I had the CT Enterography done. It is similar to the MRI Enterography. In both tests you are required to drink an opaque barium sulfate beverage called Volumen. It does not taste great but not as nasty as some other things I've been required to drink. Not to be gross but it looks like semen, and has a medicinal taste but they flavor it with pineapple and coconut or at least I had that choice. But a pina colada it is not!

You will be required to drink 3 bottles at timed intervals of approximately 20 minutes. They will then bring you in for the imaging studies. An IV will be run in your arm, and at some point you will be injected with contrast. For me this was the worst part of the procedure as the contrast burned when it was injected- I felt a burning sensation coursing through my veins.

The MRI Enterography is a longer and noisier procedure, and the main differences are longer procedure, you are inserted into the MRI tube, more pictures are taken, and you are injected with glucaphen which is a drug that slows down motility of the intestines and causes very bad nausea in 50% of patients. Fortunately I was in the 50% that did not experience any nausea at all. I did not have any glucaphen injected during the CT Enterography.

My CT Enterography was done because the latest scope prior to the exam had shown inflammation in the ileum above the J pouch. It was determined that my J pouch inlet channel was narrowed due to inflammation, creating backwash stool into the lower ileum which was causing an irregular pattern of inflammation there (a small swath above the inlet), which was determined to be inconsistent with Crohn's type pattern of inflammation.

I think they want to see what is going on above your J Pouch Brittany. You may have scar tissue, inflammation, adhesions or strictured areas that are causing your issues.

CTBarrister, I'm pretty sure that we discussed your issues in past posts, but curious what meds you are on now to control the backwash?

I am now on rotating antibiotics, xifaxin, cipro/flagyl, augmentin. I have tried a regimen of one week on antibiotics and one week off. I cannot seem to get off completely. I recently tried to go off and start VSL#3 DS and that was a fail.

Sorry to hear that you're not able to get off of the antibiotics. I try to avoid them as much as possible, but if I have to have them then there's no choice.

I had a flexible sig today and am having an MRI Enterography a week from tomorrow. Not looking forward to it, I can't stand feeling this way much longer. Am dreading drinking that stuff, although the prep for the flexible sig is worse than that one.

Feel good!!

Mema,

The Volumen, while not something I would order during Friday Happy Hour, is not the most vile tasting diagnostic test beverage I have had to drink. They will probably have flavored choices for you like pineapple or coconut. To me the worst part of the MRI and CT Enterographies is when they inject the contrast. It burns.

Good luck with your MRI Enterography and let us know how it goes.

Take a big straw with, in case they don't give you one, to drink the barium with. I can't get it down without a straw. Put the straw as far back in your mouth as you can and drinking it will be much easier.

I've never found the injection to be too bad, it just makes me feel warm and then like I am peeing my pants, but I'm not. They tell me I'm going to feel this way each time. I've been told by coloned people it causes constipation but no problem for me, it went straight through.

As tests go it's not bad once you get the hang of drinking the barium through the straw down. It has added benefits as well. They will be looking at your entire abdomen and telling you if you have anything else wrong. I find out each time that I have the same gallstone and 1.7cm thing on one of my adrenals but it hasn't changed since 2010 so... etc.

Take care