I spoke to someone pre-op that had their op at the same hospital as me months before me and they told me about the barium swallow and the tummy effects that it can have, so I was prepared for it.
When I went down for the test the day after surgery I was feeling crappy and really didnt want to swallow it but I did. I quite like aniseed and that is what mine tasted like but it was thick and I had to drink around four or five mouthfuls of it. I expected to throw up after it but I didnt and was fine until later on that day. I felt very windy and then got crampy and went to the bathroom and had some runs, it was black too but I knew to expect that and so was ok. It smelt rather horrid too. I had been worried about having 'run away' runs but it wasnt like that, I had time to feel the cramps, get up from the bed and get to the toilet without following through, I was lucky as I had a private room with my own en suite bathroom, so I didnt have to compete for use of the toilet. I had the runs for a few hours but was then fine overnight and some of the next day. Shortly before being let home that day the runs started again. I was really worried about making it home as home was around an hour away but I got home ok. I think I carried on having the black runs for a day or so after but it wasnt too bad as I knew it was going to happen.
To be honest it really wasnt that bad, if you are worried on the way home or anything then wear sanitary towels and sit on a towel on the way home, but I bet you will be ok, you may well not even get the runs, but just in case you do, be prepared for it to be possibly black and stinky.
Steph xx
