digestive health

An endoscopy is when a doctor looks inside your body with an endoscope, a thin flexible tube with a camera on the end. This helps the doctor diagnose and treat a range of digestive conditions. There are two main types of endoscopy, gastroscopy and colonoscopy. A gastroscopy takes about five to 10 minutes. The camera passes through your mouth, down your oesophagus to look inside your stomach and the top of your small intestine. You can choose to have a local anaesthetic to numb your throat or a sedative to make you sleepy, or both. A gastroscopy can diagnose swallowing problems, stomach ulcers, cancers, and acid reflux. It can also treat conditions like Barrett's oesophagus. A colonoscopy takes about 20 to 30 minutes. An endoscope is passed through the rectum and into the large intestine. You'll be given a laxative, so your bowels are empty for the test and painkillers so it won't hurt. You might need a colonoscopy if you have blood in your poo or a change in your bowel habit. A colonoscopy can diagnose conditions like Crohn's disease, diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, polyps, and bowel cancer.