G.E.S. You Are My Nemesis!
So, the test we were supposed to get done the same week that I was released as an inpatient back in August ended up finally happening on October 8th.
I was woken up at 5:15a.m. on October 8th from diarrhea (because of the senna I had taken-read the previous story for more info) and decided to stay awake since my Gastric Emptying Study (GES) started at 7:30 a.m.
My dad and I went to the hospital at 6:40 a.m. and made our way to the GES test wing which was silent in the early hours of the morning.
I was quite nervous for the test, and I had done research prior to know what to expect- I don’t like surprises and like to be prepared going into medical things.
So, the breakdown of the test- GES is a study to measure digestive motility. This means its measuring how fast/slow food and drink is moving through your whole digestive tract to see if you have a motility disorder. This test usually takes a long time since your body has to digest the food. You are given (in the USA) 2 scrambled eggs that contain a radioactive material that they can trace in the x-ray machine, 2 slices of bread, butter (if you want), and 120mL of water. After eating the food you’d be x-rayed multiple times over the hours to see where the food is to determine the speed at which you’re digesting.
So that’s the information I knew about.
I had also been told by many doctors that I’d likely throw up since many people did after eating the eggs.
7:20 a.m. - My dad and I were in the super small waiting room with my wheelchair cramped in the middle and the radiologist came out to explain the exam to me. I suddenly got a lot of information I didn’t know that made me really nervous.
I was informed that I had to finish eating the whole plate in under 5 minutes. If at any time throughout the test I were to vomit, the test would be void. If I didn’t complete the meal in five minutes, the test would be void.
Oooof, that’s a lot of pressure…
I requested gluten free bread and was told I’d be brought back in 10 minutes to start the exam.
In the waiting room I had brought a stress ball that I was squeezing and felt like I was about to compete in the NBA Finals.
7:30 a.m.- Game time. The radiologist wheeled me back as I said goodbye to my dad and put my game face on. I knew in my mind I was going to get that food down come hell or highwater. I knew that this test was the biggest clue and chance of me seeing something wrong, so I needed to complete it for myself and my medical teams.
I am told to sit at a table beside the large x-ray machine as I am explained the food in front of me. There’s 2 scrambled eggs, 2 large gluten free rolls (the radiologist said the kitchen didn’t have gluten free bread slices), butter, and 120mL of water. They pull out their stopwatch and say, “ready, set, GO.”
There I go like a horse off the races, I grab a spoon and begin shoveling the radioactive eggs into my mouth quickly drinking water to get it washed down- of course forgetting I have swallowing issues. I grab one of the bread rolls and begin taking large bites, but the density of the bread slows things down, so I go back to the eggs (since they have the radioactive tool that they need to measure).
I am consistently shoveling food in that at no point is my mouth empty. After 3 bites in I already was gagging. I kept eating anyways.
I begin vomiting into my mouth but swallow it back up because I was NOT about to void this damn test.
Seconds are flying by, and the radiologist re-enters the room and bends beside me showing me the stopwatch and keeps yelling, “hurry up! Hurry!!”
-This was not helpful-
I’m shoveling in food and pouring water down as I’m battling more vomit and swallowing difficulties.
I’m almost crying from the pain and discomfort as the radiologist tells me I’m almost out of time. They said if I can’t finish the meal the test is void and I need to again, “Hurry up!”
-Again, not loving the radiologist at this moment…-
The radiologist comes in and tells me I’m over time and I yell back as I’m chewing, “I haven’t eaten a meal in 3 months! Give me some time, will you? I’m not going to finish the plate so tell me what it is you want eaten!”
-I want to emphasize how extremely short five minutes actually is to complete a meal. I think the only way a person could’ve eaten the meal under time would be to cut the rolls in half, pack it with the scrambled eggs and down the two sandwiches and then chug the water at the end. All things I couldn’t have done at that time-
They watch me as they point at what else I need to eat on the plate. Then they tell me to get up since we’re already behind on the test.
They tell me I need to lie down (which did not help at all with my GERD) and have this large x-ray over the top of me that will be very close, but it won’t be touching me. I forget how many hours I had to lie still for, but I was feeling pretty defeated.
I was wheeled back to the waiting room after the first round of x-rays were taken.
We remained in the hospital as I was called back every hour or so to do another round of x-rays which again were some number of hours long.
At about the 3 ½ hour mark, I started getting severe abdominal pain, it was getting harder for me to be in public with my nausea and pain growing and becoming more visible.
I went home at 1:30 p.m. when the test had finally finished meaning I had been at the hospital for 7 hours.
When I arrived home and got out of my wheelchair, my stomach was so swollen out. My rib cage was protruding outward on the left side, and I felt absolutely miserable.
Pain only increased over time and resulted in me being incapacitated in bed for 7 days due to a flare created by eating the meal for the emptying study.
The following days after the study I was in bed all day and didn’t talk. My pain levels were too high to do literally anything including speaking.
When my dad would wheel me to the bathroom, I’d be crying the whole time from the pain of my abdomen moving.
Read the next story, “New Doctors, More Tests & Still No Answers” to find the results of the GES!