The Big C! RIP Kim, see pg. 218

[stryder]

Sannois, the prep is nothing like the colonoscopy. No fasting, for one thing. No … uh … cleanout. My recollection is that you’ll be told to come (I think) 30 minutes before the procedure is scheduled. You’ll be given something to drink. It’s not great, but it’s not terrible, either.

The contrast causes the tumors to light up during the scan, so the radiologist can see the size and scope of the tumor, and if it’s spread.

The whole thing is painless. No sedation.You’ll get up and walk out when it’s done.

Good on you for scheduling it. It’s the next indicated thing.

[Callista17]

@Sannois

Did you have to drink anything? I think she said before I had to drink some yucky stuff for the contrast?? Bleck~

I did not…but I had an iv…
They had me lay down, put the iv in, arms above my head- I didn’t have to change even, just pull my bra with underwire up OVER my boobies, then moved into the machine. She said I could change or not- I wore yoga pants- no metal.
It wasn’t clausterphobic at all. They flushed into my iv, then…and, to me, this was neat, so not trying to scare you- please don’t be scared- They put the contrast in.
She said you’ll feel like you peed, but you won’t be. I felt super warm, like I wet my pants/had a warm blanket on my abdomen- I DIDN’T!!! Then for me, the back of my neck felt warm, like when you feel embarrassed and your face turns red, type feeling. NOTHING HURT AT ALL, it was just weird, but neat to me. Couple more “HOLD YOUR BREATH”(S), and I was done! She said some get warm, some don’t even notice anything.
Then to me it was funny because, I had to repull down ny bra, and “fluff”/rearrange. I knew there was a guy watching the monitor, behind the glass for the test. I walked into a dark corner, behind the machine, shirt still on, private room, and the tech was like “OH, theres a GUY in there, I’ll stand here and block you”. So she kind of did. I was like, Honey, if the medical guy hasn’t seen a boobie, or a girl pull a bra down, and he’s not going through my test, peeking in the dark corner behind the machine? Maybe he should see a boobie. Haha

I had two tests that day, so no food after midnight the day before, but I am not sure if that was for the ct. I had to get bw ahead, so no blood taken. I went to an imaging place, and they said within a few hours, the doctor would have the results, so give him until the next day. They called me in the morning.

No side effects for me- I was hoping for flourescent pee or SOMETHING. Went out for dinner on the way home.

[Sannois]

Callista and Stryder, thanks for that info, I think I can deal with those…
No fluorescent peeing?? Darn! :lol:

[Bluey]

@Sannois

Callista and Stryder, thanks for that info, I think I can deal with those…
No fluorescent peeing?? Darn! :lol:

No, but if they use radioactive material for contrast, they will give you a form so if you fly you don’t light the airport machines.

They gave me one, when they had me fly to Dallas for more tests on my defective heart.

Then they will check you out at the airport in person, not thru the machines.

[Zu_Zu]

simple things …

cats.
coffee.
comfort.

You’ve got friends ~

[js]

@Zu Zu

simple things …

cats.
coffee.
comfort.

You’ve got friends ~

This, you have a lot going on and a lot to deal with. Feel free to keep us posted but don’t feel obligated. We are all here to provide what ever long distance support we can but not to over whelm you. Talk when you need to but focus on yourself, getting thru this and making a full recovery.

I’m glad there are posters here with first had experience that can give you advice and what to expect and glad there are many other’s that can provide warm sentiments and well wishes.

[Sannois]

@Zu Zu

simple things …

cats.
coffee.
comfort.

You’ve got friends ~

Well the 2 ancient cats I have left are more like running a feline home for the aged. LOL
But thank you so very much for the mug, if you did not read my post above about that line of pottery, I love it.
That is my new mug for all my coffee.
Zu I must ask you, I feel dumb, I know what Jingles are, but what is AO??? Kim

[Zu_Zu]

Jingle ~ Jingle ~ Jingle & AO ~ AO ~ AO

Always Optimistic !

• glad you liked the surprise !

[Sannois]

@Zu Zu

Jingle ~ Jingle ~ Jingle & AO ~ AO ~ AO

Always Optimistic !

• glad you liked the surprise !

Yes you are!! And it is so great!

[Sannois]

Okay so Ashley the nurse was true to her word and got right on the Scheduling thing. I am going in Sunday Morning, 9 am. Have to go in tomorrow and have blood drawn, as they did not order it. And pick up some craptastic stuff to drink.
And it is the local hospital that I asked her to schedule me for. So that is that.

[Where_sMyWhite]

Sannois as Callista17 noted… if you have such, just wear clothing with no metal… leave the underwire (well, the whole bra so no worry about hooks ) at home and yeah, yoga pants are nice as they are stretchy waistband with no metal.

Remember you’ll never see the people in the waiting room again and the health care professionals helping with the imaging studies… they’ve seen it all to worry about looking at one more

I don’t worry about contrasting studies any more as iodine/contrast is not recommended for people with chronic kidney disease. Yes, contrast studies will give more info (show more) than non-contrast studies.

CTs, it will take more time to check in than it will to get the study does (excluding the drinking game part ).

[Mara]

@Sannois

Okay so Ashley the nurse was true to her word and got right on the Scheduling thing. I am going in Sunday Morning, 9 am. Have to go in tomorrow and have blood drawn, as they did not order it. And pick up some craptastic stuff to drink.
And it is the local hospital that I asked her to schedule me for. So that is that.

I really like your doctor & nurse, and I haven’t even met them! Ditto your ex-husband.
I wonder if you could mix vodka or something in with the craptastic drink to make it go down better? (Only sorta kinda kidding here…)

[Sannois]

WMW The scheduler asked me if I was allergic to any iodine products. I wouldn’t know.
But I sure do not want to drink Iodine, Cause I can tell you it would not stay down. I am super sensitive to bad tastes and if it tastes bad it does not stay down. And why would they make me pick it up from the hospital.?
Not feeling happy all of a sudden. The scheduler said it was a CT for Chest Abdomen and Pelvis??

[Bluey]

@Sannois

WMW The scheduler asked me if I was allergic to any iodine products. I wouldn’t know.
But I sure do not want to drink Iodine, Cause I can tell you it would not stay down. I am super sensitive to bad tastes and if it tastes bad it does not stay down. And why would they make me pick it up from the hospital.?
Not feeling happy all of a sudden. The scheduler said it was a CT for Chest Abdomen and Pelvis??

They may want to rule out metastatic sites in other places?

I assume they asked you about allergies to iodine products so they can pretreat you for that allergy before giving you the contrast preparation.

Do ask the nurse about that?

[Where_sMyWhite]

And do tell the scheduling nurse about issues with things that taste bad. It could be that the drink has been flavored so it tastes ok. Also warn the imaging people

I wouldn’t worry about what areas are scheduled for the CT. The scan will be one full scan, they’ll get more than they need and is much more preferable than deciding later on they needed more than what they got. I am not surprised at abdomen and pelvis and I don’t think chest would freak me out. If it does freak you out (and I can certainly understand why) ask the scheduling nurse why abdomen.

Asking healthcare professionals questions is a perfectly fine thing to do. It is your body and you want to know what is going on. They want to care for you to the best of their abilities and it sounds like the staff you’re current working with is awesome.

Just remember all the imaging staff is going to be willing to tell you is that the imaging scan was good and should provide the needed information to the radiologist and your Dr They will not tell you what they did or didn’t see (although when I’ve had ultrasounds, they’ve told me what they’re looking at… that’s your liver, that’s your kidney, thats gas but nothing else about what they see). So, no worries when they won’t tell you if they saw anything bad… they won’t tell you so don’t read into their response something more to be worried about.

When you’re at your Dr’s office, ask them to show you your imaging study and what they see… it’s kinda cool (at least for me it is) and you can get a better understanding of what’s going on.

Oh, if the contrast is radioactive (based on what another poster said, I have no idea), that may be why pick it up at the hospital (although I wouldn’t want to take that stuff home personally). Why pick it up at the hospital, ask Or could be that your local pharmacy doesn’t carry it?

Happy is such an interesting state of mind and I wouldn’t expect you to be skipping with joy as you go into the imaging scan. You’re going through some rough, scary times. All the tests and diagnostics can be scary as you navigate through the process. I can imagine if I were in your shoes I’d be looking at every little thing as something else to be worried and concerned about. For the most part, it’s all just part of the diagnostic process. The chest/abdomen/pelvis maybe easily be just the standard imaging study for everyone with your similar diagnosis. Think of it more as a fishing expedition… sometimes things are found, other times not. Picture them tell you chest scans clear

Keep us posted. Keep asking questions of us and your healthcare team. Our experiences with be anecdotal which is good for you to hear but also remember you healthcare team knows you and can also give you more “appropriate” answers based on your diagnosis and treatment plans.

{{}}

[KBC]

@Callista17

They flushed into my iv, then…and, to me, this was neat, so not trying to scare you- please don’t be scared- They put the contrast in.
She said you’ll feel like you peed, but you won’t be. I felt super warm, like I wet my pants/had a warm blanket on my abdomen- I DIDN’T!!!

WOW, I had forgotten that I must of had one of those, I think it was when they were checking that I still had a brain! It is the weirdest feeling in the world, so glad that they warn you about it…not unpleasant, just really really weird.

We are so lucky to have all these non invasive tests that they can run these days…which reminds me I have just got a reminder for my breast scan…this thread has jogged my memory, I will ring tomorrow and book it…best to keep checking everything out.

[Callista17]

Lol KBC
Sannois…please go. Just one step. This really will get more info. I mean, mine they made it seem like a deal! Lol One scan and done. Whole body wouldn’t bother me, just means while you are going through the hassle, scan away.

I am sorry. I didn’t have to drink anything, just had the iv.

To me, I also had a brain mri, and I am not claustraphobic, but…that made me nervous. Not bad, but…to the point I really did want out. The ct? The iv was the worst part.

[Bluey]

s

@Callista17

Lol KBC
Sannois…please go. Just one step. This really will get more info. I mean, mine they made it seem like a deal! Lol One scan and done. Whole body wouldn’t bother me, just means while you are going through the hassle, scan away.

I am sorry. I didn’t have to drink anything, just had the iv.

To me, I also had a brain mri, and I am not claustraphobic, but…that made me nervous. Not bad, but…to the point I really did want out. The ct? The iv was the worst part.

I also had a brain scan for the double vision I have.
All they found in there was horses and empty space.

Seriously, if you think you may have trouble, keep your eyes closed, is what I do, just don’t open them.
They give you a button to push if you want them to stop and come see about you anyway.
Rarely a client is so anxious it gets nauseated and they rather you call and they can bring you a container.
That is what one told me when I asked if they had people push the button.

All those are rather quickly over and no trouble at all, really.
All I wear is jeans and those have metal in them.
I rarely had to take them off, only for my knee.
For other above that, just lower them if the scan was below the waist.
There is an enclosure in a corner of the scan room for any clothes and gowns in there.

You will be fine for all that, is so routine, they do many a day, they don’t even think how we worry, unless we tell them and then they have ways to help with that also.

[JanM]

I read that many times the contrast is via iv, but if it’s oral there is a flavoring that tastes good.

I had a CT scan years ago for my back, and the one thing I will tell you is to wear warm socks. I don’t know if the more up to date CT machines still need colder room temps, but the one then certainly did.

[Equus2000]

The imaging techs are prohibited from telling you anything diagnostic, just an FYI. Ask anything and everything you want to ask, they (everyone) is working for you.