Stomach x-ray / Barium

[nikki89]

I'm in the middle of a Crohn's flare and the doctor sent me to get an x-ray. I can't remember the exact name of the procedure, but it's the one where you have to drink the Barium as they're taking x-rays, then after it leaves your stomach, more x-rays every half hour until it reaches your small intestine. I was told by the radiologist that this WHOLE process takes an hour and a half to 2 hours. However, after two hours of waiting for the Barium to leave my stomach, still none of it had emptied. I just wonder if anyone knows what this means.

The radiologist had my keep drinking the Barium until my stomach was full saying "oh well it has no where else to go, that should make it empty" HAHA puked all over the exam room and they ended up sending me home with no xrays. When I eat I do get full extremely fast and feel a tightness in my upper stomach. However, I have a BM and lose everything I ate with what looks like little to no digestion (like it comes out looking like it did when it went in) fairly quickly, within a few hours everything just goes right through me after sitting in my stomach? Just curious what do you guys think/know about this?

 

[CrohnsChicago]

If you have obstructions, it may take you longer to pass it all through your system. These are the types of things your doc tries to find out by doing this test in addition to pinpointing the locations of inflammation in your digestive tract.

When does your doc expect to have your results? I was impatient so before I even left the radiology department, I asked them for copies of my x-rays to take home and look at myself.

 

[shamrock15]

I am a little surprised that if no barium left your stomach, they would have discharged you (assuming that this meant literally no barium left). That should have suggested at least a partial blockage. When I had this, they had me flop around on the table to make sure the barium moved throughout the bowel. Also, if the barium doesn't move out, there is a risk that it hardens in the bowels. The optics on this don't look good.