upper gi showed small intestine inflamation and irritation

[Amatrine]

Question,

I have beenhaving horrid pain around the umbilicas area.
Had some blood in stools. Been to Gi, who admitted me int eh hospital when my blood pressure was 80/60 with this going on.
He tried and EGD, but in the proceedure i started throwing up
and I pulled out the tube. He refused to work on me and sent me home.

I just saw a new gi, he did an upper gi, which showed
reflux disease, and irritation to the small instestine and  the
dodeum, (cant spell that) .
THere is a history of stomach cancer in my family.
If it were cancer, would the upper gi , or the contrast ct scan i took have shown that? And what causes irritation of the small instestine? My doctor said noone really knows.
I am scheduled next month for a colonoscopy, hopefully I wont pull that tube out too,.lol

Amatrine

[junior]

Reflux would irritate/inflame your small intestine(duodenum)as would alcohol,smoking,bad diet etc.Colonscopy or endoscopy would be recommended as a biopsy would be taken which would show up anything.A visit to a nutritionist would also be advised as it just might be your food allergies.Gastritis is quite common so do not get too worried.Best of luck!
Junior

[livinabox]

its amazing how many people are allergic to wheat...(bread and stuff) a sure sign is itching along with others.

[DeeA]

Hi

Who is your GI doctor? My gosh I had an endoscopy and it was a piece of cake. They put an IV in and Oxygen on and hook you up to a telemetry machine, then the doc sprays your throat with a numbing agent while the nurse injects you with Verced and demerol you wake up and it is over. You don't even remember anything. Find a GI doctor that can medicate you correctly, because you need the Endoscopy. I do believe if it was a large enought tumor in your stomach it would have showed up on UGI, but the best diagnostic tool is the endoscopy!!  With and endoscopy biopsies can be taken and there are a lot of different things that can be determine by them; like what could be causing your pain. You can be tested for H-pyloric, polyps may be noted and they can be cancereous or non-cancerous.  Go get an Endoscopy done under anesthesia please! I can tell you an UGI is a good tool but not the best and not as reliable of an exam.

RN, C CLTC




When is a UGI needed?

The upper GI series provides the single best way to study the upper gastrointestinal tract. The test is noninvasive, easy to tolerate, and sensitive enough to detect important pathology. Using a UGI, the radiologist can evaluate the swallowing mechanism, check the rest of the esophageal tube for inflammation or obstruction, and study that very sensitive gastroesophageal (GE) junction. The radiologist also studies the stomach and duodenum, while looking for ulcers, tumors, signs of inflammation. Sometimes the upper GI series is extended to include the entire small bowel, in what is known as a small bowel series.

Often the UGI series can be abbreviated to focus on the espophagus and the gastroesophageal junction and not only the other structrues in the uppper gastrointestional tract. This shortened study is called a "barrium swallow" or "esophagram."


Alternatives

The only decent alternative for the upper GI series is endoscopy. Though not major surgery, this procedure is not a piece of cake either. Still, many gastroenterologists feel that upper endoscopy is far more reliable than the upper GI series and they prefer that test. Also, gastroenterologists are able to biopsy suspicious-looking growths through the same tube.



Risks and Potential Complications

The upper GI series receives very high grades here. The contrast agent barium is inert and is associated with only very rare complications. Occasionally, the barium gets impacted in the large bowel, requiring the usual treatments for constipation. Drinking liquids after the test will significantly diminish the likelihood of impaction.



What actually happens?

There are two main ways of doing UGI. The old-fashioned, conventional, single contrast study is still being done by radiologists. Most residents in radiology today are trained in the newer air contrast study, which has become the more widely used of the two procedures.



Conventional UGI

You may still run into a more senior radiologist who has considerable experience in the conventional UGIs and prefers to do that study unless the air contrast study is specifically requested. The old-fashioned UGI is about as pleasant an experience as a person can have in radiology. The barium is not delicious, but it is tolerable. Generally, you will be face to face with the radiologist, unless the test is done by remote control with the radiologist sitting behind a leaded glass window. There will be a technologist in the room assisting the physician. Most often the test will be started in the upright position. You will drink the barium and the radiologist will watch it go down for a variable period. Every now and then, the radiologist will stop looking and take a picture to look at later.

Generally, you will be able to watch the entire procedure on a black-and-white television monitor. Of course, you will not be able to decipher the image. Feel free to ask the radiologist to point things out to you.



The table will be lowered with you either on it or off it, and the radiologist will study the same organ in a few other positions. Generally, you will start off with your right side up against the table drinking barium from a straw. At some point, you will be asked to lie on your back so that the air in the stomach and duodenum can rise to the top and displace the barium. The end result will be that barium lines the walls and air fills the tubes, allowing the radiologist to get the best possible view to evaluate these structures.You may be placed in any variety of positions that allow better viewing of the structures that the radiologist needs to see.



Air Contrast UGI

The air contrast UGI offers a definite improvement over the conventional UGI, which is accomplished by distending the stomach. In addition to the barium, you will be asked to swallow a material that radiologists call "fizzies." This white "crystally" stuff makes gas when it meets up with water, or anything that has water, just like "pop rocks." For the radiologist, the pictures obtained from the air contrast UGI are much better and effective than the conventional study. The test is usually slightly more prolonged, and you may have to assume more positions so that the radiologist can get more pictures. Remember not to burp; keep the gas where it needs to be.

After the radiologist leaves, the technologist may take up to four or five additional x-rays. Some departments no longer obtain additional films, but most still do. Then you are done. Remember to drink plenty of liquids for a couple of days.


What to expect afterward

Constipation is the biggest problem, which can often be avoided by drinking lots of liquids. Some departments give patients stool-softening medication. That may be excessive, though quite helpful in individual cases as needed. Remember that the barium is inert and passes through the bowel almost unchanged; so if you see white in the toilet, do not panic.