I had an endoscopy today. I called yesterday to discuss whether to use sedation, and one staff member told me about how if I chose to do it without sedation, Dr Pedraza is the perfect doctor to do it with, because he would walk me through it. She gave me tips of what to do (focus on breathing and keep my head down) She had done 2 endoscopies without sedation. I went back and forth about it and then spoke to a nurse called Kim a couple of times. She discussed all my options like she was a friend. These people were so patient and so helpful when I was stressed out and taking up their time, that I felt cared for and calmer.
Today I was set up to try without sedation, and if needed, get sedated. Dr. Pedraza patiently listened to my scared, pain in the neck, waffling thoughts, and then when we started the endoscopy, he encouraged me with eye contact, meditative breathing and non stop words of encouragement. I was able to do it without sedation, and knew it was totally because of him. I will have to have a second endoscopy in a couple of months and will try this again . Meanwhile I just am in awe of how human and nice and encouraging Dr. Pedraza and his staff are. It is nice and rare to have a combination of top quality medical expertise and decent human kindness and patience. You may not choose to do this without sedation, but you will still be dealing with kind, extremely skilled, staff! You can't go wrong with choosing this doctor and his support people. read more