Thinking about swallowing a camera

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 3:45 am

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd tell you all that I'm seriously considering checking out the small bowel with one of those cameras that they have you swallow to take a look see down there.

As you know, I never did the small bowel biopsy, but did have small bowel damage according to Dr. Fine's tests, and my observations.

I know that my grandfather had to have had at least one HDL CD2 gene as my mother got one from each parent. I have one of them from her.
I'm a bit suspicious that I may have had celiac disease in addition to the M.C., which may have actually come after long standing, untreated celiac disease. I've been gluten free since right after Thanksgiving of 2003, so I've been free of symptoms for only almost three years now, so I could still turn out to have a cancer in there.

I don't plan to get a biopsy, just do the camera to look for the non-microscopic stuff, since my symptoms have been gone for a while. My mom's father died of cancer of his pancreas and liver many years ago, I think, and don't think they really knew where it had begun back in those days.

I also think the camera would be able to take a look at everything in there, and have been hearing good things about them of late.

One thing that concerns me is that I have a horrible gag reflex and problems swallowing some large pills, like the big chalky supplement or calcium type tablets.

Has anyone here now done the bit where you swallow the camera?

Also, if I had to have an n/g tube inserted while awake, I think I'd have a heart attack, honestly. I might not be able to tolerate it if I woke up with one already in either. My other surgeries, they were already out by the time I woke up and was able to remember anything, anyway.

One good thing about the camera would be that I wouldn't have to be anesthesized. I would enjoy being able to view the screen while it's making it's journey, if they would let me, of course.

I know an elderly man with celiac disease who was diagnosed more recently with a related cancer to his celiac disease, but I'm no longer able to get in touch with him to see how he's doing. Knowing someone to whom this has happened also makes one a little more concerned about it.

Let me know if you've had one of these, please.

Yours, Luce

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:08 am

Hi Luce,

Well, FWIW, I have a strong suspicion that I may be a celiac, also, since I apparently had a lot of SI, (Small Intestine), damage, but to be honest, I've never had a desire to swallow a camera. Are you having any suspicious symptoms, or do you just feel that all celiacs should take a peek inside their SI from time to time?

Here's the website of the company that sells these cameras, in case you haven't seen it. These cameras are about 11 mm x 26 mm, (about 0.43 x 1.02 inch), in size. The newest model is apparently called the PillCam SB. Judging by the number of recent articles on the net, they seem to be more popular for diagnosing GERD, and other esophageal problems, than for other uses:

http://www.givenimaging.com/Cultures/en ... en/english

Tex

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 12:28 pm

Hi Tex,

No, no symptoms, I'm just afraid to wait for symptoms. Sure wish I'd checked out the gut 20 yrs ago or more. It's just worrisome that I didn't get on the diet much, much earlier, and had long, continuous symtoms for so many years.

Guess I could wait another two years, and then not feel quite so likely to develp anything. May be what i'll have to do if that camera is THAT big! Wow, I thought they were like large pills or capsules, not like footballs!! Guess I could do the old fashioned put-me-to sleep scope, and just pass on the biopsies since I won't go back on gluten for any reason. Sure hate the idea of still another anesthesia, however.

Thanks for the sitet.
Yours, Luce

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:31 pm

Hi Luce,

Count me out on the camera. I'm with you - I just cannot swallow large pills, and I also have a hyperactive gag reflex. One of the worst experiences of my life was in a lab in medical school where we had to pass NG (nasogastric) tubes on each other and then keep them down for 3-4 hours while we extracted and measured our own stomach acid at intervals. I gagged, drooled, and salivated the entire time. I never got used to it. It was simply awful. (I think they had us do these little exercises so that we would know how a patient feels. Not a bad idea, but remember, a patient has a trained professional inserting the tube. We were students doing our first procedures on each other. Learning to draw blood like this was quite an experiece, as you might imagine!)

I saw a tip recently - it said to throw your head forward as you swallow the pill and water. It's supposed to help push the pill to the back of the throat. I know, it does sound counterintuitive, doesn't it?

Love,

Polly

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:47 pm

I'm with you, Polly. I have no ambition to swallow one of those things either. Like you I gag & carry on even if I my toothbrush goes too far back. I remember back in the bad old days before they had that wonderful drug that they use now for endoscopys & colonoscopys I had a terrible time trying to swallow the endo thingy.

Finished up with a purple face for a week or so from the gagging & straining.

Doc kept telling me to breathe through my nose & I was flat out breathing at all. Lucy I would only be having one of those things if my life depended on it. Far too stressful unless it is really necessary.

Love

Liz

Post by **tex** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 6:04 pm

Hmmmmmmmmm. I wonder of this problem comes with the turf, or if a high percentage of the general population has this problem, or it's just a coincidence that so many of us have gagging problems, and trouble swallowing large pills. I'm in the same boat.

Maybe we should do a poll.

Love,
Tex

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 11:52 pm

Wow, what a symptom to add to our list!
Guess what? My sister has the same genotype and the same type of gag reflex. She's the one who gave me the idea to do it, so think I'll suggest she go first! Hahaha!
Sorry, Sis, if you are reading this!

Polly,

Actually, the head forward position for the actual swallowing is what I've taught my mom to prevent her from aspirating anything she swallows, and not just pills.

What I really need to do is get out a ruler, and draw a those diminsions. Maybe it wouldn't look so bad.

The day I had to have a student, OR a professional with lots of experience put an N/G tube down me for nothing would be the day I resigned from medical school.
You are to be congratulated.

I actually am not sure it would be possible to get one down me while awake, in all honesty.

Probably not a piece of cake getting one down me while I'm under anesthesia. I've never followed up with the people who've put them down me to find out.

Think what I really need to do is look at the actual camera itself to get an idea of what I'd be facing.
Since it's only an inch long, it would go down quickly as opposed to one of those long N/G tubes that stays in the throat.

Also, the slickness and shape of the medications has lots to do with how easily I can swallow them.

Is it common to put something like olive oil on these things to make them go down easier? Mom was on a difficult (for her) to swallow capsule once, so besides pre-lubricating her throat with water, I tried the old olive oil trick, and sure enough, it helped.

Sure would hate to have a camera stuck in my gut. Anyone know if that's ever happened to anyone? Wouldn't want to be the first, either, but just wondered if anyone knew the answer to that.

Maybe I should just be satisfied to be free of symptoms now, and let it go at that. It will soon be three years that I've been gf. Hard to believe it's been that long!

Yes, Tex, a poll would be kind of interesting on the gag thing.

Yours, Luce

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 11:36 am

Luce------but if the camera shows something---then dont U have to go thru some sorta *oscopy* to correct the issue?? Or am I thinking of this camera thing in reference to doing a COLONOSCOPY thus if a nodule spotted--then U have drink that dreaded glop???

I had the Tubes down my throat--but thankfully I was OUT like a light--

OH---I forgot---first down the throat was done by *X* GI---(in his office)who didnt sedate me and I did the gagging and squeezing the nurses hand---till I think Im stoped her blood from flowing

and then he got so mad that he just shoved the tube to locate my hiatal hernia---
This is the *X* GI that had no idea what my Colitis issues were???

Be interested to know---
luve Barbara