The Scans - Wednesday, August 26, 2009

In order to prepare for the side-effects of the radiation, etc., involved in the tests, I started taking a particular amino acid supplement one week ahead of time. Then the day of the bone/CT scans came. Have you ever heard of a "day of infamy?" It started out normal enough. My friend, Marilyn, and I arrived ahead of time because she does not appreciate my desire to arrive exactly on the hour. That said, we approached the desk where the CT scan was to be performed only to be told to first go upstairs to the unit that would run the bone scan. This is where I was injected with radioactive material. The technician told me to drink 16 ounces of water every hour for the following three hours until the bone scan would be performed in order to improve the test results. Then we were directed back downstairs for the CT scan. For some reason, the technician had not understood when I told him that I was having another scan. So when it finally dawned on him that the next test was a CT scan, he changed the orders he gave me and said NOT to drink anything until after the CT scan was finished.


The next phase involved drinking two containers (I think they were both 16 ounces) of barium, then waiting 90 minutes to do the CT scan. When that was finished, I could take the test. A strange feeling started in my abdomen about that time. I kept wondering why my digestive system was so active. After about a half hour, I was released to have some lunch, then check in for the bone scan. In the hospital cafeteria, I saw the first technician and told him that I had only been able to drink about eight ounces of water so far, much less than he wanted. He seemed to think the test would still turn out well. After lunch, my friend and I walked back to the waiting room for the bone scan and the activity in my abdomen reached an all time high. My friend read the look on my face and asked what was wrong. I told her I was having colitis-like symptoms and was wondering if they were delayed side-effects from the last chemo treatment. She looked at me strangely and said, "Hello, how much barium did you drink?" I had honestly not made the connection because this was not supposed to be a Lower GI test. About that time the technician appeared and reassured me that if I needed to use the bathroom anytime during the hour long bone scan, I could. Easier said than done. First, he told me to climb up on a raised table, then he placed a strap around my waist including my arms so they could not move. Then he taped my feet together with duct tape. I felt like Nell in a Rocky and Bullwinkle episode. The worst thing about it was that every time he positioned the scanner over another body part, he left the room for seven to ten minutes depending on how much time was required. I do not know where he went, but believe it or not, that was the time the barium would act up in my colon. I lay there each time for what seemed like an eternity praying desperately, "Oh, God, help me, help me. Please help me!" over and over again. Then things would calm down inside and the technician would re-appear, re-position the scanner, leave, and my colon would activate all over again. I did not think I would last the hour, but finally the test was done and I was unstrapped and raced toward the bathroom.

When we left the hospital and headed home, the barium was still active. The problem was that I was scheduled to conduct a very important meeting at work about a half hour later. I called my boss and tried to discreetly explain the situation. Thankfully, he is a compassionate man and let me postpone the appointment until the next day. I went home and tried to forget there was a world outside the walls of my apartment. I was also determined NEVER to take either of those tests again.