# Differance in upper GI's



## Joycee (May 4, 2002)

I just had a Upper GI done today and it was so much different than the one I had done in 1999. With the one I had done in 1999, I only had to drink a small glass of barium and then the doctor took the x-rays and that was it. Today, I had to swallow some kind of powder, drink a small amount of clear liquid, drink a small glass of thick barium, have some x-ray's made and then drink some thin barium while the doctor was making more x-ray's. These test were done at two different hospitals. Could today's test be more comprehensive than the one in 1999, or could the hopital equipment where I went in 1999 be more modern and didn't require as much barium?


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## jeanne2 (Jul 19, 2004)

I don't know faith.....the barium enema I had this week was exactly the same as one I had almost 10 years ago.I did have an upper GI about 6 years ago like 1999....I just remember drinking liquid stuff in a series..then they'd take pictures, then some more, etc.My most vivid memory was when it was coming out my rear end before they finished the test! The tech was very nice...and told me in the 12 years he had been doing these, he had never seen it go all the way through someone that fast(and we knew it was the stuff...all white)So, when I hear that trigger foods can't run right through you, I wonder sometimes. Of course in my situation with the test, I had nothing in my system either.Actually too, I was not very aprehensive about the upper GI either, so don't think "stress" was any big part of it.Just a story..maybe someone on here can answer your questionJeanne


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## Joycee (May 4, 2002)

Hi Jeanne,The barium didn't go through me quite that fast. I kept burping while they were doing the test especially when they had me lying on my stomach and put this sort of pump thing under me and pump air under my stomach. I tried to hold it in but when they did the pump thing, it came out anyway. I had to lay on my side with my head on a pillow and they lowered the x-ray machine within about an inch of me, I had to drink barium using a straw while they took pictures. It was hard for me to drink lying down, not being able to raise my head. The nurse told me to drink plenty of water to keep from getting constipated. I felt fine before I left and was thinking about going into work for a half of a day. The nurse told me that I might want to wait to see what effect the barium had on me. Boy was she right! I left the hospital about 10:30AM, came home started drinking water and ate lunch still feeling fine, about 3:00PM my stomach rolled and the diarrhea started. I still have some diarrhea today, but not as often as yesterday. I'm still passing barium today. All in all, the test wasn't really that bad, but it was a little more than what I expected.


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