CT Scan of abdomen and pelvis

hick · ‎03-28-2010

I had my appendix removed laparoacopically in June in quite a messy surgery.

Next week, I am having a CT scan follow up. I need to swallow barium

I'm not looking forward to that.

Has anyone had this barium swallow? What was your experience like and do you have any tips?

Thanks

KingstonMom · ‎05-20-2023

It wasn't all that bad to me, just a chalky taste (like some liquid antacids) and I didn't have to drink a whole lot of it.

Good luck to you!

Group 5 minus 1 · ‎03-11-2010

What is the reason for the barium swallow?

CalminHeart · ‎03-09-2010

@hick wrote:
I had my appendix removed laparoacopically in June in quite a messy surgery.
Next week, I am having a CT scan follow up. I need to swallow barium
I'm not looking forward to that.
Has anyone had this barium swallow? What was your experience like and do you have any tips?
Thanks

Drink fast and don't stop til it's gone. That's how I got it down. I'm a gagger so had to down it fast.

PansyBoo · ‎06-02-2023

The last one I had was not bad at all. I was pleasantly surprised. It tasted kinda like a thin vanilla milkshake. And I didn't have to drink a ton of it. Many, many years ago I do remember drinking some that were not as...shall we say...tasty. LOL!

While you're drinking it make your mind think of anything else but that. Do not concentrate or fixate on it. Just git er down!

Winkk · ‎03-15-2010

I was told this several years ago and it worked. Drink it cold and with a straw. It did the trick for me.

LTT1 · ‎03-09-2010

@hick

I had an abdominal CT scan (requested thru my GI) to try and determine the cause of pain in my abdomen (IBS-C) in 2017.

I had major problems with the barium. It felt like I didn't eliminate the barium from my body for at least 6 months.

Also, swallowing it made me extremely nauseous.

The results were negative except for the unexpected discovery that I have NAFL (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver) Disease.

~Have a Kind Heart, Fierce Mind, Brave Spirit~

vermint · ‎04-05-2010

@hick I had to have scans twice a year for two years, then once a year for three years after a hysterectomy for endometrial cancer.

The stuff doesn't taste too bad, but I found that by getting it really cold, then putting it in an insulated water bottle with a straw that made it easier to drink.

I didn't have to drink a whole lot, about a bottle and a half--and they are not large bottles.

They always told me to eat a good breakfast afterward to help "soak that stuff up"--their words. Do what they say, if they tell you that...you might feel very full, but it will help!

ETA: @hick Don't wear pants with zippers or any metal on them when you go for the scan. I always had to remove my bra, but was otherwise able to stay fully dressed.