<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi everyone. Well, I (barely) got through the upper GI series. Although I got some good info from various list members, I'll quickly summarize what I learned and what it was like: 1) The "milk shake" is gluten free and dairy free. According to the radiology dept., so is the flavoirng, although I asked for mine without flavoring. I can't tell if they added any or not. 2) Here's the procedure, from start to finish: a) You drink some of the thick barium mixture. Then, they seem to test to make sure they're getting pictures on the big monitor. b) You drink more, then they give you crystals and water which you mix quickly by swishing it around in the cup. You drink the fizzy mixture (there's not much), then quickly take about 4 gulps of the thick "shake." (yuck!) c) They take some x-rays and watch the monitor. d) After a few minutes of drinking and watching, they tip the table with you on it so that you go from a standing position to lying down. Then they take some more pictures. And they made me (maybe they don't do this with everyone?) sort of spin around on the table, quickly going from lying on my stomach to lying on my back, a few times. I couldn't help but think that this was the 'shake' part because I felt like a human soda fountain. e) They give you a thinner "shake" mixture and you can drink that through a straw. [editorial comment: this is where things got pretty uncomfortable for me. I began to feel like I'd swallowed a lead balloon that was expanding... Not everyone will mind this as much as I did.) f) You continue to drink the thin shake for 15 minutes or until you finish it, if you can do so in less than 15 minutes. Then, every 15 minutes after that, they take another x-ray. The whole process can take anywhere from an hour to several hours. All in all, I'd recommend bringing someone with you. If nothing else, it will probably help to have moral support. Good luck to anyone else on the list that has to go through this test. Anne in Cambridge