Barium swallow test--I am freaking out!

My 3 month old has reflux issues, and I took him to the pediatric gastroenterologist (sp?) who ordered a barium swallow test. We did the test yesterday (don't know the results yet).They made my baby drink barium and then xrayed him to see how it went down.I guess I didn't realize the risk of radiation when the doctor told us to get the test, or I absolutely would have waited and tried other things first. Now I am terrified that my baby got a huge dose of radiation that will hurt him. I am so scared!:worry:

Has anyone else done this test with their baby? Were there side effects?

I'm kinda surprised they'd do that on a 3MO! I've never heard of anyone getting it done, hopefully someone else can chip in...

Anchor, I am still freaking out. I had no time to really think about it the test at all, because I had a regular appointment and the doctor decided to get the test done right then because there was an opening. I wish I had been scheduled for a different day, so I could have thought about it longer. I think I would have refused to do it.

I think it's a slight increase of leukemia and when I say slight I mean very small... I had a radiation test in October where I was injected with it and had to breath it for 6 mins. And the papers I signed said if I am pregnant it would increase the risk of leukemia... But when I read the number it was so small I don't remember the number tho

Did they not tell u the risks before? Don't you have to sign papers that explain?

Im sure he will be fine... It's still very scary tho

No one had me sign anything! I mean, i had to sign a general consent to treat form, but it wasnt for that procedure, just for the dr. in general. My god, if they had said the risks like that, I would never have done it! I am terrified AND furious now!

Any other stories people want to share? Please?

I find that insane! They don't tell you anything! My youngest has had lot of medical issues with his eye and he's had so many surgeries/procedures and every single Time I would have a lot of reading about what they were doing and written consent then the dr explains everything and I have to give verbal consent and say I understand the risks....

I would be furious and I would be asking why you were not given a fair chane to decide what you wanted to do with your child... I don't know but if he did end up having an issue as a result I'm pretty sure you could sue but I have no idea about legal stuff... And I pray that he has no side effects

My son had the same thing done when he was 2 months old.... He's 21 months old and thriving!!! I personally didn't worry. I'm pretty sure they would've made you sign forms if there were risks. If you're that worried, I would just call the DR and ask.

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Originally Posted by BabyCakesTor

My son had the same thing done when he was 2 months old.... He's 21 months old and thriving!!! I personally didn't worry. I'm pretty sure they would've made you sign forms if there were risks. If you're that worried, I would just call the DR and ask.

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I am glad to hear other people have had this test done.

I did call the dr and the radiologist, and they claim that the risk is very low or they wouldn't do the test. My son gags and chokes and coughs while feeding sometimes, and seems to stop breathing for a moment. I guess that can indicate a condition where there is a hole between the esophagus and the trachea, which is what they were looking for, and apparently this test is the only way to find out if he had that condition. He doesn't have it, and he is fine. It is possible that he has something else in his throat that effects swallowing, but it is also possible that he has a sensitive gag reflex and my milk let down is too strong for him. I have to see how he does with me trying to pump and bottle feed with a slow flow nipple and see how that goes.

I just wish the doctor had talked this all through with me before ordering the test. My appointment was rushed because he was running behind, and I didn't get the information I needed ahead of time.

It sounds like the benefits of the test outweigh the risks for your DS, Hobber. I think it's considered fairly low risk, with the level of radiation being pretty low compared to other diagnostic exams. This website (https://hps.org/documents/meddiagimaging.pdf) lists a few tests, and as you can see it's the lowest radiation level:


Complete Exams:

Effective Dose
mSv (mrem)

Intravenous Pyelogram (kidneys, 6 films) 2.5 (250)
Barium Swallow (24 images, 106 sec. fluoroscopy) 1.5 (150)
Barium Enema (10 images, 137 sec. fluoroscopy) 7.0 (700)
CT Head 2.0 (200)
CT Chest 8.0 (800)
CT Abdomen 10.0 (1,000)
CT Pelvis 10.0 (1,000)
Angioplasty (heart study) 7.5 (750) - 57.0 (5,700)
Coronary Angiogram 4.6 (460) - 15.8 (1,580)

I honestly would not worry about it. Your little boy will be fine! Just hope they can get some answers for you.

Thanks for that info, RC! I worry because he is so small, and that seems like a lot of radiation for someone so young. Also, because he didn't have the defect they were looking for, now I wish we had tried other things first and used the test as a last resort. I know the doctor was ruling out something serious, but I wish there had been another way to know that he was okay.

Oh no how scary, I would be totally livid as well, regardless of whether it is safe or not you should have been given all the info before they asked you to make a decision.

I'm so glad this isn't what he has, on the plus side at least you know for certain, and this one test is probably a lot less stressful for him in the long run than going through a ton of other tests, and maybe ending up doing the barium after anyway, if that makes sense.

My LO used to choke an gag from my letdown a lot too, I mean really choke. But my right boob was like a lethal weapon I used to shoot milk across the room at the cat when I was bored... ok now I sound like weirdo AHEM

Will be praying he is all ok and his reflux sorts itself out soon, I think you did the best thing <3

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Originally Posted by HopefulMonster

Oh no how scary, I would be totally livid as well, regardless of whether it is safe or not you should have been given all the info before they asked you to make a decision.

I'm so glad this isn't what he has, on the plus side at least you know for certain, and this one test is probably a lot less stressful for him in the long run than going through a ton of other tests, and maybe ending up doing the barium after anyway, if that makes sense.

My LO used to choke an gag from my letdown a lot too, I mean really choke. But my right boob was like a lethal weapon I used to shoot milk across the room at the cat when I was bored... ok now I sound like weirdo AHEM

Will be praying he is all ok and his reflux sorts itself out soon, I think you did the best thing <3

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Thank you, I wish I had put a post (or asked around) about the gagging and choking before I was sent to the specialist! I am so angry at myself. My doctor just assumed it was a reflux issue, as babies with reflux can have the same symptoms. I wish I had googled it, because when I just looked up Le Leche League's website about it, and saw the symptoms of overactive let down, it is all the symptoms my baby has to a T. I am SO ANGRY that I didn't find this out before, and that my doctor didn't recognize it. All this worry could have been prevented and my son wouldn't have been exposed to that damn stupid radiation test. I am sick to my stomach over it. :(

My son was diagnosed with GERD. They prescribed Lansolapole (sp?) and after a year he has no problems!

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Originally Posted by Hobbermittens

Thank you, I wish I had put a post (or asked around) about the gagging and choking before I was sent to the specialist! I am so angry at myself. My doctor just assumed it was a reflux issue, as babies with reflux can have the same symptoms. I wish I had googled it, because when I just looked up Le Leche League's website about it, and saw the symptoms of overactive let down, it is all the symptoms my baby has to a T. I am SO ANGRY that I didn't find this out before, and that my doctor didn't recognize it. All this worry could have been prevented and my son wouldn't have been exposed to that damn stupid radiation test. I am sick to my stomach over it. :(

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Honestly I would never try to diagnose my child from something I googled and try to "fix it" at home..... You did the right thing by taking him to the Dr...imagine how upset you would be if you "determined" it was something and something really bad could've happened because of that. The small "risk" that is exposed for radiation IMO far outweighs the other risks of not having him tested..

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Originally Posted by BabyCakesTor

Honestly I would never try to diagnose my child from something I googled and try to "fix it" at home..... You did the right thing by taking him to the Dr...imagine how upset you would be if you "determined" it was something and something really bad could've happened because of that. The small "risk" that is exposed for radiation IMO far outweighs the other risks of not having him tested..

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I understand what you are saying, and you are right I guess, but the thing is, if I had waited to go to the specialist or even waited to have the test, I think things would have gotten better on their own. :(

Has anyone else had a baby get this test?

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My son had this done when he was 5 months old. He's now turning two and perfectly fine. He also had severe issues with reflux and swallowing thin liquids. We ended up having to put him on, I think, nectar consistency. My insurance would not pay for the Simply Thick, so we had to switch him to formula and do rice cereal. He turned into a chunky baby but at least he could eat, and that was the important part to me. :)