# questions about barium enema.



## nic d (Dec 3, 2002)

im having a barium enema in june and would like to know a few things please1- how many times do you get d after taking the laxative?2- how long does the test take?3- how long do you starve before taking the laxative?4- do you get an urgent need to empty after the test?some of these things have been answered by the hospital but i think people who have had the test are better at helping me understand. thanks


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

Hi. I'm a big baby when it comes to things like this and I got thru it! I had it done 3 or 4 years ago. Prep is much like the one we all have to have when having a colonscopy done. Some are told to drink Go-lytely which is a larger amount of liquid that you have to drink every 15 minutes. SOme take the Phospha soda which is taken 2x-once every 4 hours. Both are manageable. Neither taste good but if you have to take the Phospha Soda (Fleet), mix it with ginger ale-much more tolerable than water! Gulp it don't sip it! As far as how quickly either of these methods work, that all depends on the person. I didn't start going until about an hour and a half later. No cramping-you just feel like you have to go and when you're cleaned out, you'll be running clear. I slept the rest of the night-in bed by around 10pm. The test takes about 20 minutes and was tolerable. I must say, thought it was better than have a sigmoidoscopy-those things kill me!!! Good luck and feel free to email me with any other questions. Just think about how routine this is-hundreds of thousands of people have had this done and gotten thru it. Trust me-you'll do fine!


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## boxgirl73 (Jul 5, 2002)

One thing i forgot to mention-you'll pass alot of gas afterwards and your stools will be white until the barium clears through your body.


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2003)

A good share, if not all, of your questions abou this test, and many others can be found at: http://yourhealth.stlukesonline.org/librar...sts/Default.htm This is an excellent website with excellent information.


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