A swallowing disorder can harm your quality of life, so if you have trouble swallowing normally, you want the issue to be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. If you are scheduled to have a swallow evaluation performed by our team here at TwinCity Medical Mobile, we ask you do a few things to prepare for the test:
- Learn about barium swallow tests–A barium swallow evaluation is a relatively simple, low-risk test that involves drinking a solution containing barium. Once the barium mixture is consumed, its path is tracked using X-rays, so the swallowing process can be watched as food makes its way through your esophagus and stomach. Generally speaking, these evaluations take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to complete.
- Home care–Following your swallow evaluation, you can resume your normal daily activities. For two to three days before the exam, however, you may be asked to eat a low fiber diet and not to smoke or eat after midnight the day before the test.
- Evaluation day–Since barium swallow tests involve X-rays, you will need to remove all jewelry, including belly button rings, dentures, and any other objects that might show up on an X-ray.
As you can see, swallow evaluations are relatively simple. We make the process even easier and convenient by testing directly at nursing homes and other care facilities to ensure patients feel comfortable and well-cared-for during the testing process.