Testing question

[Miss_sterious]

I am having a flare up after quite a lengthy remission. I see my specialist on Monday and know that he will want to run some tests to evaluate where the inflammation is and how serious it is. He's a nice guy and open to my input. So, what test/s are the least intrusive? I hate the barium test as well as colonoscopies. Last time he let me do the one where you lay on a bed and go through the donut thing (can't remember name). Any suggestions of the least intrusive yet accurate test?

 

[Ckt]

The least intrusive..hmmm..cat scan sounds like what you are describi g but you get high doses of radiation especially with contrast..I should know..I'm glowing in the dark after 13..yes..13!! Abdominal cat scans this year alone. Someone has mentioned mris but my gi has never ordered it..it would be nice at this point!
So for you..does your gi sedate for your colonoscopies?thats not so bad..prep sucks but scope is ok that way. Blood work can show inflammation at times . A sed rate and crp..that's all I know of to be honest..

 

[PattyLynn]

I hate the barium too but it is really good for showing where the inflammation is exactly. I get CT scans but only if I have a blockage, because the barium will not pass through. I've also x-rays and I believe once - many years ago - I had an ultra sound. Blood tests can detect inflammation but will not tell you where the inflammation is. Ckt is right, if you can get sedated for the colonoscopy, that may be the way to go. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with IBDs, most tests are intrusive and uncomfortable.
Good luck.

 

[Patricia56]

MRE _ magnetic resonance enterography.

You do have to drink contrast and he may order it with IV contrast but it is likely to be the most accurate, has NO radiation exposure (unlike CT which has the equivalent of up to 500 xrays), and is usually pretty easy to do. Not all places use barium. The place my sister went used plain water.

IF that shows inflammation, he may want/need to scope.

That and labs of course.

 

[Ckt]

@patricia..I have never had an MRI for my belly. Do you know if it shows inflammation and defects better than cat scans?i would very much prefer to get an MRI due to being exposed to way too many scans..it worries me as you mentioned, the radiation is pretty high.
I've heard on this forum that mris are also becoming the standard of care. Do you know anything about how often it's used?i want to know so I can urge them to do this other then more cat scans!!

 

[Catherine]

Our gi will only do mri not cat scan. Reasoning he does no like cat scan for teenage girls. He did ask whether cost was an issue as mri are dearer and not covered by insurance.

 

[Patricia56]

In most of US, MRE is now standard of care for non-invasive scanning of IBDers.

Does an excellent job of detecting inflammation provided the radiologist is adequately trained. So you should have the procedure done at a facility that does a lot of them, if you have a choice of facility.

It's also a good idea to have scans done at the same place each time so that the same people/procedures are used and the old records are available.

 

[Ckt]

Thanks for the info!i was going to have one done here where I live but I haven't heard of anyone geting them done(in a fairly good sizes city in Kentucky)so maybe it would be wise to wait and have it done at the university of Chicago IBD clinic when I go next month?or perhaps I could have it done here to save time,take them the cd of my mre and let them interpret it.i want to get as much done before leaving to save my time and theirs. I'm taking a cd with all my other cat scans so I am sure they won't mind if I bring them one more!and I just feel its come to the point that the tests aren't showing much but there is something vital being missed!:ywow:

 

[Ckt]

PS..with my insurance right now, I have rEached 'catastrophic care' which basically means I have no out of pocket costs for the remainder of this year!!a positive aspect of the crud I have been through this year alone!

 

[PattyLynn]

I have heard really good things about the University of Chicago IBD Center - and I am from the west coast of Canada! If I could, I would go there myself. In my opinion, it would be a very wise choice to get the MRI (or MRE) done in Chicago. It doesn't take long so I wouldn't worry too much about saving them time.

Congratulations on reaching catastrophic care! It sounds very impressive - almost like winning a lottery!

 

[Patricia56]

Actually, I would wait and have the MRE done in Chicago. My experience with the major medical programs is that they prefer to have tests done at their own facilities where they know how a procedure was done and can talk directly with the radiologist who performed and read the test results.

I would call and ask what they prefer. Tell them you will need their help to get it scheduled so that it is coordinated with your visit to the GI team there. They should have no problem doing that.

I would definitely choose to have the exam done in Chicago where they probably do 50-100 a week over KY where you don't know if they even do 100 a month.

 

[Ckt]

Thanks all!i have never heard of anyone having an MRI for IBD until I read abot it on this forum! So my guess is they do it here very rarely! I'll call them and also take your advice. They will probably want to wait unt dr cohen sees me to hopefully order it!
I am so grateful for the forum here!i have learned so much! I had my gi doctor order vsl3 and she had never heard of it!reading the abstracts on the clinical studies, it was proven to initiate and maintain remission in an impression percentage of people!wow!!
I went to the er(AGAIN!!) yesterday andwas gi en a shot of bentyl which st that time I was really dry happy to get..now I can hardly go st all! It's like a faucet before and they put a plug in it now!WTF?!!