Has anyone's child had to do a Upper GI Barium Swallow Test?

[TaraPA]

DS13 has to go for an upper GI Barium Swallow test tomorrow morning. I'm assuming this is going to be difficult, as one of the reasons we're having it done is for frequent vomiting. I'm going to guess that I'm in for a real fun morning trying to get the barium down, and having him keep it down. Any tips, tricks or suggestions to make this go as smoothly as possible?

 

[MizTink]

DS13 has to go for an upper GI Barium Swallow test tomorrow morning. I'm assuming this is going to be difficult, as one of the reasons we're having it done is for frequent vomiting. I'm going to guess that I'm in for a real fun morning trying to get the barium down, and having him keep it down. Any tips, tricks or suggestions to make this go as smoothly as possible?

my DS17 had it done several years ago. he was really young, like maybe 4 or 5?? it wasn't too bad. i just remember him throwing up on the way home, well after the test was done. they gave him juice and cookies/crackers on the way out and that is what made him sick
i'm sure your son will handle it just fine at his age
i'm curious about what they find the cause of his vomiting to be. my ds is having the same problem

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks for the info MizTink! Just about everything makes DS13 sick (including motion sickness) so I wouldn't be surprised if he got sick on the way home! I carry a Heavy Duty Ziplock bag with me all the time. Seriously!

The pediatrician suspects reflux/GERD - he has frequent chest pain & vomiting (we've done lots of testing to rule out anything cardiac related).

 

[emer95]

I just had this done a few months ago. I have no real advice other than take it slow, and if he feels the need to vomit, take a break.
Is he seeing a pediatric GI? Hopefully they will have some ideas where he has it done. I had mine done for chronic nausea. My eventual diagnosis was bacterial overgrowth in my small intestine. My 10 year old daughter is in the middle of a GI work up for severe stomach pains, and she was diagnosed with the exact same thing I was. She's on an antiobiotic now but is still in agony, and an upper GI is her next step.
My thoughts are with you and your son. I hope things go smoothly for him and that you get some answers soon. I know how hard this is. Please post an update when you can.

 

[golfgal]

DD had to do one when she was 5. They gave her 2 bottles of the barium stuff to drink=pop bottle sized bottles. The poor thing was in tears by the end of it because it was just WAY too much to drink. She only got about 1/4th of the second bottle down and I let her stop. She got referred to a GI specialist after that and they were pretty mad that they had her drink so much--they said they use about a dixie cup size for kids her age.

For her it wasn't so much the taste-she had a vanilla flavored one I think. She said it wasn't bad but it was just so MUCH.

 

[LaraK]

Thanks for the info MizTink! Just about everything makes DS13 sick (including motion sickness) so I wouldn't be surprised if he got sick on the way home! I carry a Heavy Duty Ziplock bag with me all the time. Seriously!

The pediatrician suspects reflux/GERD - he has frequent chest pain & vomiting (we've done lots of testing to rule out anything cardiac related).

We did our first when my son was 11 months old. He drank the barium out of a sippy cup. He did get sick, but back then he was throwing up 4-5 times a day.

Have they done an endoscopy yet? Those symptoms can be GERD, they can also be an eosinophilic disorder. If they put him on medications for GERD and they've been ineffective, ask the Pediatric GI if it's time to test for EE (eosinophilic esophagitis). My son was diagnosed just before he turned two. Chest pain and vomiting were two of his primary symptoms. He was initially diagnosed with GERD, but the medications were ineffective.

I wish you the best and hope that it is not serious.

 

[texasmousketeer]

My son did it last year and he was fine with it. It may depend on where you do it, but he had it done at a children's hospital. They first had him drink a few drinks of a barium drink, then he had to eat pudding with barium mixed into it. Then I think it was graham crackers withe the barium pudding spread onto it so they could still see it when he swallowed. At one point he asked if he could have some more. It was not bad for him at all. Unfortunately he didn't throw up there or have any problems at all, so they couldn't tell what was wrong with him.

 

[smb6]

My ds13 had this done about 6 mos ago. He did really well. He does not do well with yucky tasting drinks and stuff, but he managed-no problems. I'm sure your ds will be fine

 

[TaraPA]

Thank you for all your stories, words of wisdom & encouragement! I've prepped for 4 colonoscopies myself, so I know how awful it is to have to drink way too much liquid than you're used to, and that doesn't taste good...and I myself have vomited during the prep. So I'm just hoping somehow he can get it down & keep it down til the test is over!

 

[sharlon]

Hey OP! I just spoke with my sister because my nephew has EE (same thing as LaraK's son above). My nephew had a swallow test and could keep very little of the Barium down. That said, it only took a little to have a successful test.
She said "ditto" to everything LaraK said above. If he has been treated for GERD unsuccessfully, ask about EE. What you are describing is what my nephew experienced before being diagnosed.

 

[kellydizfan]

My DD13 was about 9 or younger when she had it done. When she was a baby, you couldn't let her cry as she would make herself sick. It was constant. As she got older, she would complain of stomach pains. She has reflux and takes Zantac when needed. She has pretty much outgrown it at this point in time. I have reflux and so does my parents. She did real well with the test. No sickness and they fed her after. I think she had to do it on an empty stomach also. It took about an hour or so. Wasn't as long as I thought it would have been but she was a real trooper. Good Luck!

 

[TaraPA]

Thanks for the info on EE, I never heard of that before, but will look into it. He had been on Pepcid years & years ago on a daily basis, but his episodes of chest pain & vomiting are so random, it didn't seem to do anything. So he hasn't been on any meds for GERD at all in the last 8 years. He gets severe chest pains maybe once a month that can't be related to any activity or anxiety, they last anywhere from 2 -20 minutes. He goes to a Ped Cardio once a year where they did diagnose mitral valve prolapse, but that's very minor, and should not be causing the chest pain. All other cardio tests are normal. He experiences frequent (I shoudn't say frequent - maybe once a month) vomiting about an hour after he goes to sleep - that's why she suspects GERD, it's a classic symptom. It's always a once & done vomit, and he's not ill otherwise, it just seems like his food hasn't settled or digested or whatever, and when he lays down, it comes back up.

He also cannot digest orange soda - isn't that strange? He has vomited right after drinking it every single time. He can tolerate any other soda and orange-flavored things, so I have no idea where this is coming from!

I'll post back tomorrow & let you know what happens. I don't know if they will tell us anything there, or if they send the results to the doctor to go over with us.

Thanks again for everyone's information!

 

[dispor]

Hopefully they will give her a straw to drink it through. That way it by-passes a lot of her tastebuds.

Hope everything goes well for her!

 

[golfgal]

Thanks for the info MizTink! Just about everything makes DS13 sick (including motion sickness) so I wouldn't be surprised if he got sick on the way home! I carry a Heavy Duty Ziplock bag with me all the time. Seriously!

The pediatrician suspects reflux/GERD - he has frequent chest pain & vomiting (we've done lots of testing to rule out anything cardiac related).

Have they checked his ears? A lot of ear problems can cause nausea like this.

 

[luvdzny]

DD had it done when she was 8, not a lot of fun, but not that bad. If they don't find anything and they rule out EE, google Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome. My 21 year old DD has CVS and has had it since she was an infant only she was just diagnosed 2 years ago. She also has Dysautonomia which is commonly associated with Mitral Valve Prolapse. She also gets the chest pain. She is currently in a study to determine if CVS & Dysautonomia may be related in some way. Your DS sounds a lot like my DD at that age! Any questions let me know.

 

[seven dwarfs]

My son has had issues with this for 3 years. We have been through lots of tests which all come back fine. The GERD med did not work. Our Dr wanted to do surgery but in my heart I didn't think that was the problem. I put him on a no gluten diet and it worked wonders. But after 5 months it started again. The only thing that had changed over time was I added more processed foods like granola bars, etc.

I kept a food journal and went bk to raw foods and gluten free. I only added a new food one at a time and for 2 wks before adding another. Long story short, he has a allergy to peanuts. Since I have figured it out he has been fine. It has been a long 3 years. (His blood work comes bk neg but his stick test was pos)

I hope you are able to figure out what is wrong soon. It is awful when your child is sick and no one can figure out what it is.

 

[TaraPA]

Well we're back, it wasn't as bad as I thought. He did throw up the first mouthful of barium - I felt so bad, they wouldn't let me go clean it up (they had me behind a glass partition). She said they clean up much worse on a daily basis! He did get the rest down. It was a paper cup full - like the size of a kid's soda at McDonalds. They had him lay on his stomach & on his sides - then I saw them mixing another cup! (They did put Hershey's chocolate syrup in it). He had to drink the 2nd cup through a straw while laying on his side. He got it all down & kept it down. YAY! He got a baggie with ginger ale, chips & shortbread cookies to eat afterwards. He loved that part!

We didn't get any results there. The radiologost on duty did call us back as we were leaving to get 2 more x-rays (but no more drinking thank goodness!) I have no idea why, if they noticed something abnormal, or if the 1st scans were just not clear or incomplete. I'm guessing I will hear from the pediatrician at some point in the next few days if anything is wrong.

Thanks for the CVS info, I will go check that out too!

 

[TaraPA]

Pediatrician just called, test results shows a hiatal hernia & stage 2 reflux (she explained it as stage 1 mild, stage 2 moderate, stage 3 severe). We only have 1 pediatric GI in our hospital network & she said he's next to impossible to get in to, at last check he wasn't accepting new patients, but we will try. If not there are other ped GI's in other hospital networks in the area. He starts an anti-acid med in the morning & she wants it taken daily, and a diary kept of foods he eats & any symptoms. (And if those don't work I'll have EE & CVS info in my back pocket!)

 

[AKL_Megs]

Interesting FWIW... I have very very very mild acid reflux on occasion, and orange pop ALWAYS gives me a hard time. It's almost just as bad as say, chili before bed.

 

[TaraPA]

Interesting FWIW... I have very very very mild acid reflux on occasion, and orange pop ALWAYS gives me a hard time. It's almost just as bad as say, chili before bed.

WOW - interesting! Maybe we could start a study & become rich off of our orange soda findings....