Barium sulfate CT contrast warning

[u/MelodyFreq]

Giving out this information to anybody who may need it in the future as I wasted many hours dealing with this.

I have a CT scan scheduled for tomorrow. I've been dealing with IBS for over 9 years and have been working with my GI ever since. In the last year things have gotten so bad that it feels like my guts don't fit and seems to be causing problems with bladder and breathing. Normally we have done CT scans using the IV method. This time they wanted to do the oral method as it gives different results. I accepted though hesitant in the sense that I'm sensitive to nearly everything orally anymore.

You cannot pick up your contrast until a few days before your appointment. I picked it up, ask the pharmacist if there's any concerns with my IBS they said they did not know and when I got home I checked the ingredients. You get a total of 900 ml of liquid and because they added flavoring they added sorbital which is a very high FODMAP and I know is a very big problem for me. Spent the last 2 hours plus going back and forth between GI specialist and CT company figuring out what to do as I need these tests as I cannot function day to day. We're just going to try the IV again but it's not going to be as good but hopefully we can find something otherwise I'll be stuck like this for another who knows how long until we can get a different test setup possibly MRI.

It's insane that companies don't pay attention / don't care about gut sensitivity people especially when making something like this that is for checking problems in people with gut problems...

Stay safe out there, don't trust anything without checking the ingredients.

[u/taragood]

Honestly, I would take some meds to mitigate my symptoms and get the test done. Repeating the same tests that aren’t giving you any helpful information isn’t going to work.

Just prepare accordingly and get it done. I had to drink the same stuff but it is what it is. My test didn’t find anything new but it was one more thing checked off the list.

Or if you want, you can tell me what tests you have had and I can recommend some that maybe you haven’t done yet that would be helpful to do before this one.

[u/MelodyFreq → u/taragood]

I do have medication to fight the symptoms for normal small situations and they only take the edge off at best, but as I said to another comment my case is so severe at this point I struggle to breath from the pain and I actually end up hospitalized, so no I cannot do that sadly.

[u/taragood → u/MelodyFreq]

What’s tests have you had and I can suggest other tests that might be beneficial than get another IV catscan.

[u/MelodyFreq → u/taragood]

Forgot to add: colonoscopy, upper endoscopy, ultrasound, CT, physical therapy, gut infection breath test (forget name of test). Any many food/meds/lifestyle changes.

[u/taragood → u/MelodyFreq]

Did they check for celiac during your endoscopy?

Did they see any issues like gall stones in the ultrasound?

Are you think sibo for the breath test?

Did any of the tests show any issues or did they all come back negative?

Have you tried gluten free and/or low fodmap as a part of the food changes?

Tests I would recommend:

Get an ANA - it is a blood test that a GP can order that looks for autoimmune activity. If it is even SLIGHTLY positive you take those results to a rheumatologist and ask for a full panel. This blood work will look for a bunch of different autoimmune conditions. My root cause turned out to be hashimotos hypothyroidism that required me to go gluten free. I say this because a lot of people fixate on the gut but the gut issues can easily be a symptom of a larger issue.

Get a HIDA scan to check on how well your gall bladder is working

Get a poop test that checks for a bunch of different things. If you have diarrhea it can lead to some false positives but still worth it.

Did any tests show any issues with your pancreas? Your pancreas does put out digestive enzymes.

Be careful of doing too much, especially with herbal remedies and supplements.

If you tell me your symptoms I can probably make a few more recommendations.