Recently I needed to undergo a Barium Swallow test for my gastric reflux and hiatal hernia assessment. It's quite interesting as I hadn't had this test before, so I thought I'd let you all know how it works, in case you too need one.
A barium swallow is an examination of your oesophagus (food pipe). You drink a solution containing barium and an xray plots the progress of what you have swallowed. Barium is used as it coats the lining of your oesophagus and stomach. It takes place within the floroscopy unit at the hospital and takes a maximum of 45 mins.
Preparation
Nothing to eat or drink for at least 3 hours. To be on the safe side I fasted for 4 hours. No smoking or chewing gum for at least 4 hours prior to the exam. You should alert the team in advance if you are pregnant.
The process
Staff should explain the process to you.
Each side of your stomach area is xrayed while standing. You swallow the barium each time you are repositioned. I could see my sternal wires and heart valve from previous open heart surgery very cleary on the continuous xrays. It was interesting but I couldn't see that once I was lying down.
Then a gassy liquid must be swallowed to inflate your stomach and you are lowered onto your back. More barium served from a straw follows, each side.
Then you stay put while the radiographer checks that all the photos are useful.
Afterwards
After the test you can drink some water to wash the last traces of barium down. Drink plenty of water throughout the rest of the day to avoid constipation. I was warned my stools might become whiteish. That never happened.
The test confirmed I have a hiatal hernia but didn't see any signs of reflux during the xrays so that was rather frustrating because I know I have it. However, such a result is not uncommon.
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