What exactly is the leak test? What do you have to do, and what does it taste like? My surgery is Thursday and I'm trying to be prepaired.

What exactly is the leak test? What do you have to do' date=' and what does it taste like? My surgery is Thursday and I'm trying to be prepaired.[/quote']

I never had a leak test done

The leak test is no big deal. They put you on a table and you drink Barium while they xray you live. The Barium is nasty tasting but after not eating or drinking for 24 hours you welcome any liquid. I was freaked out and waiting for pain upon drinking it. There was no pain and other than a medical after taste it was no big deal. Don't fear it. Good luck!

Yeah, it's no big deal, the liquid really tastes like something from the chemical closet. But other than that it's easy peasy

Lol at I just got done on the 23rd they called it trash water funny it's really no big deal cause any liquids by that time is great

I thought the liquid tasted like cleaning fluid! It was really yucky, but the test is over and done with really fast, so don't bother spending time worrying about it.

You may not have a leak test done while your conscious. My doctor opted to do the leak test while I was still under anesthesia. So I have no idea what occurred! Hehe.

You may not have a leak test done while your conscious. My doctor opted to do the leak test while I was still under anesthesia. So I have no idea what occurred! Hehe.

They told me I didn't get one done so idk y they didn't do it

It was gross. I started dry heaving as soon as i started to swallow. Thankfully my xray was standing up. Had nasuea for a few hours afterwards. What doesnt kill you only makes you stronger, right?

They told me I didn't get one done so idk y they didn't do it

Sometimes they just fill your pouch with air to see if any of it seeps out while your under. I believe that is the general rule of thumb and the doctors are supposed to do that while your under. The whole barium thing is each individuals doctors preference... From what I'm told at least...?

They told me I didn't get one done so idk y they didn't do it

IMO leak tests are much more important for those of us that have our surgeries in Mexico.

Since we have to travel great distances & cross international borders the redundancy is more justifiable.

Also for people that are covered by insurance, the insurance co. may not be willing to pay for the tests. Leaks are pretty rare and I'm betting it's cheaper for insurance to deal with the occasional leak than it s to perform tests on everyone.

My leak test was awful. I don't know if that's the general consensus, but post-op every liquid felt like it was stopping above my diaphragm for 5-10 seconds before moving down and so I would sip slowly and small amounts to avoid it. When I got to the leak test, they told me to take it like a shot and augh, for those 5-10 seconds it was so uncomfortable. Good news is it started bubbling and moved down and I had no leaks! It was worth it for the peace of mind. It was also kinda neat to watch it go into my stomach on the xray machine screen.

I never had a leak test.

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The liquid for the test was the first thing I had to drink after my surgery. My doctor doesn't let you drink anything until after the leak test. It tastes horrible but it was over quickly. I was standing up for it which was good I think. I couldn't drink the last swallow, so they just stopped.

I am glad I had one but it doesn't completely rule out leaks. Once the swelling goes down a leak could still be found. Luckily leaks are rare.

I never had a leak test done

I didn't have the leak test either. I think mine was conducted during surgery