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What should I expect with a small bowel follow through

What can I expect with a small bowel follow through?
I'm having one done next Wednesday.
Will I have the results right away or do I have to wait for my doctor to review them?
They said it could take up to three hours. Does this mean they'll be doing stuff to me the whole time or will there be lots of waiting? If I'm going to be waiting I want to know if I should bring homework.
 

farm

Captain Insaneo
Lot's of waiting!!
During mine I drank some barium, waited 30 minutes, had an x-ray. Drank some more, waited 20-30 minutes and had more x-rays. After that I didn't have to drink anymore barium but had x-rays about every 20-30 minutes.
I got my results back a couple days later.
 
Yer bring something to do!
There is nothing to worry about but i found it hard to drink everything they wanted me too. Then they take x rays etc. I found it quite interesting to see the x rays after! It was like...Thats me!!
x x x x x
 
Yep - same here, lots o drinking and sitting around. I'd bring something to do and make yourself thirsty before you get there!
 
I never had cement poop, at least not with the kind of contrast that is that foul liquid stuff they mix with soda for you. Hmmm, am I confused - do they *always* do SBFT with barium?
 

farm

Captain Insaneo
All of mine have been with barium.
That nasty crap they give you with soda was always before I had a CT or CAT Scan.
 
I had one done recently....went in expecting to be 3-4 hours...
drank some stuff like a milkshake they took an x-ray.
Told me they would take an x-ray every 20 minutes until this stuff had gone
through me and within 20, before the second x-ray it had passed right on through....and they sent me home.

I was set to read while waiting in-between x-rays...
and it all went so fast I didn't have time to.

Got the results from the doctor at my next appointment.

You can take your homework...they don't do anything in-between..
no other tests or anything...they just leave you sitting there.

Let us know how it goes.

Hugs~Nancy
 
If your a good girl you will win 1 million dollars and a one time cure for CD. Also you could have the chance to win a one time cure for one of your close friends (hint, hint). All you have to do is drink alot of barium and give the tech pretty pictures of you intestines. If you can drink it all your best friend (hint, hint) will win HIS one time cure of CD.

GO PEW GO PEW GO PEW
 
Pirate said:
If your a good girl you will win 1 million dollars and a one time cure for CD. Also you could have the chance to win a one time cure for one of your close friends (hint, hint). All you have to do is drink alot of barium and give the tech pretty pictures of you intestines. If you can drink it all your best friend (hint, hint) will win HIS one time cure of CD.

GO PEW GO PEW GO PEW
Ha ha, I wish!
 
Waiting around and flushing it away once you've pooped it are the only two likely problems. If, like me (and some others) you're "Captain Fast-transit", even the waiting around is not too much of a problem.
 

Crohn's 35

Inactive Account
Depends on how fast your bowels move. Since I had 2 resections, I was done in less than 1.5 hours from start to finish, they asked me what was missing, easier to tell them what I do have. LOL
 
I was a fast one aswell....BUT I would prepare for it being slow and then you'll only be pleasantly suprised.

I had the cement poop. I wish I had of known before because its not the easiest to get out of the loo!

Also after colonoscopy prep I didn't mind chugging back that barium like there was no tomorrow (and to be honest I think they were all a bit impressed.)

Goodluck, I also got to look at my xrays inbetween which was interesting.
 
pewpewlasers said:
Ha ha, I wish!
Don't laugh! They really do like to have pretty pictures of your intestines.

(as for the million, you could split it with your best bud, hint hint)
 
I had one done and it's wasn't pleasent, but it wasn't painful or anything. Out of all the tests, it's probably the one I'd least like to do over again (with the exception of a colonoscopy). The worst part was the waiting. I had it done in an x-ray/radiology center and what you do is you change out of your clothes and into a robe. Then I had to drink two bottles of barium thru a straw, which basically comes as a powder and they mix water with it and put it in the fridge before you get there. It by no means tastes good, but there's actually a hint of sweetness to it. Drink it fast (of course!!)

There was a tech/nurse guy who was responsible for me, and basically they had me walk around the hallways so it could move through me (he told me "if you have to poop, go poop. it means things are moving"). As far as I knew I was the only one doing this test because I was the only one walking the halls. Every 20 minutes he'd find me and take a quick x-ray, then he'd develop it and see how far the barium had moved. I guess because I told them I had crohn's they assumed they would be done pretty quickly.......but things don't actually move through me that quickly (I'm a once-a-day guy).

Anyway, once they determine the barium has moved far enough, they have a doctor who specializes in taking these pictures come to bring you into another room with a special camera that they aim at certain parts of your abdomen that takes the detailed pictures. After about 2 hours they took me into this room and I thought I was done, but after looking at the pics they told me that they were wrong and things hadnt moved far enough. So then after another hour they had me go back in and they finally got the pictures they needed. They sent the pictures to my GI and I got the results probably about 3 days later.
 
razz said:
I was a fast one aswell....BUT I would prepare for it being slow and then you'll only be pleasantly suprised.

I had the cement poop. I wish I had of known before because its not the easiest to get out of the loo!

Also after colonoscopy prep I didn't mind chugging back that barium like there was no tomorrow (and to be honest I think they were all a bit impressed.)

Goodluck, I also got to look at my xrays inbetween which was interesting.
Did they explain to you what you were looking at? That would be cool.
 
Mine took 4 hours!! I ended up sleeping alot cause the mixture didn't move very quickly they got me to lay on a bed on my right side for an hour each time then took an x-ray... it was a very long process but the doc said that everyone is different some people are done within an hour and others take all day. So def take something along with you otherwise its a bit boring... I didn't realise it would take so long hence why I ended up just sleeping to try and pass the time.

Not sure what the mixture is like over there but here it was horrible, white thick milky crap I only got down a small amount but it seemed to be enough. They didn't run thru any of the xrays with me afterwards but found out results only a couple days later when my GI called to say they had found more ulcers. I did look at the xrays once I collect them and it was pretty interesting to see your insides like that all glowing from the barium mixture.

Good luck
 
pewpewlasers said:
Did they explain to you what you were looking at? That would be cool.
Not really....although it was just bowel (ofcourse mine was beautiful) really and I don't think there was anything out of the ordinary to really point out. It was cool to see it though.
:)
I did ask, I don't think they do that for everyone but maybe some places show the screen where the patients can see?
 
Oh and I chugged that barium back like there was no tomorrow and what really helped was having a straw!
 
My last one caused me a lot of problems. I was already in the hospital and I went down and did the test. Drank all my cocktail, They rolled me back to my room. About 10 minutes later they came in and said I needed to go back down for some more. Down I go. Drink another glass. Do the test and back to my room. The next day I'm in so much pain I can't stand it. I hadn't drank enough water to help flush out the barium and my intestines were plugged. I'll never make that mistake again. When I went home 2 days later things began working again and boy that stuff can really slow down a toilet.
 
Have any of you had this test while on Levsin? I read that Levsin inhibits gastrointestinal propulsive motility. Does that mean it slows your system down and the test could possibly take a really long time?
 
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