I've had three upper endscopies and a colonoscopy this year so far. Honestly, if sedation is an option for you, I'd take it. It'll dull your memory of the event after the fact, and relax you while it's happening, which is nice. If you have a bad gag reflex, it can get uncomfortable. My nurse adviced me to just focus on my breathing, and think of my chest moving up and down as I was breathing, and that was all I needed to think about. That approach helped a lot and kept me nice and calm.
(continued) If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask. I was really nervous before my first scope, but it's over sooooo quickly and even though it's uncomfortable it really isn't that big of a deal after the fact. :)
thank you, it really means a lot and i’m less nervous now :’)
