#test

Hospital tests

Earlier this week I had to have a hospital test that was new to me. In order to find out why food stays in my stomach more than the normal 3 to 5 hours  (gastroscopies and ultrasound have shown it to be there for over 16 hours after I have fasted), I was urged to have a Delayed Gastric Emptying Study (DGES). I am pretty sure the culprit will be the pyloric valve damaged at the base of my stomach by the operation I had ten years ago ( see here ), but this test was just to make sure there was no other reason for the hold-up. So last week, I made my way to the Nuclear Medicine Department of Guy's Hospital near London Bridge for my appointment there. The word "Nuclear" is scary enough. Would I glow in the dark afterwards? I had to present myself fasting and that included drinking no water either. Having to negotiate the hour-long journey from home to London Bridge - in morning rush-hour on busy trains without breakfast and not even a sip of water - was hard. On arriving at the Nuclear