CT Scan Day

New to this? Check out the First Post

Today's highlight was a trip to the hospital to have a CT scan. This is the post-treatment scan from pelvis to head - to check that everywhere is clear now. The CT Scans take place in the new X-Ray department on the lower ground floor of the new main building. Another new section we got to see! The lighting is muted and the waiting room only had another two couple in. There were comfy purple tub chairs, smart beige chairs - connected together in twos and one huge chair. I guess these days you have to cater for the larger patient. I'd read in the papers that they've had to make bigger ambulances too.

Anyway, there was a row of bottles of water lined up on the Reception desk - but I wasn't asked to drink one. my letter had stated that I had to drink a pint of water before I got there - so I had been very good and swigged it down. The waiting room was lovely and new - so it hadn't had time to accumulate a good selection of magazines yet. I found a Laura Ashley catalogue and flicked through that while Nathan read his Kindle. He's working his way through the stories of Sherlock Holmes.

I was just admiring some lovely nightingale wallpaper (in the catalogue - not on the wall) when my name was called. I was taken to a small room and asked to remove my jeans and bra. You can't have any metal on you when you go through the scanner. I was given a very fetching powder blue gown to put on to preserve my modesty. The young chap then went onto the CT Scanner room and said he'd knock in four minutes - when I was changed.

Once again this room was totally white - as was everything in it. I was asked to lie on the bed with my head on the headrest. He then explained about the needle he'd have to put in my arm so that they could administer the remote injection once I was in the scanner. He seemed a little embarrassed as he explained about the side-effects of this. Whereas the last nurse had told me that I'd feel like I had wet myself even though I wouldn't have done - he said that I'd "feel an intense hot flushing in the groin area" I told him that I'd had one before and was prepared!

I haven't had a needle in my arm for a few weeks - but it doesn't bother me. But this time it really hurt! No idea why - hope I'm not getting too sensitive to pain! Anyone once it was in it subsided and I was hooked up to the injection machine then the radiographer left the room.

The bed start to move into the scanner and I found myself watching the red light whizzing round in circles in front of my eyes. I was daydreaming that I was being put into stasis ready for a mission to Venus or something. The scanner asked me to hold my breath, breathe normally, breathe gently but don't swallow then swallow. I went in and came out again. Then it was done. The needle was taken out of my arm and I was back in the cubicle putting my things back on again.

It takes a couple of weeks for the results to come through - which will be when I am in Slovenia. I'll call for the results when I get back. Until then - I won't think about it :-)