SurgOne Foregut Institute (SOFI) specializes in the diagnosis & minimally invasive treatment of esophageal, GERD & gastric disorders.
Reginald C.W. Bell M.D., F.A.C.S. is the founder of the SurgOne Foregut Institute. He has had extensive experience performing minimally invasive procedures on the esophagus and stomach with over 20 years in practice.
Dr. Bell performs the LINX procedure - a new, implantable device to treat reflux. He is currently one of a select number of doctors to offer the LINX Reflux Management System. SOFI is now offering the LINX procedure in a direct-pay model, with affordable payment plans through Prosper Healthcare Lending.
We are a unique team of surgeons, nurses, and staff who specialize in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of patients with disorders of the esophagus and stomach.
Just got mine put in today, just a heads up this is very psychologically challenging. It’s not the best test to go through and it’s super uncomfortable when they do the esophageal test but manageable if you have a focus point. I just focused on my breathing and a loved one and it helped alot. Once they did the test they took out the probe and put in the one that’s connected to the device and that one wasn’t bad, it’s still uncomfortable once you have it in, you can feel it in the back of your throat, it’s not the best feeling but also not theee worst feeling. I have SEVERE anxiety and I was so worried of feeling like I couldn’t breath, or like I was choking or scared of constantly gagging. But it’s not bad! Mind you I’m 13 hours in and I’m just sooooo ready to get this out of me lol but yes this test is not the best to deal with, I wouldn’t do it again if I had too lol. Sorry it’s so mixed emotions cause it’s bad but not to the point where you can’t get this done.
I had a transnasel Endoscopy this morning. My advice honestly once the tube gets throy6your nose, which is the panic zone. Is too breathe and think all is so OK. Think about your breathing. For me, I didn't want to watch at first. But after a while I cud. The staff was great at keeping me calm. I would say once the tube goes through your nose. There's no discomfort at all. I would like to say thank you to all staff at Endoscopy ward at staff, especially the lady who made me feel so more relaxed though out the procedure. X jaynr
This is such Bullshit! I was at MASS GENERAL MOTILITY LAB and had the WORST experience of my life! There was a very RUDE NURSE with the worst attitude just because I could not tolerate the procedure. This nurse that came into my room to assist, came running after me to confront me in a very negative way. I can not believe our broken Healthcare system is SO broken and corrupt. I will be contacting the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office today.
4:54 I've had a manometry before and the tube being taken out was like the best feeling of relief I've ever had. Being able to swallow without discomfort and pain is a privilege I will always value greatly after that experience lol
Today is my 4th time having this or a similar test. It’s uncomfortable but not painful.Blood work can be more painful if you’re a hard stick. Just relax and breathe.
I just got mine out today. I have to disagree with other comments saying it “wasn’t the worst thing in the world”. To me I would have rather torn my ACL again. The measurement tube with the beads made me gag, dry heave, cry, drool, all of the above. My nurse was too nice to me as I was a very audible patient. I’m actually really glad she didn’t show me the second tube first so the first thick beaded tube was all I knew. Once the 24 hour tube was placed it was pretty annoying and gave me a migraine. I called the on call nurse about my migraine and she straight up told me to drink something to make me fall asleep (cough syrup, NyQuil, etc.) and once I got that 5 hour nap in, I definitely got more comfortable with it. As much as the measurement tube sucked, I’m really proud of myself after getting the 24 hour tube out today and not being part of the group that bails out on it. I also 100% do not blame anyone that walked out on it because I’ve thought about it at least 5 times an hour lol.
@@user-qb9hc9nf8h literally the worst experience ever. My test ended up coming back inconclusive anyways :/ my nurse also said at least 40% of her patients walk out on it
Just had this done today. It's the worse pain I've ever felt. I didn't take any pain meds following my c sections and had 5 natural births. It hurt the whole time. My throat wasn't sprayed and neither was my nose just swabed with gel which was horrible pain full. I have severe stomach pain since everytime I eat.
The night before my scheduled Impedance pH test I read many of the comments below about how painful this procedure can be and I ended up chickening out and cancelling it. Hope I made the right decision.
The comments gave me anxiety about the test, but it wasn't that bad. The key is breathing in and out slowly. Sip on water while the tube is going down your throat. It's very uncomfortable, but you'll get used to it after a couple of hrs.
I currently have the catheter in so I can give some good insight into how it really is. Before my test I read the comments on this video and it almost made me cancel my appointment but I ended up actually going. So this catheter is MUCH tinner than the motility study catheter and way easier to tolerate. Before they insert it they numb you with some liquid that goes into both nostrils and one you swallow by mouth. Then they lube up the catheter and insert it into one nostril. The catheter is much thinner than the motility one so it is common for the catheter to bunch up in your mouth instead of going down your esophagus or possibly go into the airway slightly causing you to cough. Don't let this scare you. It is easily avoidable if you tilt your chin to your chest and swallow water through a straw as if you were trying to swallow a big pill. It will ensure it goes down the correct pipe. Now once it's in it will be uncomfortable for sure. You feel this tugging in your nose and that takes a while to get used to. It's honestly more annoying than anything. You also feel this tiny pokey thing in the back of your throat which is just the catheter being sqeezed by your UES. It's important to note that it is not painful, just annoying and uncomfortable. Eating and drinking with it feels surprisingly normal besides this tugging in your nose that seems to tug more when you swallow big things like food. By the second meal, you should be used to it. It took me about 8-10 hours to get used to it, to where I didn't even really feel it while I was sitting around. Sleeping with it shouldn't be an issue since that's when you should be most relaxed but I have yet to sleep with it. Taking it out is by far the easiest part as all you have to do is blow out your nose like you're blowing your nose into a tissue and the nurse will just pull it out. You literally don't feel it. At least that's how the other test was like. Also it's very uncommon to get a bloody nose with this test since the catheter is so thin. I hope this helps. I wish someone would have explained all this to me before I got this done. It's really not as bad as some are making it seem.
Update: sleeping with it was no problem at all, just make sure not to roll on the catheter. I kept mine right under my pillow and made sure not to move a ton. Taking it out was a breeze and I feel so relieved that I don't have this thing in my nose anymore lol. After taking it out I didn't have a sore throat or anything. The only thing you get is a gross sour taste in your mouth when it gets pulled out but just wash your mouth out with water and you'll be fine. Overall not nearly as bad as I thought!
I wish I would've read read your comment first before getting the test done. The other comments gave me anxiety, lol. I have the tube in me as we speak. The procedure was done exactly, as you mentioned. It just feels very uncomfortable. What were your results? Everything okay?
@burnsmac4187 Glad things are going smoothly for you! I had acidic readings when I would do things like go for a walk, bend down, eat certain things, lay down, etc. Nothing too major though, now I'm just looking into surgery options for a small sliding hiatal hernia. Did you get it taken out?
This test is like HELL.! They make it look so easy and peachy. BS! It hurts, it's uncomfortable and miserable. It's emotionally traumatic for someone who is having major difficulty.
I did mine recently. And the horror stories didn't help my stress levels lol. I have achalasia and need this test for the diagnosis so no way around it. And I will say I've been through alot of painful things in my life. And this wasn't painful but so uncomfortable it's insane lol. The pressure and the fact I've broke my nose twice didn't help. My nose was pouring blood the whole time.
@jasshayer4063 I have type 2 achalasia. Now my symptoms started slowly. It was just every once in a while I would feel like food went down the wrong hole. But over time it started getting worse. Then I started having food get stuck in my middle of chest. Which is the bottom of the esophagus. Food would get stuck and pass very slow. Then got to where i always had really thick mucus in my throat. So it made it where I would have food get stuck and not pass all the time. I would literally have to puke it back up because ot would just sit there. And over time it got to a point where even liquids from soda juice and water would not pass at times. So I got where I was in pain from heartburn and dehydration etc. So I had to go to the hospital. I'm 30 and 6 foot tall. But at a point I weighed 100 pounds and was literally dying. But I eventually got diagnosed. And had a poem procedure where they cut the esophagus muscle to help food pass. And thank God it's helped get some food to pass. I still have to eat very slow with little bites and a drink every bite. But I'll take it as long as food passes through. Achalasia is a incurable disease. Once you got it there's no fixing it. Just some procedures to hopefully get some relief to get food to pass. But sadly you have it for life.
@@joshuat5140 thank you so much for replying to me. I really appreciate it. I’m having symptoms as well but only started getting them about 2 weeks ago. The symptoms onset was very sudden. No prior issues or symptoms. Not sure what I have. GI ordered the Manometry today. I’m very scared. Thanks once again. Your reply means a lot to me 🙏🙏
I Just did this procedure 2 hours ago. It was awkward and unpleasant, but not that bad, really. When the tube is first going down your throat, it stings, like having hot curry pored down your throat, but then goes away in 10 seconds. The rest of it is just unpleasant. For me it only took about 10 minutes. Gives me an excuse to eat some vanilla ice cream.
4 months ago I went to ent complaining about white green mucus from left nostril and how tired I was blowing nose .he prescribed a spray and tablets .I never used the spraybut consumed tablets for a month .but waited for 3 months to see it will go away but it did not stop, now the condition is that the mucus is dark yellow gluish and I can feel bad smell in my left nostril .I am woried others around will smell it .pls can u guide after these symptoms what illness is working at the background? Sir I hve no pain or discomfort to suspect foreign object or polyps apart from this smell discharge.can nasal endoscopy find out other disease to my related to my symptoms or is it useless for my symptoms?pls guide.
I have mine in 10 days…super anxious about it being in for 24 hours…I have anxiety, so I’m nervous about having something down my throat that I cannot control…😢
This wasn’t anywhere near as bad as people have made it out to be. My nurse was awesome and took the time to make sure I was numb and even used q-tips to prepare my nostril. It was definitely uncomfortable going down and I gagged but that’s to be expected. Had a nosebleed but these comments comparing to child birth are not even Close to what I experienced.
Absolutely horrible! I watched a video before i had mine done and it looked very similar to this one. Wrong! When I told the lady that did mine that you tube made it look all lot easier , she said that the worse the problem the worse the test was. I was in there 3x longer than it should have taken. By the time it was over i was a basket case. The woman was very sweet and understanding. Thank goodness, i feels like a great big ole baby. I guess if your just demonstrating like this dr was and you don't have the issues to warrant the test it kindof goes to reason that the test wouldn't be bad. I broke my ankle 5 years ago and getting up on the exray table and keeping still was very painful. When the break healed it didn't bother me at all to jump up on the table and get xrays. The problem makes the test worse. This dr is basically trying to make those of us in real need of the diagnostic feel silly for complaining. I'd rather go thru child birth again. And i had my kids natural, no drugs or epidural.
I just had this done and I wasn't happy. For me it was mostly the prep that irritated me. First, the packed my nose with a decongestant and pain number. That was so painful. Then, with those in both nostrils... they had me use a nebulizer. Then, the sprayed something awful for my throat. This took about 30 minutes... then the started in. It didn't hurt at the nose but getting it into the esophogus was painful. Then, your epiglotis is trying to close on the scope. It has been a few days and my throat is still sore. I would really really have to think about doing this again in the future.
For those that say it is easy, it's because your problems ain't so big down the esophagus. Some people have strictures and achalasia. And anxiety. Don't judge.
I have had this done in my early 20s. I didn't want be put under. The GI doctor was like are you sure no sedation? I'm like yep go for it. I was still nervous. The tried to spray my nose with local but I moved got it on my face. Kind of panicked but all was good.. he started to put the camera through. (Which I just learned he should of waited a few minutes or redone the spray because i moved)as he was putting it through my nose with no local basically. I was regretting it for one split second cause it was very uncomfortable almost painful. Then they asked me to swallow the camera and all I felt from then was gassiness and pressure. No pain. I'm thinkng if I had the nasal spray properly I would have even less discomfort. With out anything the first part getting camera through was 6/7 out of 10 but once in it was like 1 out of 10 because its just pressure when they fill you up with air and take biopsys(no sharp pains at all). So easy to get done and I might have to go get a scope again. I'm doing it this way
I am not a gagging type person but this test did it to me. My nose bled, the catheter tube bent in my throat and got wadded up on insertion and I almost vomited, and everything hurts. I swallow or talk and the tube yanks on my bleeding nostril, eating or drinking make me gag and choke, and I’m thoroughly, thoroughly miserable. I think reflux is a cakewalk compared to this.
