Stricture or adhesion diagnosed with Gastrograffin

[KiwiJo]

hi there,

Just wondering if anyone out there has had a stricture or adhesion successfully diagnosed with a gastrograffin xray? this will be the second time Im going in for one for the same pain. Nothing showed on the last xray, well the doctor looking at it couldnt see anything anyway. I asked for a barium xray, but seems like gastrograffin is my doctors new thing. So, yeah, anyone else had any success with diagnosis?

Jo

 

[shazamataz]

Hey Jo, hope you are doing okay? I have never heard of the gastrograffin!!! I hope you don't have any type of adhesion!!!!

 

[KiwiJo]

hey! New photo

Gastrograffin is a contrast dye thingee. Kind of like a runny barium type of thing. You drink it, then they x ray you. I hope they find something when they do the xray. Im in so much pain. Been constant for three years now and no one can figure it out totally sux.

I took some photos of my abdomen tongiht so i can show my surgen just how distended my left side gets when the food gets stuck. im desperate! It hurts so much. Cant even touch it.

 

[shazamataz]

Ugh, sounds nasty

 

[dreamintwilight]

Gastrograffin here!

I had 2 CT scans with gastrograffin when I was in the hospital last month. They saw that I had an abscess with it, but it wasn't until I had the lower GI exam (not sure if that's the same thing as a barium x-ray you are referring to) that they saw I had narrowing of the bowel and fistulas. I'm still in the process of being diagnosed, but the lower GI exam were the only X-rays that I had that showed the fistulas and narrowing (not sure if that is the same as strictures?).

The lower GI exam was no fun. It was basically an enema. I'm not sure what exactly they shoot up there, but it was pretty uncomfortable towards the end. I was cramping up really badly and felt really bloated from all the liquid in my intestines and of course couldn't make it to the bathroom before making a mess of myself. How embarassing. I'm sure they see that often though.

What's an adhesion?

 

[Creepy Lurker]

X-rays are pretty good for diagnosing strictures. Mine was diagnosed with an entirely non-radioactive contrast. I don't know what it was call though :tongue:

Adhesions are where the bowel begins to fuse with either other parts of itself, or the abdominal wall.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

Barium enemas are pretty nasty. I was just glad I still had a bit of sedation left over from the failed colonoscopy I'd had earlier on in the day. It was really uncomfortable and I found it pretty degrading.

So if there is some other way of diagnosing strictures then I'm all for it. Let us know what the outcome is and I hope you get it sorted soon.

 

[KiwiJo]

Thanks guys. Ive been up all night in agony. im just so scared that the gastrograffin xray is going to show nothing (like last time) and Ill continue to have no answers. the last time i had a narrowing it was giagnosed with a barium xray. ive asked for that again, but Im not sure why my doctor wont do it. My theory is that the gastrograffin is too runny and has a laxitive effect so doesnt back up and cause ballooning before a narrowing the way barium would. Also, the gastrograffin went through me so fast i think a lot of it was down the loo before they got the xray done. I just need some answers, as Im really not coping