Bronchoscopy procedure: what to expect?

I’ve realized you can pretty much find out anything on this subforum if you look hard enough.
Since I’m likely looking at an upcoming bronchoscopy, I was hoping someone could chime in about their own experience—specifically where you had it done.
The way things work here in the States, they often do it while you're wide awake, though I've heard that in other places, maybe even over in Canada, they tend to use anesthesia instead.
There’s the standard method through the mouth, and then there's apparently a supposedly more comfortable option via the nose.
My daughter, who’s a doctor, actually advised postponing the procedure until after another X-ray because she knows how uncomfortable it is and, like any endoscopy, carries its own set of risks.
But honestly... it feels like I won't be able to dodge it forever.
So, if anyone has been through this, could you please lay out the details for me? Feel free to send a PM if that's easier.
I don't even need to say that I'm only interested in experiences from right here in America or perhaps Canada, since those are the only options available to me.

I received an incredibly thorough and professional response to my inquiry.
So, if the moderator feels like it, they could just shut this thread down right now.

I ended up needing anesthesia before the exam by pure chance... so I don't really remember much about it. All I can say is they tried to scare me into thinking it would be the most uncomfortable procedure ever... but, who knows?

...once I woke up, I didn't feel a thing—no side effects or lingering issues at all. So, I guess it wasn't that bad. Two tubes through the nose... they take a little piece of lung that you wouldn't feel anyway, and that's it.

Come on,
just drop the answer in the post so the rest of us can actually learn something here...

You can get a bronchoscopy done at a small town in the Midwest under general anesthesia, or you can opt for a private clinic where they typically use Ambien—it's a relatively mild sedation, though you won't remember much once it wears off. However, if you’re looking at a fiber bronchoscopy using a flexible scope, I wouldn't actually recommend anesthesia; the procedure itself isn't nearly as unpleasant as people make it out to be, and honestly, isn't any form of anesthesia a risk in its own right?
If you require a classic bronchoscopy with a rigid instrument, then you absolutely have to go under general anesthesia.

A fiber bronchoscopy isn't painful; the most uncomfortable part is actually the local anesthetic—kind of like at the dentist—because it numbs your throat muscles and leaves you with that sensation of a lump in your throat you just can't swallow. If you can stay focused and follow the doctor's instructions on how to swallow, you won't even cough. It’s generally easier to handle if they go through the nose, which is possible for most patients.
For about 5% of patients, going through the nose isn't an option, so they have to go through the mouth, which is a bit more uncomfortable and requires stronger local anesthesia.

Given those factors, I think a small town in the Midwest is your best bet in America. There is traditionally good care at Golnik in Canada, but I feel like they are lagging behind the options in the US in certain areas right now.
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I'm just replying briefly to what was sent to me via DM.
Mark Lee65, I hope you're asking out of pure curiosity and not because you're actually a candidate! 🙂
cosmictrucker132 👍

rapidranger79 said:If the moderator wants to, they could just close this thread.

rapidranger79, I think I took a wrong turn somewhere. Just wanted to say it’s nice of you to be thinking about the moderators and those IMF puppets.😁