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New here....I have a question for Sitz marker.

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Posted 4/8/2008 1:40 PM (GMT -5)
 

 Finally after many years of trying to find a doctor to believe me, I am doing a sitz marker test. 

 Here is my scenario and question......I normally don't have a bowel movement but every 2 weeks.  I have been taking Miralax daily for 10 years or so.  Sometimes twice a day.  I took my Sitz pill on Monday.  Then I had one of my bowel emptying episodes today.   I am afraid that the pills are gone.  I will look like a fool, a liar.  I am not happy.   How does this work?  Does the bowel empty out completely or what?  I have been reading that xrays are being taken daily, day 3 etc.  My xray is not till Friday. 

What do I do if this comes out normal? I am really upset right now.

Posted 4/8/2008 2:14 PM (GMT -5)

I was in your same situation. I never had a bowel movement unless I had my menstrual cycle. This too lasted for eight years. I re-did the test and my GI was ok with that. I was so upset, but he understood. I failed the second time without my menstrual cycle and three months later had a total colectomy. I am 10 weeks post-op. If you foound the right doctor he/she will believe you and let you re-do the test. Call now before its done.

Posted 4/8/2008 3:33 PM (GMT -5)
  

   Hey!   I too only went with my period!   Then I had a hysterectomy....   I hate to seem so excited but I am so happy to find that people have the same problems and I am not crazy. 

Anyway, I did call the office and the nurse said to proceed as usual.  So I will go Friday.  I guess I will "fail" the test.  I will ask to do it again.

Posted 4/8/2008 5:01 PM (GMT -5)
I wish you the best Friday.....you may not have emptied, but I did that first time. The second time I had all 24/24 of the markers in my transverse and descending colon. I was immediately referred to a surgeon. He did a couple more humiliating tests ( anal manometry and defecography) and ruled out any other possible cause and within the next three months I was schedule for my total colectomy. I had a lot of complications, but it was the best decision of my life. I go in tomorrow for a check-up. I finally went back to work yesterday and although things are not perfect they are much better than the last eight years. Kepp us posted

Posted 4/8/2008 10:26 PM (GMT -5)
03088460

I hate to say it, but if you had an emptying episode then most likely all the markers are gone. If you only went a little bit then you might be okay. When was the last time you used Miralax before starting the test? When I did mine, they had me take my usual cocktail on Friday to clear things out and then nothing after that. I've never heard of doing a Sitz marker without daily x-rays. When I did mine, they even did three x-rays on the first day alone. They did one at one hour, three hours, and six hours after swallowing it and then I came back every morning for another x-ray.

Xtreme

I'm most likely heading for defography in the near future. How bad was it? I'm not worried about pain - I have a high pain tolerance - I'm more worried about how embarassing it is.

Posted 4/8/2008 11:15 PM (GMT -5)
I just had this test last month.  I took a pill daily for 5 days and was xrayed on day 6.  I've heard others say they were xrayed several times.  Since I only go to the bathroom if I take laxatives, all the markers were still there.  I'm sure if you explain what happened, they'll let you repeat the test if your markers are gone.

I also had the defogram last month...a little humiliating, but not nearly as bad as I thought!  They'll xray you, then give you a tube of something to insert in your vagina, and then they'll insert a tube of something in your rear end (sort of a paste) and have you sit on a seat that resembles a toilet seat.  My seat had a curtain around most of it, so it wasn't too bad.  The radiologist then came and stood beside me and told me when to bare down and when to hold it...I could actually watch the "goo" coming on on a screen in front of me)...it took less than a minute after getting on the "seat".  It's pretty embarrassing, but doesn't last long at all, and besides, I figured I'd never see those people again!!

Posted 4/9/2008 9:39 AM (GMT -5)

Janiepain

Thanks so much for the explanation of the defography. As soon as you mentioned the curtain, that made me feel a whole lot better. I just pictured myself sitting on a seat of some sort with somebody in front of me doing the x-rays. Shivers....

Posted 4/9/2008 9:45 AM (GMT -5)

Irish- It is exactly how Janie explained it. For me it was super embarassing. At first they had me inser the vaginal barium and it did not go in far enough so I had to do it again and then they inserted the rectal barium. They had this screen in front of me and the radiologist was behind a window. I had to then move to the toilet seat and take direction. I knew right after that I was not emptying very good and that I did not have a retrocele. I think it was more embarrasing becuase it was at the hospital I had my surgery at and becuase of all my complications I did see them again. I could not believe it was even a test, let a lone one I really had to do , but it is a good thing before surgery to have.

lizzie

Posted 4/11/2008 11:21 PM (GMT -5)
Hi all,
I saw this topic and thought I would post. I am in the middle of the SITZ test. I took the pill Wed and they are going to X ray me on Sat, Mon, and Wed.
I am totally confused. I thought the desire was to get rid of the markers? They never told me to hold off on the laxatives. I hope I am okay taking what I am taking.
I have never heard of a defogram before. Doesn't sound like fun, but most of us with the problems we have don't have much modesty left. At least I don't. stormy
Posted 4/12/2008 6:14 AM (GMT -5)
As far as I am aware, you shouldn't be taking ANY laxatives of any kind during this test.  This test is supposed to reveal to the doc if you need surgery, and the only way they can determine that is if the bowel is functioning as it would without assistance from laxatives/enemas. 

Posted 4/13/2008 10:49 AM (GMT -5)
Mom,
I talked to the technican about it Sat when I had my X RAY. You, of course, were right. Am I just stupid, or should they have mentioned that? Geez. I still have some markers left and stopped the laxatives Sat afternoon. We will see how it goes. Thanks for the info.
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