Barium follow through meal with xray

[osci]

I'm having a barium meal that they will follow through my system with xrays next week. Can anyone talk me through it and reassure me it's not going to be as bad as i think it is?

Had a flexi sigmoidoscopy this week and they couldnt find anything but still waiting on the results of biopsy's taken.

I've been sent a letter for the barium meal telling me to get a laxative from the local chemist myself and take it for the 2 nights before the procedure, so Tuesday and Wednesday night, no food after 8am Thursday morning and the appointment is at 2pm Thursday. Bearing in mind i have bad D all the time anyway, is a laxative really needed?! I dont know how clear you have to be for the barium to work? I'm meant to be working Wednesday but have visions of being stuck in the bathroom at home all day after taking a laxative the night before.

:sign0085::sign0144:

 

[osci]

44 views and none of you have any experience or advice on this?

 

[matty]

hi, i had my first small bowel series yesterday and i don't know if that is same test your getting. I had to drink 2 containers of white awful stuff then they took xrays 15 min after then again after 15 min then after 10 they put me in another room where a dr. or something ran a ball over my stomach and took pictures. Before the test i just had to stop food or drink 12 midnight and take a mild laxative at 8:00 p.m. night prior to test. I was confused thlough, it said on paper the test will take anywhere from 4 to 5 hrs and mine only took 1 and 15 min. The only thing awful was drinking the white stuff, i felt like throwing up but it passed after i burped a couple times. The white stuff is called barium. So i kind of think that is the same test you'll be doing.

 

[osci]

Yes sounds like what I'm having tomorrow :-( ok so if anything I need to burp & it won't taste so horrible? Ha ha. Well that's good that it didn't take very long, they said to me it'd take hours too but I guess if you have a dodgy tummy from Crohns or any form of IBD then it's going to go through quicker like pretty much everything else! Thanks for your input, hopefully mine will go as smoothly! Did they find anything from yours or do you have to wait for the results, I'm guessing you don't get told there and then?

 

[matty]

They didn't say anything and i didn't ask. I was going to ask but it went fast for the last part.

 

[osci]

Ok I expect I'll get called back to get my results along with the flexi sig & bloods then if they didn't tell you there & then. Thank you again, still dreading drinking the stuff or it making me sick but you've given me some hope I won't be there too long!

 

[matty]

I hope everything goes well, They told me to try drink as quickly but i couldm't it took about 10 min to finish. I now have to do dreaded colonoscopy. To make it worse i don't have a set appt. I'm going to get a 10 day notice letter. I like knowing in advance and this is hard. Going to mail everyday is frightening.

 

[osci]

Well I only had the sigmoidoscopy not the colonoscopy but it's the same thing but only goes as far as the left hand side to the tight bend. I was sedated lightly as was panicky about my perianal fistula hurting even more what with a camera being shoved past it and I have to say it really wasn't so bad. Take the sedative if it's offered! I remember it but it's a bit fuzzy, I watched it on the screen & asked questions but the only bit that upset me was when it was retro flexed at the end, again I remember it was uncomfy at that point but no more than that really.

I hate the waiting too, so know how you feel :-(

 

[matty]

well i went to mail today and they sent a letter stating they will send a letter 1 month prior to test. I am so glad, 1 month notice is better than 10. They are giving me fendilyn and versad, spelling off. I hope you did okay on your test today.

 

[osci]

Oh that's good then so at least you will have a bit more notice. I dont know what those drugs are but assume they are sedation or something along those lines so that's good too.

Yes yesterday went ok thanks, was told to drink the 3 cups of stuff as quick as possible but i had a maximum of 5 minutes to do it in. Apparently the quicker you drink it the better the results/clearer the pictures as it goes down in one lump rather than spread out in a trickle. I downed all 3 cups one after the other as i knew if i stopped i'd never be able to start again. Actually wasnt so bad, just sort of held my breath and glugged it quickly with the focus that the sooner i did it the sooner i'd get out of there! From the time they took me to the xray room and gave me the stuff to the time i had been to the toilet and got dressed again after was less than 45 minutes all done! Went through me like rocket fuel lol. All they would tell me is that there was nothing that required me being rushed through to surgery such as a blockage and that someone would process the results within about a week.

 

[Avw]

Glad it went well and without incident. The barium went through me like rocket fuel as well... I made at least 7 trips to the bathroom before they could even get me into the MRI machine, I was worried there wouldn't be any barium left in me to have proper scans. But they said it turned out okay, and I managed to not have an accident during the scans which is great LOL. Did they make you lie on your front or your back? I've heard a few people say they had lie face-down... sounds quite uncomfortable, especially after having to down all that stuff, not sure how they expect you to do that without projectile vomiting!

Anyway, glad there wasn't anything major to speak of and hope the results turn up something useful for you... let us know when you hear something!

 

[osci]

Glad it went well and without incident. The barium went through me like rocket fuel as well... I made at least 7 trips to the bathroom before they could even get me into the MRI machine, I was worried there wouldn't be any barium left in me to have proper scans. But they said it turned out okay, and I managed to not have an accident during the scans which is great LOL. Did they make you lie on your front or your back? I've heard a few people say they had lie face-down... sounds quite uncomfortable, especially after having to down all that stuff, not sure how they expect you to do that without projectile vomiting!

Anyway, glad there wasn't anything major to speak of and hope the results turn up something useful for you... let us know when you hear something!

I was xray'd rather than MRI after drinking the barium, although have had 2 previous MRI's for the fistulas i have. They made me turn around a lot, started on my back, the on my left side, then back again, then a few laying on my tummy then back to laying on my back, suppose that's to help it move through all the twists and turns.

When i went in the lady said you will probably be here at least 3 hours, could be anything up to 5 hours.. i was done in 45 minutes :lol2: I managed to hold it all in till i went in for the last xray and was arrrgghh hurry up. I was also worried if it came out too soon i'd have to start over and drink some more!

Yes will update when i get called back for all my results. Am scared but also just want to know now.. and what if they find nothing and i'm simply going mad or have to have even more tests

 

[Ihurt]

I have not been dx yet, still going through the ropes. But I remember doing the small bowel follow through like 8 years ago. I did not have to take any laxatives at all. They just told me to have a clear diet the day before and I just had to drink all that barium stuff. It took like a couple hours to do the test with all the pictures and all. Do not even know why they would have you take a laxative, the test is only looking at your small bowel and stomach???

 

[matty]

i;m so glad your done over with it, and even better there was nothing that required immediate care. Now the waiting, i did mine last tue. I still have the colon test and 3 stool tests i didn't do yet.

 

[osci]

Hmm not been asked to do a stool test.. Am sure they will give me more delightful tests if they don't find anything definite from the sig or barium meal... Knowing my luck a colonoscopy next time.. Should just do that & do it properly to start with! .. We'll see I guess!

 

[Amiekinsey]

I had a barium meal just a few weeks aho,cthe drink it terrible i had to have 2 white chalk drinks and took about 3hours, also a few days later i was really badly constipated, and bieng constipated while having crohns is not good, i didnt poo for a week!...anyway it soon came out and i was relieved, but honestly it will be over soon so dont worry yourself about it