prune picker

This is the blog of a prune picker. (Native born Californian) Retired oilfield. I am an old man. I blog a lot about my body and getting old. As I approach death life gets more interesting. More interesting is not good. I still drive. I attend sports, music, and civic events. I am writing my memoirs. I attend swim class three times a week. Some of my blogs might be interesting. A lot of my blogs are silly and trivial. None are very long.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A barium milkshake in Shreveport.

I took my last swallow last night about nine. I took a 65 mile drive over to the VA Hospital in Shreveport. I was aching for coffee and breakfast all the way. They gave me a barium milk shake. Not too tasty.


This is the radiology equipment.



 I stood behind the machine and swallowed barium on cue. I could see the swallow spurt down my esophagus.

At the end of the test I was given a  pill. After five or more minutes the pill was still sitting above the stomach. Normally the pill would pass immediately into the stomach. I was told that I did not have any restrictions in my esophagus but did have tertiary contractions. These contractions can cause pain and trouble swallowing. Tertiary contractions can give a picture like the one below. My barium swallow test did.


I have an appointment next Monday to discuss my test.





1 comment:

  1. Over all, not the best way to start your day. I hope this info will help.

    ReplyDelete

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