Capsule Endoscopy

Venus_Cee
Venus_Cee Online Community Member Posts: 80 Empowering
in Mental health and wellbeing

I'm completely housebound with agoraphobia, anxiety and panic disorder. I've been that way 34 years. I don't leave my house at all. I'm registered housebound, everywhere. Two months ago, a FIT test came back positive and doctors wanted me to go to hospital for colonoscopy, to rule out anything serious. I had appointments but couldn't do it. I stepped outside and freaked out, pushed hubby over and ran back into the house, panicking. Called the hospital and told them I couldn't get there. GP had arranged all this. He knows how severe my agoraphobia is, so spoke to the hospital Consultant and asked if it was possible to have a capsule endoscopy done at home. This was two weeks ago. The reply that came back was along the lines of 'he can't get a nurse to go to the patient's home, to carry out this procedure'. Instead, he suggested getting a psychiatrist to try helping me overcome agoraphobia. I mean, 34 years of being housebound and he expects a psychiatrist to cure me? I've had many many forms of therapy in the past. None have worked. My GP knows this. He even said to me, they would normally do this AT the hospital and it's just a case of swallowing a camera, then sending the camera data in, to be analysed. To me, it sounds like the consultant is doing this out of spite because I couldn't get TO the hospital for the colonoscopy. He doesn't understand how severe my agoraphobia is.

Can a GP over-ride this and have it done by sending a community nurse out to my house, to watch me do it? I'm speaking to my GP tomorrow at noon. I'm so anxious about what's going on because I fear they're going to force me to go to hospital and that is going to traumatize me even more. And before anyone says health is important blah blah, you have to know what agoraphobia does to people. It's not like I've stayed in my house for this long, because I want to. Any help please? And thanks!

Comments

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 7,773 Championing

    I'm not sure a community nurse would be trained in the procedure.

    Would conscious sedation be an option? This would lessen or even remove the anxiety.

  • Venus_Cee
    Venus_Cee Online Community Member Posts: 80 Empowering

    @Kimi87 that's what they wanted to do originally, but only AT the hospital. Which would mean getting TO the hospital first. Even then, they said it would be about an hour before they did that. And in that hour, I'd either freak out and run home, or have a heart attack with the fear :( They told me I could NOT take anything before getting to the hospital (ie diazepam) because it would interfere with the stuff they would give me. And they'd just send me home again. Which is why my GP suggested a capsule endoscopy.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 7,773 Championing
    edited November 10

    I'd ask your GP tomorrow because a capsule endoscopy procedure is quite different to a colonoscopy.

    Normally you wouldn't have anything at all for a capsule endoscopy, so it may be possible for GP to prescribe something for you to take before needing to leave.

  • Venus_Cee
    Venus_Cee Online Community Member Posts: 80 Empowering

    @Kimi87 been there too. He's said he can't give me anything because it'll interfere with the medication the hospital gives me. He did prescribe anti depressants. Which I'm terrified to take because I have pill phobia. And he's told me straight, these won't help me to get out. And they take weeks to make me 'less depressed'. I tried to tell him I'm not depressed. I'm scared. Big difference. I don't suffer depression. Yes I get down now and then but not to the point I need medication for it.

  • Venus_Cee
    Venus_Cee Online Community Member Posts: 80 Empowering

    Quick update because I have my GP ringing very soon. Hubby went to the hospital this morning and told a nurse everything. She says it sounds like a hernia! Which I agree with. She also said it's not Sunderland hospital that do the capsule endoscopy, it's them! She told me to speak to my doctor and tell him. He can arrange for it to be done via them. She did say they would make me swallow a fake pill first, then scan me to make sure it went right through….then they would do the camera thing. But she says some people refuse to do the 'test' first, and go straight for the camera. Which is what I would do because going for a scan would be the same thing. Not allowed to take anything. Being there for hours before they sedated me etc etc. Fingers crossed my GP has some answers this morning :)

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