This tended to occur in older people who had underlying heart or lung problems.

Some people have an allergic reaction to the anesthetic, but this is discussed before the procedure.

Preparation on the day of the examination

On the day of the FGDS, you should also prepare. One of the important recommendations is to temporarily refuse water on the day of the procedure. The examination is usually carried out in the morning, so this rule will not affect the general condition in any way. If you still need to take regular medication or are very thirsty, you are allowed to drink water at least 3 hours before the examination, but not more than half a glass.

Smoking is also prohibited when preparing for FGS.

Nicotine can increase salivation, which affects the results of the study. In this regard, in the morning it is advised to breathe more fresh air and not smoke.

Here are some more important recommendations:

1. Clothing should be comfortable and loose, without tight belts.
2. Breathe correctly through your mouth. Inhalation and exhalation should not be sharp, but smooth.
3. Try not to worry.

Gastroscopy of the stomach is an unpleasant but safe procedure. Proper breathing will reduce discomfort, and loose-fitting clothing will relieve panic attacks.

Other types of training

Moral attitude is very important before research. Usually, the doctor himself tells the patient everything. Feel free to ask questions that interest you. The answers you receive will make you feel better.

If an adult has a predominant feeling of panic or increased excitability, the doctor may prescribe sedatives.

In case of cardiovascular pathologies, for example, hypertension, respiratory failure, their premature correction is important.

This is due to the fact that during the FGS process complications may arise on their part. The patient will have to prepare for endoscopy in the hospital. Before FGDS, local preparation is carried out, which includes the following points:

1. The skin and mucous membrane of the patient's oral cavity are examined in order to exclude tonsillitis, jams or cracks. If such problems are identified, then the FGS is postponed.

2. To reduce foaming in the stomach and intestines, the doctor prescribes the drug Espumisan, which should be drunk 5 minutes before the start of the test.
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3. To reduce pain during insertion of the endoscope, the patient is given local anesthesia. To do this, the throat is treated with lidocaine in the form of a spray.

Local preparation takes place under the guidance of a physician. Do not forget to inform your doctor about the presence of chronic diseases.

Why do gastroscopy?

With gastroscopy, the doctor is able to visualize the mucous membrane of the upper gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus. Gastroscopy is effective and has replaced the use of X-rays in many cases. This helps the doctor see any abnormalities in the duodenum, stomach, or esophagus. This method is accurate and safe.

Through the gastroscope, the doctor can take samples of the mucous membrane for examination and obtain video images using a video sensor installed at the end of the gastroscope. The examination can be videotaped and used for later diagnostic comparison.

Patients are often referred for gastroscopic examination due to symptoms of dyspepsia, which can usually be treated with medications. Dyspepsia is sometimes caused by a peptic ulcer, and it is now known that many ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection in the stomach. A biopsy is the removal of a small section of the mucous membrane followed by histological examination and is performed during gastroscopy to determine the presence of an infectious pathogen or other anomaly. In a very small number of patients with dyspepsia, a biopsy can detect malignant tumors in the upper gastrointestinal tract or conditions preceding malignancy, which is very important for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. Further research may be planned to ensure the most effective treatment.

Gastroscopy will help:

1. Find problems in the upper gastrointestinal tract. These problems may include: inflammation of the esophagus (esophagitis) or stomach (gastritis), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), narrowing (stricture) of the esophagus, varices in the esophagus, Barrett's esophagus, which can significantly increase a person's risk of developing esophageal cancer, hiatal hernia, ulcer, cancer.
2. Find the cause of bloody vomiting or hemoptysis.
3. Find the cause of symptoms, such as abdominal pain or bloating, trouble swallowing (dysphagia), vomiting, or unexplained weight loss.
4. Find the cause of the infection.
5. Check the healing of ulcers during therapy.
6. Look at the inside of the stomach and upper small intestine (duodenum) after surgery.

Gastroscopy can also be performed in the following cases:

1. To check for injury to the esophagus in an emergency (for example, a burn if a person drank acetic acid).
2. To collect tissue samples (biopsy) that need to be subjected to microbiological examination.
3. To remove polyps from the small intestine, stomach, esophagus.
4. For the treatment of upper gastrointestinal bleeding that may cause anemia.
5. To remove foreign objects that have been swallowed.

Necessary things

Before going to the hospital you should have with you:

• a medical record containing all the necessary tests and x-rays;
• sheet (for the couch);
• wet wipes and a towel (needed for heavy salivation or belching);
• replacement shoes or shoe covers.

You should also take with you the medications that you regularly take, as you may need them later.

After completing the FGDS, eating is prohibited for another 2 hours, so take drinking still water with you.

Examinations of the internal state of the stomach, intestines and duodenum can be done either free of charge in the hospital at the place of registration, or for a fee in private clinics. But this does not change the preparation process in any way. All preparatory steps must be followed equally. Before starting the procedure, be sure to remove anything that might get in your way, such as glasses or dentures. Lie down comfortably on the couch in a side position, relax and mentally tune up.

Sedation and anesthesia

Before the gastroscopy procedure, the patient's pharynx is treated with the anesthetic lidocaine. This is necessary in order to reduce pain and other negative effects that occur when swallowing the device. At the client's request, gastroduodenoscopy of the stomach is performed under anesthesia. In this case, intravenous anesthesia is administered, which causes relaxation and light sleep. Patients wake up within an hour, but the effects of the drugs are longer lasting, making it unsafe to drive until the next day. General anesthesia for medical reasons is provided only in special cases (in young children and when planning very complex procedures).

Information for the doctor

Before FGDS, it is important to talk with your doctor about early diseases, symptoms that worry you, and allergic reactions, if any. This will ensure that the medical staff prepares you correctly for the endoscopy. For example:

1. If the patient is prone to allergies, be sure to tell the doctor about it. FGS involves treating the pharynx with an anesthetic. If the patient is prone to allergies, you will need to select a drug that will not be sensitive to the body.
2. Chronic pathologies are not a contraindication for FGS, but the doctor needs to be aware of them. During a biopsy, this information will help to avoid unnecessary trauma to the mucous membrane, so as not to provoke a relapse of this disease.

3. During pregnancy, in the 1st and 2nd trimester, it is not recommended to use an anesthetic. As a rule, lidocaine is safe, but still, if there are contraindications, the procedure can be performed without anesthesia.
4. If you have previously had surgery, taken a biopsy, or treated your stomach with medications, it is important to mention this to your doctor. This is due to the fact that the gastric mucosa in such situations becomes vulnerable to irritation during FGDS. A recovery period will be required for the study results to be accurate.

It is necessary to prepare for endoscopy carefully and ahead of time. Dietary nutrition, necessary tests and positive emotions will help you go through this procedure quickly and without problems.