Donna in Hollywoodland

CT Scan Time

This is one of those posts that you are going to want to pass on, if you are one of those people who faint easily.
So if you faint at the sight of blood, page down to the next entry.

Today I had to get a follow-up CT scan of my chest area, or my lungs.
On the first CT Scan I had before my breast cancer surgery in August, there was little dot somewhere in my right lung.
My regular family doctor was pretty sure it was just scar tissue from the walking pneumonia I had back in Dec 2004.
But the Cancer Doctor, acting just like any good Cancer Doctor should, wanted a follow-up CT scan to see if the little dot had changed or gotten bigger.
So off I went to the hospital.

First, you have to remember that I am hypoglycemic. And there was a rule of no solid food for 3 hours before the test.
I guess this is because they want to inject me with toxic dye, and it could give me an upset tummy.
The test was scheduled at 11 am. After waking up, I had a cup of fat free yogurt about 7:45.

After arriving to the hospital, I went to my usual place - the basement where the Radiology Dept is.
I was taken the CT scan room, and changed into a gown.

The nice gentleman technician had me lay down on the table that slid into the donut shaped CT machine.
He had his dye all ready. And tightened the rubberband around my right arm, getting ready to inject me.

"Oh, Oh", he said, "I don't know if I can do this."

"Ah, thats okay. I have little veins. I'm used to it. Just poke me with the needle." I replied.

"But I don't see any veins. Not a single vein. I can't find any." was his answer.

"Can you use a butterfly needle ? Or a baby needle ?" I asked.

"No, the dye is thick. We need at least a 24 needle. And you need a good sized vein for that. I can't do that. Let me take you to nuclear medicine. They are the experts over there."

So I gathered my hospital gown around me, and down the hall we went to Nuclear Medicine.

In Nuclear Medicine I started to lose track of all the people who came to look at my veins.
Poke. Poke.
"No, sorry - you can't use the left arm, I've had lymph nodes removed over there. Its the right arm only."
Poke. Poke. Poke.

All in all... 5 needles, In 5 different places, by 5 different people.

I was sitting there freezing in my hospital gown. And it was now 12:30.
So much for my 11 am appointment.

Oh... my fingers were blue. I needed to eat.

They were all off on a corner discussing what to do about me.

"Excuse me" I called, "My fingers are blue. I need to eat, or you are going to lose me. I'm hypoglycemic and I will pass out."

One of the woman came to look at me.
I told her "Can you use a vein in my leg?"

She said "Why would we use your leg?"

"Because you can't use my arm. I mean, where else would you go?" I said.

"Your neck" she replied.

"Okay, thats it - No dye. Write down that the patient is refusing the dye. You have to take the CT scan without dye. If it doesn't work, I'll redo it on another day." That was my final answer.

"Ok, I'll write down that the patient refused the dye." said the technician. "Patient refuses dye."

Off I went back to the CT Scan room. They had the CT scan done in what seemed like 5 minutes.

I changed clothes, headed down the hall and practically fell against the soda machine.
An ice cold sugared coke.
Oh, thank God. Sugar.

I walked to the cafeteria, and the food was gross.
The regular coke was doing me good, so I decided to drive to a restaurant.

I went to "House of Pies" in Los Feliz.
A huge avocado burger.
French Fries (even tho they are off my diet, because fried potatoes cause cancer)
And another big Regular coke.

While sitting outside, I read the LA Times , and called my Breast Surgeon.
I told her assistant about what happened.
She asked "What did they do last time at your other CT scan ?"
I said ""The put a big catheter thing in my hand, and wrapped it with duct tape."
She said she would tell the doctor - and she didn't sound to pleased.
I told her I could always go back and re-do it if they couldn't read it without the dye.

But right then, I was to busy scarfing down the burger, fries and coke.