Hi, net.
Yes, apparently barium-swallow X-rays (and other x-rays that require contrast dyes) will affect blood sugar, though in an indirect way. The dye allows doctors to get a better picture of what's happening inside you, but the dye also is a little tough on the kidneys, which help remove impurities from our bodies. To avoid making the kidneys work too hard, doctors ask patients to stop taking their diabetes medications for the duration of the test, particularly Metformin. This, of course, allows your blood sugar to go up since you're not taking medication to counteract it.
But once you start taking your medications again, your blood sugar levels should return to where they were before the test. It's temporary; it's just one more day of high blood sugar (presumably after many previous days before diagnosis); and they're doing the test for a good cause. Barium-swallow X-rays are a diagnostic for gastroperesis, a condition in which the stomach does not empty itself of food within a usual amount of time. This can cause problems with nutrition and blood sugar. So it sounds like a test worth having.
If someone else on the forum has done this, i hope they report their experience. We always try to limit high blood sugar, but sometimes a couple of days of high levels are worth it if they help us finally diagnose our medical issue.
Yes, apparently barium-swallow X-rays (and other x-rays that require contrast dyes) will affect blood sugar, though in an indirect way. The dye allows doctors to get a better picture of what's happening inside you, but the dye also is a little tough on the kidneys, which help remove impurities from our bodies. To avoid making the kidneys work too hard, doctors ask patients to stop taking their diabetes medications for the duration of the test, particularly Metformin. This, of course, allows your blood sugar to go up since you're not taking medication to counteract it.
But once you start taking your medications again, your blood sugar levels should return to where they were before the test. It's temporary; it's just one more day of high blood sugar (presumably after many previous days before diagnosis); and they're doing the test for a good cause. Barium-swallow X-rays are a diagnostic for gastroperesis, a condition in which the stomach does not empty itself of food within a usual amount of time. This can cause problems with nutrition and blood sugar. So it sounds like a test worth having.
If someone else on the forum has done this, i hope they report their experience. We always try to limit high blood sugar, but sometimes a couple of days of high levels are worth it if they help us finally diagnose our medical issue.
