Random Question - Barium Liquid

[Sophfiles]

When I was diagnosed with Crohn’s I had to do an MRI scan. When I did it, I was asked to drink the barium contrast liquid. This gave me bloody diarrhoea almost instantly and the worst cramps I had ever experienced in my life. Has anyone with Crohn’s had a similar experience?

[Bulldoguk]

Hi, the barium you was given is called mannitol it is a sugar based liquid which does have a laxative effect. They should of explained this to you when you were given it to drink. It is perfectly safe.

[EOLHPC]

Yes 👍🤦🏼‍♀️ I too had a dreadful reaction!

I have what my consultants are describing as “Crohns like enteropathy” + severe slow transit Dysmotility secondary to various autoimmune primary illnesses (infant onset Lupus, vasculitis, sjogrens etc) & hEDS & Antibody Deficiency Disease. I was 62 when I had this last barium swallow adverse reaction

Because the radiologist feared the standard barium swallow drink would cause intestinal blockage, they gave me the drink that’s used for babies, small children & frail older adults. At my Univ, Hosp., this special type of barium swallow drink is Iohexol based. I had a violent adverse reaction to this drink: terrible cramps, violent diarrhea that stayed persistent for hours

Do you know what type of drink they gave you?

I found out the ingredients of my drink by ringing the radiology dept, reporting my adverse reaction & asking the drink’s ingredients so that could be documented on my hospital records. Am guessing you’ve done all this too.

Anyway, the radiology staff thanked me for getting back to them. They later phoned me back to tell me they’d looked into the situation & discovered this iohexol-based barium swallow drink was being investigated because patients were reacting as I did to it....and the Dept had decided to switch to another manufacturer’s product

Take care & good luck 🍀❤️

[Skye22 in reply to EOLHPC]

Can I ask how your slow transit Bowel affects you?I was diagnosed with colitis and severe slow transit after large haemmorage in 2015.

I struggle with severe constipation and have to use daily trans-anal irrigation and manual extraction. I have little to none feeling in rectum and very little "push" function.

Bowel also compromised with severe pelvic spasms due to bowel/bladder abdominal and pelvic adhesions, and levator-ani syndrome.

I was receiving bladder and bowel Injections and specialist physio pre-covid, but since March nothing so now I'm just in a world of pain and misery.

Any tips or advice would be very grateful.

[EOLHPC in reply to Skye22]

Am so sorry, Skye. You’re living with a lot of very hard probs. Am feeling for you greatly, but am just not well enough & experienced enough to be able to offer up tips & advice, except to urge you, if you haven’t already, to appeal for help from your GP & Gastro + Urology teams. If they don’t respond, I’d seek out patient support services & support group helplines. The situation you’re in is dreadful...I hope you get the help you need SOON.

[Skye22 in reply to EOLHPC]

Thank you so much for your reply. I can only hope that the NHS will return to some sort of normality soon!!!Because I'm not a surgical candidate due to risk of complications if I go to A & E they will just pump me full of meds. My one saviour is my partner who is my main carer. He goes above and beyond to make sure that I'm comfortable and really boosts my mood, it would be easy to slip In to a depression.

I hope for you too that you are having good health and find something to help your conditions.

[EOLHPC in reply to Skye22]

Thank you very much...am so glad your partner really understands, helps & cares...my husband does help me in a similar way. Courage 🍀❤️

[RaulP1]

Hi Sophfiles!

I had the similar experience as you! I had an MRI in July, I still haven’t had my results back, so I’m guessing it’s not crohns and more IBS, however after drinking the first 0.5 litre, I had really bad diarrhoea (not bloody). Cramps at the time were okay, as they injected me with buscopan but the rest of the day I had awful diarrhoea and the next day woke up with the worst stomach and back ache ever. Like my insides were inflamed! I spent the entire day with a hot water bottle on my back and stomach. Absolutely awful, it got better the second day after the MRI but I think it is normal. Hope you’re feeling better!

[Viklou]

I was the same but no blood. I didn't make it home