Story
Time Sunday | "Having a Small Bowel Follow Through!"
For this weeks Story Time Sunday I am going to talk about something I had done that's probably TMI - a Small Bowel Follow Through!
What could possibly sound more appetizing than starting your day out by drinking two cups of barium and ending it with a shot of magnesium? Sounds like a great time right?
Yeah, well that's how my Thursday went this week.
I realize this is probably not a topic many people feel comfortable talking about but if you know me, you know that I am very open about bodily functions lol.
First of all, for those of you who don't know I have some health issues, nothing serious, but the main area I have issues with is digestion.
I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, I've had it since I was 15, it's super common and there is no cure for it. I see a gastroenterologist for it and I also take measures to help lessen the symptoms such as avoiding certain foods and drinking, eating smaller meals, eating slower, taking peppermint oil, and drinking my Shakeology. All of these are things my doctor is on board with and for the most part I rarely have issues with it thanks to that.
My doctor did want me to have the full testing's done though just to rule out anything else. Aside from some blood work, she ordered me a Barium Swallow aka a Small Bowel Follow Through.
"A Small Bowel Follow Through is an x-ray exam of your stomach and the upper section of the small intestine. To be able to see these structures on an x-ray they must be outlined with barium. Barium is a liquid that is swallowed and appears white on a x-ray picture."
You cannot eat or drink anything after midnight the night before the test. When I wake up in the morning the first thing I think about is food so this sucked for me. It's literally like "Okay I'm awake, feed me now!" haha!
Before you start the x-rays you have to drink two cups of barium which looks like cottage cheese and milk mixed together. I actually thought it was Elmer's glue at first. I didn't think it'd be that bad so I took a big chug and it honestly didn't taste that bad, it tasted like a flat grape soda. Not the greatest but definitely bearable. The part that I thought was the worst was the consistency. I'm a texture person, the only thing I ever drink is water, sometimes milk. This barium was SO thick, like really thick which made it super hard to get down.
I did pretty good at first but the more I drank the more it started to make me gag. I got through it through and I drank both of the cups in like 15-20 minutes.
So then I had to go hangout in the waiting room and they came and brought me back for an x-ray every 15 minutes to track the barium. This lasted for like 2 hours and then it was every 30 minutes that they would bring me back. Finally once it was near the end of my digestive track they brought me back to see a doctor for some final x-rays which lasted maybe a minute.
I was there for 4 hours total. I guess it depends on the person though as to exactly how long it will take.
Afterwards I just felt really gross. I felt like I smelt like the barium, I felt nauseous, and I was not hungry at all even though it had been like 17 hours since I had eaten or drank any other liquids.
They gave me a cup of Milk of Magnesium to take home and drink after dinner to get the rest of the barium out of my system. Make sure you take it when you know you're going to be home for awhile because it's a laxative.
Overall it's not the worst thing in the world, you just have to be prepared to be there for a few hours and be prepared to take the laxative afterwards.
SIDE NOTE: Having health issues is one of the biggest reasons why I got into living a healthier lifestyle and started this business in the first place. If I can prevent anything else from happening by making healthier choices with whole foods and getting in daily exercise than why not do what doctors have recommended us to do since forever? I don't believe in quick fixes and all the junk you may see blasted all over social media - I believe in a lifestyle change. I know I'm not the only one with digestion issues so if I can help someone in any way through my business or my stories, than it's all worth it. <3
I want to know: Have you ever had one of these done? What was your experience like?
*Stay tuned for next
weeks Story Time Sunday at 7:30 pm EST over at Facebook.com/RachelFaulFitness
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