# What's a "backup barium enema" ?



## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

I've already had a barium last Aug. where they said "you have a beautiful colon"







(yeah? what's wrong with it, then?)Now, to rule out Crohn's, they wanna do a backup barium after my recent colonoscopy.Does anyone know what it is and finds out?


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## StormTrackr (Sep 8, 2002)

Could that be a small bowel follow through?


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## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

Yeah,.....what is it? I know it's another xray, but what does it look for ( besides crohn's)?Thank you!!


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## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

I'm scheduled for it tomorrow am. This will be like my 8th health procedure in a year and a half.Just had my colonoscopy April 25th. I am so tired, emotionally and physically, from the tests and just want them to find out what it is and get to healing it.I'm 42 and both of my parents are deceased (my Mom passed away last Sept one day suddenly, from a heart attack)and it's times like these especially that you just wish so badly that they could hug ya and tell you "it's gonna be okay".I miss my Mom alot and my brother, sister and I will write notes to her on Sunday (Mom's day) and will attach them to helium balloons and let them go .....I get so angry at ppl who have been given a second chance at life---survived cancer, car accident.....whatever---and yet they still whine and complain. I just wanna get on with mine and I choose to live







I know most all on here want the same, God bless ya!Will letcha know how it comes out.


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## Guest (May 16, 2003)

Would that be the usual barium enema but then air injected to "push" the barium thru the ileocecal valve to get a look at it and the distal end of the terminal ileum??Hope you get back to us with what yours entailed and the results. Also hope it went easy for you and the news was good!!


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## RHJPC (Mar 31, 2003)

Thanks, Perplexed! I'm not sure what they did for my small bowel follow through. I know it was NPO after midnite and then I swallowed the chalky stuff and a radiologist nurse came in and put a paddle on my stomach and we watched the screem together.The barium looked black in the screen. They were looking for any polyps or any clue of Crohn's Disease.They didn't find Crohn's, but they did find a medium-sized polyp in my small bowel.They can't remove that using a colonoscopy like the first one they did on me.Surgery is thee only way to get it out.







In doing research on this......cuz I don't know anything about small bowel polyps...I found out that they are almost "always benign", that ppl can have them (alot of them) and not even know until they die and the whole body's autopsied and then they're found.It takes a precancerous polyp "5-7 years" to turn into cancer and "1-3 years" to spread.I have a FMH of colon cancer and my polyp that was removed was precancerous.So, the next step is swallowing a pill that has a camera in it, takes 100 pics as it goes down your system (stomach, too, which is great bc I still have pain sometimes under my ribs) and it will find if there are more polyps in my small bowel.A partial laproscropy can be done to remove the polyp and any ulcerated intestine. It's a procedure that a scope goes in through the belly button and uses laser to get rid of whatever they find.I just had a friend that went in for emergency surgery last weekend for bad stomach pain. They did a laproscopy on him and removed his appendix. BUT, it wasn't his appendix that was hurting him.He still has the stomach pain and they sent him home







I guess even tumors can be removed from the small bowel and no chemo/radiation needs to be done.Atleast these gastros are looking into it. I had one b4 all this last year and he just said "you're fine.Take your meds...go home" only, my pain still continued.So, it's really important to get the colon tests done bc they emphasize "not everybody knows they have them"More tests, possible surgery,.....but hanging in there. I have faith that it'll all work out!







Thank you again!


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