Back to school :-)

[motorollin]

I've just got a conditional offer from the UCE in Birmingham :-D Assuming I pass my OU course, I'll be spending the next three years studying Speech and Language Therapy  :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D  :-D

--
moto

[the_leander]

Congrats and good luck old bean!

[X-ray]

Speech and language therapy...you better get friendly with the radiographers, my son. And be prepared to put up with very difficult and messy investigations.
We used to have a dedicated speech and language slot every week in the radiology department. We would have a radiologist, a radiographer and a speech therapist (and of course the patient).



These patients were usually post-operative from throat and neck surgery (usually a cancer removal). This often leaves them with swallowing disorders, which can be quite serious if food/drink goes into the lungs.

The speech therapist makes a special mix of barium meal, tailored for each patient. They feed the patient while he is being X-rayed. It is full motion video X-ray, saved to tape or as a digital animation. This enables them to see the swallowing mechanism and any leakage, frame by frame if necessary.
Typical meals are crushed biscuits in barium, or a barium, banana and custard mix, or several types of neat barium (of different thicknesses).
That job needs an enormous amount of patience and perseverance. And it can be really messy. I think speech and language therapists are also in a good position in terms of international demand, so you should find it easy to migrate somewhere if you want to, with that qualification.
Did you have a walk-around at a hospital before you chose that line of study? It is essential that you do so if you haven't already.

[motorollin]

Thanks Alan :-) And Ray, maybe we'll work together one day  ;-) I found it interesting that SLTs are involved in administering a barium meal. I had one when I was younger and had some internal bleeding. It was weird. Nothing like what you said where they mix it with bananas and custard (yum!). I had it in two parts. The first was a small amount of powder (the barium?) and the second was a cup of what appeared to be carbonated water. I was told to take the powder first and keep it in my mouth while I took the 'water'. When I did so, the whole lot effervesced violently and I had to swallow it quickly to stop it exploding out of my mouth! Maybe this was intentional, to make it expand and fill the entire oesophagus to check for damage or leaks?

[EDIT]

X-Ray wrote:
It is full motion video X-ray, saved to tape or as a digital animation

Do they use Amigas with Video Toasters? ;-)
[/EDIT]

--
moto

[X-ray]

@ moto

What you had was a double contrast barium meal to look for gastric ulcers.
They need the gas in the stomach to expand it so that all the gastric mucosa can be seen when it is coated with the barium. Otherwise without the gas it is all folded up and you can't see the ulceration.
That's why they tell you not to burp. And if you do, they give you more of the liquid and granules to make more gas.

If they are looking to see if you have reflux (an unusual 'heartburn') then they can tilt your head down and get you to drink that barium while they X-ray you.

There is one piece of hardware in the BBOAH that is related to radiology (nuclear medicine gamma camera input card) and we had a thread here some time ago about a special 060 board and software for an ultrasound machine.
IIRC JetfireDX is the one who knows about that.

As for working together: it is not likely, young grasshopper. There are some procedures that you get to avoid when you attain a certain rank, and I rate those speech therapy procedures high on that list.
But I suppose you can never say never...

[X-ray]

I should add that what the speech guys do is not technically a barium meal, it is called a video swallow. But the meal or 'food' that they give the patient to swallow, is customised and is barium-based in most cases (but you do get iodine-based liquids that can be swallowed if you are worried that barium can go into the lungs).
Don't worry, you will come across all of these delightful mixtures and procedures. Maybe as a student you will be made to taste them all, as we were when we were students.

[Karlos]

@Motorollin

Congrats mate :-D

... is not technically a barium meal, it is called a video swallow.

*** chortle ***

[metalman]

X-ray wrote:
I should add that what the speech guys do is not technically a barium meal, it is called a video swallow. But the meal or 'food' that they give the patient to swallow, is customised and is barium-based in most cases (but you do get iodine-based liquids that can be swallowed if you are worried that barium can go into the lungs).
Don't worry, you will come across all of these delightful mixtures and procedures. Maybe as a student you will be made to taste them all, as we were when we were students.

Fringe benefit:
Ingesting Iodine-131 will prevent any future thyroid problems. ;-)
Iodine-131 half-life is only 8 days!  :-D
So, you can set off radiation detectors at airports up to 12 weeks after ingesting.
(depending initial on dose) :tongue_in_cheek:

[X-ray]

So Moto, you didn't tell us whether you went on a hospital visit.
Did you go? (I strongly recommend it, in fact I would make it mandatory before anyone embarks on a career like that).
What were your impressions? What sort of hospital was it?

[motorollin]

Unfortunately I haven't been able to get time off work at a time when a local hospital could accomodate me :-( However, the undergraduate degree course in Speech and Language Therapy involves placements in hospitals, nurseries and retirement homes, which are designed to provide all of the practical experience and assessment necessary to qualify and practice as a Speech and Language Therapy. Also, I have previous experience of working in a Speech and Language unit in a school.

[X-ray]

That's not good enough, mate.
I can't stress it enough, you need to be shown the clinical environment that you are going to be working in before you enrol.
Many students drop out because they suddenly realise that the university's outline of the career doesn't match what goes on in the hospital itself. This happens with all allied health professions. You need to tag along with a speech therapist at a hospital for at least a day.
I have helped several prospective students to see that radiography isn't for them.
You can't beat the advice of a qualified member of staff: it will beat the lecturer's advice and the university brochure hands down.

[motorollin]

Hmmm good advice. I'll try to book a day in the new year when I'll have more holiday to book. I've got until september when the course starts ;-) Thanks!