Pill Camera? anyone have one of these before?

[tayandky]

So today I couldn't eat because I have my pill camera study tomorrow. It is my "trial" run. I LOVE food so this is difficult for me, haa. I was seeing if anyone else has had this done and how soon after can I eat? Do I stay at the dr's for awhile or go home?

 

[littlemissh]

Once I had swallowed the pillcam I was allowed to leave for a few hours.

 

[xJillx]

I just had the pill cam a few months ago. Do you have to drink any prep? I had to fast and do full prep - ugh! Once you get the belt hooked up and swollow the camera, you can go about your day. You will then return to the office about 8 hours later to return the belt. As for eating, I think you can start eating about 4 hours after swollowing the camera.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I had the pill cam last year. My understanding is that the prep varies depending on what your doctor/hospital prefers. Some just have to fast beforehand, some have to do some prep. I had to do 1/2 the usual amount of prep (some have to drink a full amount of prep - yuck!). So I drank my prep the night before and got all emptied out, and went in first thing in the morning to swallow the camera. I was fitted with a belt which receives and stores the images that are sent from the camera - the belt is kind of bulky and weird, so take the day off of work if you are able to, you don't want to be walking around or working while wearing it. I was given an 8 oz glass of water to swallow with the pill at 8 AM and then I was allowed to go home with specific instructions as what to eat & drink. I was allowed another 8 oz glass of water 2 hours later at 10 AM, and at noon I was allowed a light lunch and more water, and after that I could eat and drink normally. The pill cam battery usually lasts about 8 hours, so at around 4:30 when the little light stopped blinking, I went back to the hospital to return the belt (you don't need to return the pill cam itself, all the images are stored onto the belt). It was easy apart from the prep. It sounds like you're just doing a fasting prep so it shouldn't be too bad at all.

What else can I tell you? Well, expect it to take about a month for the results. It takes so long because your doctor has to look over each image and there are tens of thousands of images taken by the camera. Oh, and make sure to wear a thin 100% cotton shirt. I didn't know this until I was getting fitted for my belt - I was told by the nurse that the signal from the camera can go through a thin layer of cotton so that you don't have to wear the belt directly against your skin if you have a cotton shirt on. Apparently other fabrics can interfere with the signal, and the belt seems like it'd be uncomfortable right up against the skin.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

 

[tayandky]

Today ended up being my "trial" run. I took the pill at 8:15am and it just goes right through and then tomorrow at 8am i get an xray to see if it is stuck anywhere. then they will schedule me for the real deal later. I believe I have to drink the prep the day before. I'm just glad i got to eat haa.

 

[StarGirrrrl]

Procedures do vary alot with this test, best to check with the Hospital you're having it at.

 

[mkhopper]

Bringing back an older subject here, but I'm scheduled for a pill cam next week and was poking around the forum here looking for info about it.

How big is the pill itself? I've taken some pretty large "horse pills" but they of course break down where this camera won't. I'm just worried about it hanging up and getting stuck somewhere.

Plus at the "end of the ride" we'll say, I'm very tight and constricted. BMs are only about as big in diameter as your little finger. I worry about not being able to pass this thing out.

 

[DougUte]

mk hopper

The have a trial run pill that they usually do. It is what tandky is talking about above. You take that pill and the next day you have an x-ray to make sure that pill is not stuck somewhere. If it is, it will dissolve, and you know then that the camera pill should not be done. I would have my dr do this first if I had your concern.

 

[kekemonster101]

Yeah definitely get the dummy capsule. If it gets stuck it will just dissolve. I had to swallow the dummy capsule and it really was large..it took me a long time to be able to swallow it. I would say its maybe at least a 2g pill. Maybe a little more..

My dummy capsule got stuck in my intestines, so I never got the real thing done :<

Also, be aware that your insurance might not pay for the dummy capsule. Mine didnt..but its definitely worth doing..im glad I did!!

 

[shamrock15]

If you have a trial pill option, do it. I never knew there was an option, and of course, mine got stuck. I had/have a stricture in the anus, and it got stuck. Didn't find out until about a week later when it decided it wanted to close me up for good. Well, it took about a week in the hospital to get it out. Too much material over the course of the week to allow anyone to see it with a scope, and the laxative they give produces a lot of gas - very uncomfortable! Still, worth the experience. It was the only way to convince my quack of a doc that I wasn't crazy!

 

[kekemonster101]

If you have a trial pill option, do it. I never knew there was an option, and of course, mine got stuck. I had/have a stricture in the anus, and it got stuck. Didn't find out until about a week later when it decided it wanted to close me up for good. Well, it took about a week in the hospital to get it out. Too much material over the course of the week to allow anyone to see it with a scope, and the laxative they give produces a lot of gas - very uncomfortable! Still, worth the experience. It was the only way to convince my quack of a doc that I wasn't crazy!

Wow, ill be honest - your doctor really does sound like a quack. His first mistake was not even mentioning the option of the dummy capsule, especially knowing it gets stuck in a large percentage of people, and second mistake was after actually going through with it he didnt tell you to look for it in your stool? My doctor said it was important to make sure it passed properly.. and THIRD when you finally had complications, it took a week to figure it out? Sounds like a bumbling mess.

Sounds like your doctor probably isnt experienced with gastro problems.. do you have a dedicated gastroenterologist?

 

[shamrock15]

I do have a real GI - I fired the quack above. He was actually supposed to be a Crohn's expert, believe it or not. Possibly the worst doctor, let alone GI that I have ever had. New doc is a pretty good guy. I actually looked into taking legal action on him, but was advised it would cost far too much to pursue.

Anyhow, gotta go cook up some fish for dinner...

 

[shamrock15]

Does anyone here know when the "trial run" was instituted? I am trying to find some information on that to see if my doc made a mistake on that.

 

[Mayflower537]

Does anyone here know when the "trial run" was instituted? I am trying to find some information on that to see if my doc made a mistake on that.

Dunno, but I had a pillcam study last year (June), and wasn't offered the trial either. Mine didn't get stuck, but I don't know why certain docs are much more careful about doing the dummy capsule than others.

 

[Mayflower537]

Bringing back an older subject here, but I'm scheduled for a pill cam next week and was poking around the forum here looking for info about it.

How big is the pill itself? I've taken some pretty large "horse pills" but they of course break down where this camera won't. I'm just worried about it hanging up and getting stuck somewhere.

Plus at the "end of the ride" we'll say, I'm very tight and constricted. BMs are only about as big in diameter as your little finger. I worry about not being able to pass this thing out.

There is a picture of the capsule next to a quarter in this thread, so you can see what you're looking at having to swallow size-wise:

http://www.crohnsforum.com/showthread.php?t=9925&highlight=capsule+size