It is only temporary discomfort..people should be happy to get a test.
I once had this nasal endoscopy to check my nasal/sinus passages and it's basically a tube with a camera. They tried to numb my nose first but I don't think it worked because I felt so much pain. The problem was not the tube in my nose, it was when they turned around the corner to check the sinus (cheek). If you breathe through the mouth and keep your nose open it should be fine, the q-tip ain't that big. So I don't think it can be that bad or else they would numb the nose first. But anyways it is just temporary and won't harm, people make it sound like it is like pulling a wisdom tooth.