we had joy, we had fun, we had a CT scan for one....

No if's, and's, or but's, this CT scan was not very much fun.

First, you GET to drink 4 glasses of contrast (see details at the end) --a chalky, slightly orange flavored liquid the consistency of a melted shake (at room temperature)-- over 1.5 hours. Next, the contrast hits your system and gives you stomach cramps, intestinal distress, and the runs. But wait, it gets better... Now comes the scan itself. You GET to go through a 3 feet diameter tube, 5 feet in length about 6 times --in, out, in, out, and just when you think it is over, in very slowly, out very slowly. Then, change positions and another 3 times in/out.

To make this even more fun, you GET to have an injection of a 2nd contrast (see details at the end), right before the scan, which gives you 3 special EXTRA presents - the smell of spray paint fumes, the taste of metal, and a warm sensation like you have just wet you pants. HOW EXCITING. And that is it. All that fun in a 2.5 hour window.

Granted, none of this scan was painful nor torturous (unless you are claustrophobic). So, it could be worse. I will get the results at my Oncology appointment next week.

The purpose of the 2 contrasts is to help eliminate erroneous scan results. They each "light up" or highlight different internal systems, as follows:

chalky drink version -- shows your digestive tract
injected version - shows your blood vessels

More detailed info can be found here - body scan - head scan.