We spoke with our very own Natalie Oliver about her experience with the PillCam procedure. Here is what she said. 

I recently had a PillCam (capsule endoscopy) to investigate some ongoing gut issues. I had 3 years of upper abdomen pain as well as ongoing low iron. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s basically a tiny camera you swallow — it travels through your digestive system, taking thousands of pictures along the way. Think of it like a high-tech GoPro for your insides.

I shared the process in this video: Watch here

The Experience

Honestly, the whole thing was MUCH easier than I expected. Swallowing the capsule was simple - just like taking a regular pill. It went down really easy and there was no pain at all. The hardest part? Running back and forth to the toilet all day! There were lots of bowel movements (as expected with the prep), but I was in the comfort of my own home, which made the whole thing way more bearable than being in hospital.

It took about 12 hours for the capsule to pass through completely. During that time, I wore a recording device to track everything, but I was able to relax, move around, and just wait it out. I was told the average time it passes through is typically 4.5hours however it depends on your bowel transit time and everyone can be different.

The Results

In the end, the PillCam didn’t reveal anything major - just a small polyp, which will be checked again in 3-4 years. While part of me wanted answers, I’m actually relieved it helped rule out anything more serious going on with my bowels.

Final Thoughts