Lizziecee - Have you ever had a capsule endoscopy? Anybody else?

[April2]

Hey Lizziecee. I'm getting ready to have an endoscopy and colonoscopy done at the same time in January. I'm really not looking forward to it. I'm tired of being poked and prodded. The Gastro doc wants to look at my deodenum because there's some thickening there. He also wants to do a colonoscopy because it's been awhile since my last one. I feel great, though. I was wondering if a capsule endoscopy might be the way to go? I looked up online and it said it can be more accurate in diagnosing Crohns and it can see the small bowel better. What do you think? I just thought it might be less intrusive. Have you ever had a capsule endoscopy? I'm just checking all my options.
Thanks! :)

[quartzn99]

I had a capsule endosopy this summer. I did not have any problems with it and really compared to some of the other tests I had done the price is so much better than what I was expecting... anyway, I had mine done due to possible Crohn's, with the capsule endoscopy it was confermed. I was told sometimes it is the only way to really see what is going on due to how long the intestines are. Apperiently it worked because that is how my GI came up with the dx of Crohn's.

I just wanted to let you know that yes it has been done on many people and has been very effective in seeing what really is going on in the gut.

[tan59]

I have had all the intestinal "oscopies" because I was diagnosed with chronic anemia; however, they never have found where the blood is going.  Anyway, it looks like I am going that route again because of possible Crohns disease.  I will have another endoscopy in a week. I feel like those are the best for the small bowel.  In the past they used it as the last resort, but I think this time they are not waiting that long.  Thank God because the diarrhea and weight loss have really gotten to me.

Tan

[lizziecee]

Hi April - good to hear from you again.

I have never had a capsule endoscopy, but a late very good friend in San Francisco had it at UCSF when they were trying to diagnose her symptoms. She did have Crohn's, but also cancer of the panacreas and died earlier this year at 37 yrs. I still miss her very interesting and erudite emails a couple of times a week.

I had the normal endoscopy a few months ago - no symptoms, gastro just felt he should check the small intestine as it had been a few years since he last had a look. He found a stricture and ordered an MRI of the pelvis, which I had 2 weeks ago. The tech said they have only been able to MRI the pelvis for Crohn's in the last 18 months as they have a new scanner.  About half way through the test, which took an hour, she brought me out of the tunnel and injected some kind of metallic liquid into the canular in my arm. She said this gives them a better look at how the blood flows through the intestines. All new stuff to me.  Except for the injection of metallic fluid, this was not invasive - gastro said something about I had had enough ionising radiation with radiotherapy for breast cancer and he preferred the MRI. The results can take up to 6 weeks so I don't know yet whether the stricture is bad enough for surgery.

You might ask your gastro if he does either MRI or capsule endoscopy before you make the final decision.

Good luck with the scopes in January.

Liz.