Pain after endoscopy

Dear Ask The Doctor: My mom has an endoscopy this past week and she has been having severe pain from upper stomach up to her throat. She can hardly breath, eat and drink. She has been nauseated and even vomitted. It also hurts worse when she eats, drinks, and breaths. When she swallows food it feels like the food gets stuck right there at the sternum. Please help. What has gone wrong in the procedure? What should I do? What will I give her to ease her pain?

Dear Albert:

Let me reassure you that the symptoms that your mother present are very common after having an Endoscopy. They might happen due to the trauma produced in the GI tract after insufflating it with air for better viewing. These throat and esophagus irritation are transient symptoms and will resolve on their own.

According to her medications list, she is already taking pain and other medications to prevent acid reflux and to avoid nausea and vomits. I will suggest her also to drink plenty of fluids with her foods to decrease the difficulty swallowing them and she could also try salty gargles to reduce her throat inflammation.

On the other hand, if she notices bleeding or cough with bloody sputum, she should seek immediate attention to rule out a possible internal wound after the procedure, I wish her a prompt recovery.