# sbft advice please



## nic d (Dec 3, 2002)

my dr is arranging a SBFT for me and i just wondered what happens before, during and after please. i had the enema and hated taking the laxative, do you have to take the laxative for this one too?any advice is much appreciated. thx.


----------



## LaurieJ (Sep 3, 2002)

If I remember right - you don't eat for a couple of hours before hand (probably overnight fast) then you swallow the barium drink as they watch it go through your esophagus into the stomach (they use a fluoroscope - a type of x-ray),. Then you wait for about a half hour to give the barium time to get to your intestines then you go back into the exam room where you lay down and roll from side to side and they may push on your abdomen to get the intestines to fill with the contrast so they can take pictures. When you are done, they will advise you to drink plenty of water to get the barium out of your system. There is no laxative prep work before hand that I had to do anyways. it is a realitively simple and painless procedure - maybe takes an hour to hour and a half (not including the waiting to be seen time). I had mine done almost three years ago now, so my memory is not that fresh. Maybe someone who has just had it can be more helpful.


----------



## kare_bear88 (May 12, 2003)

I've had this test twice. The first time the prep was 60mLs of Milk of Magnesia and NPO after midnight the day before the test. The second time there was no prep except NPO after midnight. This test is really easy, just make sure that you let the technicians know if you have a fast transit time, otherwise they may be too late with the second set of x-rays and you may have to drink more barium (which happened to me both times, but I was passing the barium before I finished drinking it)Good Luck!


----------

