Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group

Find support with others who have gone through a traumatic experience. Whether you have chronic or acute PTSD, we are here for you.

10,128 Members
27,617 Posts
0 Online
Anxiety Disorders
/ Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group

triggered by pos need for endoscopy/ colonoscopy

AuntTammie
AuntTammie
I have a dr appt for GI issues next week and there is a very good chance I will wind up having to have an endoscopy and/or a colonoscopy. I am completely triggered by the mere possibility and even by the dr appt to discuss this. (If I do have either/both of these, they won't be during this appt).

I have been trying to talk about it in therapy and even that is triggering me. (I have been raped more than once and been thru other forms of abuse, too.)

Anyway, I am just wondering if anyone else has dealt with this issue and/or if anyone has any suggestions of how to handle it. I don't have anyone who could go with me and I have been having very severe GI issues for quite some time now that are really messing with my health, so I truly do need to address this, but I am so freaked out, I have actually thought that suicide would be a better option. (Yes there are other reasons why suicide has occurred to me, too, and no I am NOT actually going to do it, but I mention it to show just how scared and triggered I am by this whole thing.)
deleted_user
deleted_user
I am sorry you are suffering. Do you know what it is that is upsetting you about the procedures? I take it you have had these done before. Do be sure to talk about your fears with the doctor. In the meantime, journalling helps. So does prayer.
AuntTammie
AuntTammie
I have never had these done before - have needed to for a long time but am too terrified

fears are: that it will be triggering of my PTSD flashbacks (bc both upper and lower are too similar to things that happened to me), plus being scoped is too vulnerable, exposed, and humiliating, plus there was an article in the paper fairly recently about drs who have committed sexual crimes and are still practicing (so the possibility of something else happening is scary, too)

....also afraid bc I react very badly to almost every med and to anesthesia, and afraid bc I have a bunch of breathing issues and need to be able to breathe thru my mouth sometimes
deleted_user
deleted_user
If you have never had these procedures done, talk to your doc. If he is any kind of doc, you will be nighty night during the whole thing and you will wake up thinking nothing ever happened.. Sleep tight.
wep
wep
My mom has had it done 3 times. In the procedure, they only gave my mom a small dosage of the medication because she is a small person in size and she too is allergic to many medication. She slept after the the procedure was over. It doesn't take that long to do, all they are doing is using a scope to go down your throat to look at your stomach. You'll do fine. My mom was like yourself, she was scared and nervous about until she had it done. In fact other people who had the procedure done that day were able to walk out of the hospital like nothing happened.

I learned that stress can cause problems in the GI tract. A nurse once explained to us that most women hold their stress in their stomach. Good Luck!!!