Having a CT Scan of Abdomen - any advice?
#351893 - 11/10/09 11:04 AM
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Digby
Reged: 07/31/04
Posts: 453
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I have something hard in my lower right abdomen (not my appendix...that's gone), so my doctor is ordering a CT scan with dye. Has anyone had that done? What should I expect?
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I have had this and it really isn't too bad if you know what is coming which I didn't. Anyway here is how it goes if they do it the way I had it done.
You will check in. They will bring you a large very cold cocktail mixed with crystal light that you need to drink in a hours time. Not bad tasting because of the crystal light. After that they will put an IV in your vein. When you are under the scanner they will take pictures before injecting the dye contrast into the IV. After those pictures they will inject the contrast dye into the IV. It felt kind of like a hot flash on my whole body. Then they take more pictures and when you are done they remove the IV. Try to have someone go with you for moral support. I went alone which was a mistake because I had a meltdown in the waiting room because I didn't have any idea about the process. I hope this will help you have somewhat of a mindset:).
Lots of love,
Julie
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Well I did not have that, but I did have another dye test called a HIDA scan. I had an iv put into my arm and laid on a table (it was cold in the room so they gave me a warm blanket). They injected the first stuff into my vein and I had to wait about 45 minutes to an hour for it to get through my system. Then when the time was done, they brought out another medicine which was supposed to make my gall bladder contract. They said this one might make me sick, but I only felt a mere second os naseua(sp?) and then it passed with no problems. Then the series of pictures were taken. I could not move at all because it would mess up the pictures and the dye. The process was really long. I had someone go with me or I might have gone crazy LOL. Its not like I could read or anything while I was waiting although you might could take some music and headphones or an audiobook. You might ask if it is a lengthy process. They told me from the get go that I would be there about 4 hours.
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When all else fails.....have tea.
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I've had a couple of these, they were no big deal. The prep takes about an hour - you go in and drink a few glasses of nasty stuff for the imaging (they'll give you a choice of flavors, but really they're all bad). Once you go in for the scan, that part only takes a few minutes. When they inject the dye you'll get a warm sensation - kind of like a hot flash (I guess some people feel really warm in the groin area and feel like they wet themselves - but you don't, really).
One thing they do warn about - drink plenty of water after the procedure to flush the dye out of your system because it can damage the kidneys.
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IBS-A and GERD since 1983
Low FODMAP since 2012
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The scan was a cinch. Even the pre-scan cocktail wasn't bad. I got the berry flavored "smoothie." My results showed "nothing significant." My doctor assumes it's all related to my spastic colon.
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So there was nothing there? What sort of lump was it?
I went to a new doctor yesterday after a few months of increased pain and 20 pounds of weight loss, he said he felt something on my stomach (a one to two inch long "sausage" shaped lump to the lower left of my belly button), and said it was definitely separate from IBS. I just figured it was an IBS thing as it's on the spot that always hurts. He ordered an ultrasound but he didn't seem sure if anything would come up and told me to mark it with a sharpie. But I'm skeptical. I've been to so many doctors, and I've felt that spot for years, doctors never said anything about it when they felt there, but maybe the weight loss changed it?
I'm so confused.
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Mine is sausage shaped too, but on the right side, mid-abdomen. I'm about 104 pounds now, usually around 110, but with the bland diet and D and anxiety I quickly dropped the pounds. No mass showed up on the CT Scan. I'm wondering if it could be a fibroid in my uterus, but it's probably too high up for that. It could be muscular. I was reading in my Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies, some muscular tension is misdiagnosed as other things. For instance,the psoas muscle, which connects from the lower spine and runs down to the front of the groin, when tense, feels hard and sausage shaped. If all tests come up normal for you, it may be worth seeing a good body-worker. Just a thought. And it makes sense that the weight loss would make it more palpable. Heck, my doctor can feel my spine through my abdomen! Ye gads.
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