Hello - Im New--Question about Upper GI Barrium Procedure
#217474 - 10/04/05 07:20 PM
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Hello Everyone,
In April, my wife and I were both hospitalized after becoming dehydrated from a stomach virus. I actual passed out a couple times.(All the syptoms began in the middle of the night- vomiting, etc.) My wife found me on the bathroom floor passed out, so she decided to take me to the hospital. It seems 12 people in our family also came down with the same virus. Unfortunately, while everyone recovered I continued with new issues. Apparently, my doctor belives I developed IBS. So, he ordereed an upper GI barrium procedure.
I dont know much about the procedure. It seems that the doctors that I have visited dont like to spend the time to explain anything. Just wondering if anyone has any advise about this procedure?
Thanks in advance,
I used to love eating, not anymore...
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Hi and welcome 
Though no one really knows what causes IBS, one theory is that many people develop it after "an insult to the gut" - ie. something insults your gut, and a stomach virus is the most common insult here, and your gut never really recovers... and, IBS.
About the upper GI procedure, it's really not bad at all. They will probably ask you to not eat for a few hours before to make sure the upper part of your digestive system is empty. For the procedure, basically the radiologist or nurse will give you a cup of pretty bad tasting liquid (barium) to drink - it's pretty gross but not the end of the world, kind of chalky tasting. It's also really carbonated so it will make you balloon up like crazy. Then, after you wait a bit for it to go through your system, they will have you stand in front of an x-ray machine and have a look at your upper GI system - you just have to stand there. (The barium is what shows up on the x-ray). It's certainly not pleasant but it's not too bad at all.
Really though, your doctor should be doing a complete GI series to test for IBS - and this includes a lower GI. Now, this procedure is a lot less easy to handle. The lower GI is the equivalent of a colonoscopy, so your intestines/bowels have to be totally empty before you can do the procedure (i.e. you take a laxative the night before and get, well, emptied... this is probably the worst part). For the procedure, the insert a tube into your anus and fill you up with barium - so basically just like the upper GI but you're not drinking it...  It's not pleasant no, and I don't mean to scare you away from it here, but it really is necessary to getting a proper IBS diagnosis, ie. ruling out anything else it might be - lots of things can look like IBS but actually be more serious and require immediate medical attention.
There are also other tests you should get too - Heather lists them here.
Anyway, hope this was helpful to you, and once again welcome! (Glad you found us, but sorry you had to )
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My GI specialist had me get an upper GI with small bowel follow through and a Celiac test but since IBS runs in the family I didn't have to go through anything else. The upper GI wasn't a big deal. The doctor was a crank but oherwise it wasn't bad. I had to wait around though for the follow through and they wouldn't let me pee. I just had to walk around and hope the stuff would pass through to my small intestines; it took hours.
So don't worry too much; it is definitely painless. Bring something to read maybe.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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Hi and welcome to the boards.
I had a barium upper GI years ago. You just drink a chalky liquid (it wasn't as bad as I thought) and they take X-rays.
My doc ordered it because he thought I had an ulcer. Thank goodness I didn't. He prescribed some Pepcid and low fat diet and that took care of the burning in my tummy and the morning nausea.
Only one word of caution. The barium gave me "D" about an hour after I took it. I was at W------t shopping after the procedure and BAM it hit me....I had to find the restroom fast. You might keep that in mind and not go shopping afterwards!
Good luck
Barbie
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I think I got C afterward but I am not sure.
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IBS-A for 20 years with terrible bloating and gas. On the diet since April 2004. Remember this from Heather's information pages:
"You absolutely must eat insoluble fiber foods, and as much as safely possible, but within the IBS dietary guidelines. Treat insoluble fiber foods with suitable caution, and you'll be able to enjoy a wide variety of them, in very healthy quantities, without problem." Please eat IF foods!
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My IBS came on the same way, about 6 people had the stomach virus H.Pylori, including me, but I ma the only one who had IBS following. I had a Barium done in March and I am a chicken. I was crying on the table before she gave me the liquid. it was not bad at all.
I had normal bowels afterwards no D or C, and I consider myself to have pretty intense IBS, but I was completely fine. You'll be okay, and the liquid isn't even bad if you like Kaopeptate(which I do). They just make you drink alot of it and you can be there a while if you have a slow digestive system. Good Luck, but youll be fine
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Keep Smiling
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Hi, Welcome to the IBS boards!
My IBS started the same way 2 years ago! I got a stomach virus and BAM......2 years later I'm still an IBS-D, unstable as ever!!! It does suck but I cannot make it go away....so I guess I have just learned to deal with it and hope I stabilize again, really soon.
Don't worry! Your upper GI is not going to be bad at all and they didn't make me drink a ton of that chalky stuff. Just one glass of it and it didn't taste that bad to me, either. Everyone that I talked to said it was going to be horrible.....but it wasn't. I sat there forEVER because I had a slow moving digestive system at the time and it took a really long time to get all the way to the bottom of my Small Intestine.......and it did C me for a day and I'm IBS-D.....so, watch out. It could go either way!! I would stay at home until it's all out of your system and it comes out just as white as when it went it, just so you know!! (I know that's TMI!!) I hope you get to feeling better soon!
Michelle
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IBS-D. Hiatal Hernia, GERD
Unstable
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Yes I got C after... but then I went to D, which, as a D, is really normal for me after getting C for any reason. But yup the barium gave me C.
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