mri on small bowel

[hollypeg]

Ok who has had one and was it bearable , just thinking about how long in the tube etc and the drink you have to have ? any info is appreciated x

[Katie-IBS]

Hi holly peg, I'm had this MRI scan last Tuesday morning (22nd March). It was painless and I felt nothing during having the scan. The scan lasted for about 20-30 mins. The drink is a whiteish liquid colour, and you can have it with squash, to make it nicer to drink, I had the drink mixed with orange, the taste of the drink is a little blend but I did managed to drink enough of the drink ( about 3 cups) to than have the scan. You will have a Canaletto put into your hand/arm as you will probably be given a contrast dye & buscopan though the Canaletto. 

The only side effects I had which is normal was feeling bloated, stomach a little gulging and need the toilet a few more time. 

I hope this helps you put your mind at easy and how it goes well, let us know how you get on. I'm currently waiting for a follow up appointment to get my results from having the MRI small bowel study scan,  kind regards Katie 

[hollypeg in reply to Katie-IBS]

Hi Katie xx

 Thanx for your reply x i have had the other tests done and biopties are all ok , the specialist just wants to check this out so he can put it to bed really , and then its just managing the symptoms i sopose , i havent been too bad lately so thats good 

i hope you are feeling ok and your results are clear !! xx

thanks again 

Hazel xx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi hazel, glad you are feeling  alright and you are having all the tests possible to rule out everything. I am not to bad thank you, I'm still having like ibs symptoms, and until I see my consultant as a follow up, I'm just trying to get on with it etc, I do find different food plays a big part with my symptoms. So it's now a waiting game to see the consulant to decide what to do next, just depends on the results. Katie 

[hollypeg]

Anno its so frustrating isnt it , you try different things , different foods ,think you may have it sussed and then bang back to square one !! im on pro biotics at the moment and im doing ok , i just took delivery of some peppermint pearls today to try to combat the bloating ! will see how that goes , do you take anything on a regular basis ? x

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

It is certainly annoying at times,      And yes like you have said you try different foods etc, than you have something else and symptoms than occur again. I'm not currently on any think for my ibs symptoms, I have been in the past, and to be fair , hasn't done much. I must say though buscopan tablets are great for cramping pains. 

[sg25 in reply to hollypeg]

I've been on some good quality probiotics for the past month and I think....touch wood....that I can feel a difference.  Whether it's to do with them or whether I'm going through a good patch who knows?!

[hollypeg]

I dont get the cramping so much , its more of a dull ache , like a belt of pain all the way around my lower abdomen ! its sickening like having toothache in your tummy and back , but so far im doing ok , i will keep up with what im doing , no doubt it will all change overnight lol ! stay well Katie 

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi hazel, yes I can understand what you are saying, I have had the same a few times now and thank you, you to xx

[jnbina]

I've had this done, the best thing you can do is pretend the drink is a mcdonalds shake and down it in one. 

Good Luck.

[hollypeg in reply to jnbina]

Haha !! i did think i would take a straw so i can do something like that !!

[hollypeg]

sg25 , i have felt more settled since taking the pb but like i wrote earlier things can change !! today my abdomen is tender again and my back is aching !! sods law ! 

[Katie-IBS]

Was wondering when should I contact my hospital to find out when my follow up appointment is with the gastrologist consultant ? I had the MRI small bowel scan on the 22nd March, so it's been like 3 weeks since having it. 

How long does it usually take for an follow up appointment to come though ? 

Thanks 

Katie  

[hollypeg]

Not sure Katie , to be honest , i guess its down to how busy they are ?ive got my appt for mine , i think its the 24 of this month , can i ask when you got your appointment through did you get any of the nasty drink sent you ? reading the bumf that came with it , it looks like im soposed to drink the nasty stuff again ? x

[hollypeg in reply to hollypeg]

I should have said got my appt for my mri small bowel !!

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi that's good that you now have a appointment for the small bowel MRI scan, let us know how it goes, and you have the drink at the hospital, when you arrive at the hospital for your scan, you will have all the information explained to you by a member of staff who will be carrying out the scan etc- they will explain and make sure you know the procress etc of the scan. 

[hollypeg in reply to Katie-IBS]

Oh no !! i was thinking i would have the nasty drink ! suffer the effects then go to my appt !! oh dear lol ! x

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Well yes I can totally understand what you mean, I wasn't too bad after I had my scan 

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

And yes I suppose it does depend on the hospital, I have a feeling I will have to be chasing the hospital up, to find out when my follow up appointment with the gastrologist consultant will be. 

[hollypeg]

They usually send a letter to your gp and either send you one too or the gp sends you one , i got my letter from the hospital when i had my colonoscopy , dont know if its different for the mri ? x

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Thank you for the reply again, I think I will probably  receive a letter from the hospital via post. I will see. I will give it a little longer, than will get in touch if not received a appointment letter. 

Thanks Katie x 

[hollypeg]

Hi Katie 

I had my mri scan yesterday and it went ok , gosh that dye drink is vile even with a straw i thought i was going to barf lol !! anyway its done now so wait n see what the results are ? i have had a really bad tummy n bowel since though really crampy  , hopefully it will settle back down in a couple of days , Hope you are feeling ok and you get your appt soon so you can be put at ease xxx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi hazel, glad you was alright with the MRI scan and it was ok, I remember feeling the same with the drink, it's not the nicest of drinks to drink to say the least !. And yes agreed it makes your symptoms flare up, hopefully you will be a lot better and your symptoms will have settled down a little more within a couple of days. 

I think I will be giving the hospital a ring sometime next week to try and find out if they can tell me when my follow up appointment will be etc. Xxx 

[hollypeg]

Yeh you do that Rosie xx hopefully they will get a wiggle on if you give um a nudge xx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

I have a follow up appointment with my consulant on wed 25th may ( so next Wednesday) so maybe I will get some answers but I suppose I will depend on the MRI scan results etc. Currently have had a flare up again so I'm hoping fingers crossed I can get to the bottom of it.

A bit random but I also think alcohol doesn't agree with me, as I had one bottle of cider the other day, symptoms occurred again feeling bloated, rumbling stomach, bluping and it hard to describe but almost like a burning feeling in my stomach when I drink alcohol Which is abit old

Thanks again , Katie

[hollypeg]

Hi Katie xx well not that long to wait now then ! , alcohol doesnt seem to bother me too much ,Cider is very acidic though Katie so if your tummy is sensitive it would upset it i would think ? wine would probably do the same , i do get a burning sensation in my tummy when i turn over in bed in the morning , i do have acid reflux so maybe its connected ? who knows , dont think its anything i eat or drink that actually starts my flare ups , i think its stress or anxiety to be honest xx ive been fine for a while now and ive kept up with the pro biotics so im good , i hope you get some answers and a way forward when you see the consultant , and if your not taking a pro biotic , do try them xxx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

hello holly, thanks for the reply and good to hear you have been feeling a lot better recently.

You may be right in terms of drinking alcohol, it could well be due to my stomach being sensitivity etc, will mention it next week when I see the consultant.

As you have mentioned cider can be acidic aswell as gase as well as making you bloated etc, I suppose that's one reason I don't really drink as I'm aware of the symptoms I will get once I have alcohol.

I do hope I can get some answers or some understanding of the problem or what could be causing it etc, as I said all depends on the scan etc, I will have to wait & see what the consultant says next week and what to do next etc.

I haven't been taking any pro biotic, so will probably try it, I have heard and read that they can help people with like ibs etc.

Which pro biotic do you have if I may ask ?

Thank you once again for the reply and advise,

Katie xxxx

[hollypeg]

Hi Katie xxx

At the moment im taking Incite 10 billion cfu ,i buy off Amazon but i will change to another if theres an offer on , as long as it has very good reviews , I have really been better since being on them , and they arent too expensive just to give a go , xxxx

hopefully when you get some answers from your consultant you will see your way forward , ibs is such a complicated affair , different for everyone and yet sometimes similar !! we all react differently to our symptoms as they are so varied , what works for one doesnt for another , i was told to try peppermint pearls ! no help at all , but worth trying so i did , good luck xxxx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi hollypeg how are you , Thank you for the reply and apologies for not replying back soon.

I will look into what you have said.

I saw another consultant yesterday ( wed 25th ) as a follow up app in relation to my MRI results etc and basically the MRI scan, all the blood tests etc have come back normal and hasn't showed up anything. I am relieved and glad that everything is fine and normal but I do feel a little frustrated in a sense as I know nothing can really be done apart from the consultant said it sounds like ibs and basically he will ask my GP to refer me to an dietitian, so they can look at my diet and to also to look into FODMAPS which I know a little bit about though being a member of here.

He also mentioned that stress probably Is a factor, which pribably is to a degree but I personally think it's not 100% the trigger etc , I think it could be food related. Anyway I'm certainly not giving up and my next step now is to go and see my GP in the next couple of weeks to get referred to a dietitian and than take it from there. So now another waiting game and probably will be another 3 months wait or so to see an dietitian.

Sorry if I have rumbled on, apologies , thanks for taking the time to reply, Katie xxx

[hollypeg in reply to Katie-IBS]

Hi Katie xx

It was only this morning i thought i would contact you to see how you went on ! but as usual things get in the way ! i would have before the day was out though

Anyway im glad there isnt anything nasty going on , other than the nasty ibs of course !!

im pretty much in the same position as you , im to see the consultant in June , just he can tell me its ibs and to see a dietition lol !!!

we just carry on muddling through dont we xxx p,lease do try the pro biotics , i know i keep harping on about them but they do seem to have helped me greatly and i would love it if they helped you too xxx

[Katie-IBS in reply to hollypeg]

Hi hollypeg,

Yes i agree, the time flys by, not enough time some days to do everything, and don't worry it's fine.

As I have said above I'm glad the is nothing serious etc. Just find it frustring at times as I do think it is also linked to certain foods I eat , I will look at starting to take a pro biotic.

Let us know how you get on when you see the consulant, thanks again Katie xxx

[hollypeg in reply to Katie-IBS]

Hi Katie xx

How are you doing ? hope you are ok , been a while since i logged in , didnt go back to see specialist as the letter said he was happy to see me to tell me to manage my ibs !! so thought i wouldnt bother lol !! phoned and told them to give someone else my slot ! im doin ok bar a bit of discomfort , a bit like when you pull a muscle in your tummy , but apart from that ok , i do hope you are ok hun xxx

[Louise-king]

I use nutripreme from Amazon. I find mint tea works well too x

[hollypeg in reply to Louise-king]

Hi Louise i had the nutripreme at first then i couldnt find them !! they are better than the ones im taking now i think but im doing ok , when im out of the ones i have i will try to find them again x not a lover of mint tea but i do like pukka detox , its got fennel in it and so it tastes liqourishy x

[Louise-king in reply to hollypeg]

Green tea is nice too and yes I love detox teas but not a fan of the liquorish ones. I did have one that was like strawberry jelly! I will find out its name, so yummy. The probiotics are reduced in price at the moment on Amazon

[hollypeg]

will have a look x