My lactulose breath test: in process.
- Diana Allen, MS, CNS
- Feb 10, 2015
- 1 min read
Today's the day! I'm doing the 2-hour lactulose breath test from Genova Diagnostics. Drank the (yummy) lactulose solution at 9:30 AM and every 20 minutes, I'm breathing into this round mouthpiece attached to a blue plastic bag. When the bag is inflated, I pop a labeled test tube into the side piece which has a needle inside that punctures the rubber test tube cap so the air from the bag can enter. I continue exhaling normally for 2 seconds, then remove the tube.
That's my job.
To be honest, the whole operation seems kind of rinky dink. The glass test tubes are nice but the crinkly blue plastic bag and hard plastic mouthpiece (attached to the blue bag with what appears to be blue electrical tape) do not appear to be top quality equipment. When I removed the test tube on the last sample, for example, the whole side piece contraption with the needle inside it pulled right out of the bag!
I just popped it back in, but still.
I'm not seeing any condensation from my exhalation, either. It's hard to believe that my breath is actually going into the tubes. (Besides which, it's invisible.) I feel skeptical! We'll see what the results say.
