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Typically fasting (not eating or drinking) after midnight the day before your procedure is all you will need to do to prepare for an EGD or upper endoscopy. On the morning of the procedure, you may take essential medications with a small sip of water.

After your procedure, you may be sleepy, uncomfortable, nauseated, or not yourself. This is the effect of the medications used for sedation and the procedure itself. Your reflexes will be slowed until the following day, and you might injure yourself or others if you try to drive or operate machinery. Whenever possible, you should be around someone that you know until the following day or at least until you arrive safely at home.

No. The sedation medication impairs your judgment and reflexes. A trusted person must be with you to accompany you on public transit.

It is recommended that you discuss with your GI doctor or the prescribing physician to find out if you should stop taking aspirin, arthritis medications, anticoagulants, and blood thinners about four days before the procedure to reduce the risk of bleeding. In most cases, the procedure can still be performed if you forget to stop them. You should stop taking them as soon as you remember and call the GI office at 860-679-3238. If you are taking Coumadin (warfarin), you should call the GI endoscopy unit at 860-679-7595 as soon as you realize the error.

In general, you can eat immediately after your procedure as long as you avoid greasy or spicy foods. Please be aware that the sedation medication may cause mild nausea, and you may not have a full appetite until the following day.

Due to the sedation given during the procedure, you should plan to rest at home for the remainder of the day. You may resume your usual activities the day after your procedure.

You will be told about the preliminary results of the test before you leave to go home. You will also be given written information about these results, as it is common not to remember all of what is said soon after the procedure. If a biopsy is performed or polyps are removed during the procedure, you will be contacted with the results in about one week.

If you are a patient scheduled for an EGD or upper endoscopy at UConn Health and have problems or questions during weekday hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), call 860-679-3238, and ask to speak with the GI nurse.

If you are a patient scheduled for an EGD or upper endoscopy​ at UConn Health and have problems or questions during the evening hours (after 4:30 p.m.) or on the weekend, call 860-679-2626, and ask for the GI fellow on call.