# GI Series Tests



## power88 (Nov 21, 2001)

I was wondering if anyone knows if they still use the upper and lower GI series tests where you drink the barium. The last one I had was in the early eighties. That's how my ulcer was discovered in the sixties. Seems to me it's as good (or nearly so) as the scope. At least as an initial test. Any thoughts?


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## Beckal (Mar 27, 2002)

MoonshineI will have a barium swallow (Gi Series) next week. Can you tell me what to expect?


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## power88 (Nov 21, 2001)

Well, if it's like it used to be, they have you drink a barium shake, which has improved over the years. Sort of like a milk shake. You drink part of it as I recall. then they lay you down on a table and watch your gut as the stuff digests. They have you sip some more. They give you a laxitive to take I think to make sure you get all the stuff out. It sort of turns to rock or at least hardens. But it's not painful or terribly unpleasant. The barium enema is about the same procedure only they give you an enema and they check the colon. If someone else can add to that, please do. But that's what I recall. All in all, it really isn't awfully bad and certainly not painful or invasive.


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## Cara Mia (Mar 26, 2002)

I had an upper GI and lower bowel in September. The Barium is really thick and chalky and is kind of hard to drink but it wasn't bad. First, they had me drink some alka seltzer-like crystals to enlarge my stomach, then they had me sip some Barium. I was standing on a platform while they watched how the liquid traveled through me. Then they had me drink a full glass of Barium and they took pictures of my intestines every 15 minutes. This can take a long time if you have a slow moving intestine. After that, the radiologist used an ultra sound type of instrument to take a closer look at my intestines. That was it. It was easy, and painless. Yes you'll have white stool for about a week, but it was no big deal. I hope this helps.


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## Nattie (Apr 15, 2002)

I just had this test this week and it wasn't all that bad except that no one told me that it takes about 3 hours to do. All you have to do is swallow a large cup of barrium and then they take x-rays. Then you go to the waiting room for 15 minutes and then more barium followed by x-rays, wait another 15 minutes. I only had to take two cups of barium but it wasn't all that bad. I waited another 1/2 hour more x-rays, another 1/2 hour and so on. The last thing they did was use a paddle type thing over my stomach, this was done by a doctor and then he said I could go home and wait for my doctor to contact me. Not hard at all.


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## Lora (Jul 21, 2001)

I just had the series don't a few days ago. I was reading the other posts and mine only took twenty five minutes from the time I started drinking. The Barium went right through me. By the time I was finished drinking it all and they took the final picture I was ready to hit the restroom. My husband had it don't the end of last year and it took over two hours. I wonder if I just have a verey fast movind system and that is what causes all my symtoms. Has anyone heard of this?


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