Guest guest Posted December 7, 2008 Report Share Posted December 7, 2008 Hi everyone, I just wanted to clarify, from a nursing perspective (and someone who has had all of these and whose children has), that an upper GI series is NOT the same as an endoscopy! The warning below is a good one, but it applies to an endoscopy, not an upper GI. An upper GI uses barium, drunk by the patient, followed by regular x-ray imaging to view the stomach and esophagus. Except for the barium tasting nasty, it is generally harmless and non-invasive. A barium swallow study is similar but also follows the barium as the patient actually swallows. This is usually done for patients to check for reflux, choking, dysphagia, etc. In both of these, the patient is fully awake. For an endoscopy, the patient is *usually* sedated, and a scope is put down the throat (or into the rectum) and into the esophagus and stomach. And yes, it is possible for all sorts of things to be done to the neck!! I just wanted to clarify. It may just be a matter of terminology. Usually an endoscopy of this nature is referred to as an " upper endoscopy " . It is important to understand which tests are being ordered for you or your child and why. Also, it is important to make sure that if you or your child are having choking/swallowing issues, for example, it is a barium swallow study that is ordered and not an upper GI series! This makes a big difference because a regular upper GI series does NOT look at the swallow; it merely follows the barium through the system, often also into the small bowel. A swallow study almost always also requires an occupational or speech therapist to be present during the study. Hope that helps, Beth in CA > Upper GI - for those with instability --- retroflexed odontoid, > brainstem compression - C1/C2 issues or already fused... > > remember they are not to be hyperextending your neck AND believe me > with the upper GI and the choking etc... and what they have to do to > put the tube down your throat it can be a big issue... > > I unfortunately woke up in the middle of my upper GI--- I guess not > enough Versid and was shocked with what he was doing to my neck... > This was before my fusion...because of this I will NOT have an upper > GI...<snip> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.