Community Chat

[focksie]

On 9/9/2014 hopeQ1 said:

It seems all of you very knowledgeable doctors are back on duty again.

esmerelda? Is that you?

[Madisson]

There are all kinds of rumors flying about Joan's endoscopy. I have heard she had everything from topical anesthesic to general anesthesia.

When someone has a test like one of the "-scopies," they normally sign a consent form before the procedure allowing the doctor to do a biopsy if something abnormal is seen...so I don't think it was a "surprise biopsy" as some of the newspapers are reporting. That doesn't mean something could not have gone wrong, but nothing was visualized during the autopsy.

They do not have the results of Joan's toxicology reports yet. Everyone needs to wait until all the facts are in before reporting "possible" results.

[mousiegirl]

I wonder if this was done, or just what, if anything, the clinic did to attempt to revive Joan.

If complete blockage of the airway occurs, which is rare, your doctor may need to put a tube in your throat to help you breathe. Or, very rarely, your doctor may have to make a cut (incision) in your neck (a tracheotomy).

[scotttie]

On 9/8/2014 hckynut said:

On 9/8/2014 scotttie said:

I thought that sedation for the procedure Joan had was the same as endoscopy or colonoscopy.

Evidently, upon further research, what she had requires General Anasthesia.

The doctors have been talking about Propophol so perhaps that's what they used but this is not the same as the twilight sleep I have been talking about on several threads here.

Pitdakota. Come.

Hi scotttie,

I've had many Endo's and so, so many Colonoscopies and Double Balloon Enteroscopies. The only ones where Propophol was used for me was the 4 Double Balloon Procedures, 2 upper and 2 lower. In the 13 Colonoscopies I've had 3 of them were sans any anesthesia at all. In the Endo's, including 2 Pandoscopies, they used Fentanyl for sedation.

Had only 1 Colonscopy that was not done in a hospital and that was before my problems with a bleeding right colon. There was no Propophol in sight in the room in which I was wheeled. I am one that checks out as much as possible in all the rooms I have been wheeled into over the years.

My nephew is an Anesthesiologist and he said it is unusual to use Propophol for upper scope procedures where he has been the Anesthesiologist. He told me that is mainly because most of them take only a few minutes to perform where the scope in the other end of the body is a longer procedure, sometimes much, much longer. I am talking about the procedure not the length of the scope. (joke)

Sounds like your medical issues make your case a little more complicated than what I have had done! I cannot even begin to imagine a colonoscopy without some form of anasthesia (conscious sedation, twilight sleep, whatever you want to call it). The one endoscopy I had done they sedated me as well. My brother has had it done both wasy (the endo) and he much preferred it done with sedation.

My dear friend who is battling colon cancer has had many many procedures as well and locally at least they use Propophol on her. My docs use a different drug cocktail.

[hckynut]

On 9/10/2014 scotttie said:

Sounds like your medical issues make your case a little more complicated than what I have had done! I cannot even begin to imagine a colonoscopy without some form of anasthesia (conscious sedation, twilight sleep, whatever you want to call it). The one endoscopy I had done they sedated me as well. My brother has had it done both wasy (the endo) and he much preferred it done with sedation.

My dear friend who is battling colon cancer has had many many procedures as well and locally at least they use Propophol on her. My docs use a different drug cocktail.

Hi scotttie,

These were not the most pleasant things I have had done for sure. Since I had several colonocopies and they could not find the bleeding, even with me swallowing the camera pill, they decided they wanted me awake for the next ones.

They had me doing all sorts of different things with my legs/my body etc. They wanted these movements hoping that pulling my knees to my chest etc. might increase the chances of starting the colon to bleed and they could detect it. Don't know how long these lasted, but to me it seemed like hours, and all for naught.

That is when they sent me to another hospital. This was to the hospital where they brought in an Ebola patient last weekend or early this week, not real sure, but it was on the national news. This was the only hospital in the city that had the equipment to be able to do the Double Balloon Enteroscopies.

These involved a much longer scope. From the bottom end it would go all the way through the colon and up into the small intestines. From the top, the Endo part, the doctor was also able to mark the spot where he ended his view from the top with this scope. I had the Upper Double Balloon one day and the Lower Balloon 2 days later. All the video done with this equipment was recorded in High Definition. Me being a techno-nut, I was in heaven looking at the equipment I saw in that room before they hit me with the Propophol. Man would I love to have that stuff.

They found the bleeding this way and were able to use a laser to stop the bleeding. That was in June of 2008 and in 2011 the bleeding started again and it was back to more colonoscopies. After having 3 of these done in-patient I finally convinced them to go the Double Balloon route again. They transferred me to a different hospital this time as there were now 2 hospitals that had this equipment, but not the one that is my 2nd home.

The Gastro doctor this time was the son of the one that had stopped the bleeding in 2008. Had to have 2 of these lower Double Balloons procedures. The first one he ran into dried blood in my colon, thus could not finish it. Thus, another gallon of Go/NuLytely and 2 days later another Double Balloon. This time his son stopped the bleeding in my right colon by using steel clips to keep it closed.

Went home a couple days later. Then? Eight day later, bleeding once again. Another colonoscopy and then back for another Double Balloon. This time they clipped the right colon with Titanium clips. That was in August of 2011 and so far so good.

More info than you wanted, but hey, gotta be me I guess. And I am sure I missed a whole bunch of things even with this very long novella.

[scotttie]

Oh my gosh, John! What are these bleeds? Blood vessels or polyps?

[Funloving]

After being the responsible party for several friends & family members during their colonoscopies, I thought I'd too be loopy and unable to remember much right after my first at age 58. (I know, shame on me!)

Instead I woke fully coherent & able to communicate with my doctor about the rectal sessile adenoma finding & removal. It was a major relief to have this advantage. I was able to return home and do more research on this type of polyp. At the time I didn't realize my gastro used Propofol and does for the majority of his patients.

According to the JAMA study full anesthesia was used in more than 30 percent of all colonoscopies and other gastroenterology procedures in 2009, up 14 percent from 2003.

[Funloving]

Good grief, John.. you've been put through the wringer!

[Funloving]

I've heard in interviews, Joan Rivers stated she was never fearful of any aspects of her many surgeries over the years- EXCEPT ONE. She was terrified by the anesthesia.

That's a normal fear IMO.. however with cosmetic surgeries I'd be terrified by the potential results. I'm sure was totally confident in the results of her exceptionally skilled plastic surgeon/s after numerous procedures.

Sorry.. didn't mean to hog this thread.

[focksie]

I didn't see this info posted anywhere in VP. I apologize if it's old news, but in case some of you have not heard this (I just heard it on ABC News)....Dr. Lawrence Cohen has stepped down as Medical Director of Yorkville Endoscopy Clinic:

"BREAKING: Medical director of Yorkville Endoscopy where #JoanRivers went to cardiac arrest is out

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) September 12, 2014

Rivers had gone in for a procedure that friends called “a diagnostic procedure [to] see why her voice had gotten raspy,” the Daily News reported. When the doctor performing the endoscopy found “something” on her vocal cords, another doctor, whom she brought along with her, asked “if he could use their instruments,” to perform a throat biopsy, the report stated. It was reportedly a “huge no-no” for Yorkville Endoscopy to allow an outside doctor to come in and perform an operation without any fore mention.