Answers
Is endoscopy painful?
Short answer
No, for most people. An endoscopy takes 10 to 15 minutes and is done with a throat spray or light sedation. You may feel some pressure or the urge to burp, but not pain, and most people go home within an hour or two.
What you feel during the test
With throat spray, the back of the throat goes numb. You may gag briefly as the thin tube goes in, and then feel pressure or fullness as air opens the stomach. Breathing stays normal throughout.
With light sedation, you are drowsy and relaxed, and most people remember very little.
Is a colonoscopy painful?
A colonoscopy is usually done under sedation. You may feel some cramping or wind, which settles soon after. The bowel cleansing the day before is often the hardest part.
Is a biopsy painful?
No. The stomach and bowel lining have no pain nerves, so taking small tissue samples cannot be felt.
After the test
- A mild sore throat for a day is common
- Eat once the throat numbness wears off, usually within an hour
- If you had sedation, do not drive for the rest of the day and have someone accompany you