FAQ'S
You can view our fees by clicking the following link.
Upon filling out the patient questionnaire, our team will confirm your appointment within a business day. We will aim to offer you a procedure date within 1 week.
With our introductory pricing, we are a new clinic trying to establish our reputation within the community. In no way do our more affordable fees indicate an inferior level of service, or quality of procedure that’s suboptimal. In fact Dr. Chow has performed thousands of endoscopies for a local, competing clinic for over 10 years. He believes there is a better way to deliver endoscopies in private care in a more cost effective manner. We understand private fees can be a big cost to patients. Our goal is to have patients who are taken care of, and satisfied with their care.
You’ll arrive 15 minutes prior to your procedure for all the preparation required. A straightforward gastroscopy will take about 15 minutes, and a straightforward colonoscopy about 30 minutes. Note these may take more time in cases of difficult anatomy or with multiple biopsies or polyps taken. You will then remain in the recovery room for approximately 30 minutes or until you are completely awake.
Like all medical procedures there may be a mild discomfort at times. We aim to provide you with a pleasant experience overall. You’ll be offered conscious sedation and will be redosed during the procedure as needed, assuming your vital signs are normal and safe. Often, we experience patients who fall asleep during the procedure and wake up in the recovery room asking when the procedure is going to start!
Everybody reacts to conscious sedation differently. Often patients stay completely asleep and comfortable during the whole procedure. Other times they may require a redose during, so that they’re more comfortable and painless. We will tailor what is best for you, both in terms of comfort but also safety.
Upon confirming your appointment date, our medical team will reach out to you if there are any medications of concern listed on your questionnaire. There are certain medications such as anticoagulants and diabetes medications for which you may need to verify with your family doctor if they can be temporarily held.
After receiving conscious sedation, despite time in the recovery room, you may still feel a bit tired and not 100%. It may take a nap at home and a good number of hours of rest before you feel closer to normal. For this reason, for your own safety, you must be accompanied by somebody. You cannot drive home or return home on your own.
You’ll spend time in the recovery room for approximately 30 minutes or until you fully awake. The nurse will monitor your vital signs at this time. You’ll receive some water to drink. Dr. Chow will go over the preliminary results with you and provide you with either a hardcopy or an electronic copy.
If you received conscious sedation, you may feel tired for the rest of the day. Unless given other specific instructions by Dr. Chow, you may eat and drink normally. Depending on your line of work and how you feel, you may restart the same day or the day after. If you need a note for work, please let us know. Also remember to restart the medications you may have held prior to the procedure.
You’ll receive the preliminary results right away in the recovery room with Dr. Chow, with a hardcopy or electronic copy provided. This will let you know if there are any major findings. Otherwise if biopsies or polyps were taken, these may take a few weeks for the pathologist to review before we notify you of the final results.
Some gas discomfort is common after the procedure. These should dissipate and improve after a day or two. We strongly recommend that you walk to help release this gas. You can also try warm or cold compresses on your abdomen, or medications such as Gas-Ex, or equivalent.
Like all other medical procedures, there is always a risk of more serious complications like bleeding or perforation. Although the risk is small, you must always keep a close surveillance on your symptoms. Obviously if you have severe abdominal pain or brisk bleeding, you must contact our medical team. If you are unable to reach us or if it’s after hours, you must go to the closest ER for evaluation.