My First CT Scan

Though I've had probably a dozen MRIs in my lifetime, this would be my first CT scan. The scan was aimed at my Chest, Abdomen, and Pelvic region to see if the cancer had spread. Making this particularly special was that I had to drink two big bottles of barium sulfate suspension, cleverly marketed as “fruit smoothies” (mine was Apple flavored). Trust me here – I’ve had smoothies for years and that, sir, is no smoothie. My stomach was upset all day thanks to that crap. I think I'll try the new Creamy Vanilla flavor if I have to do this again at some point.

The CT tech girl was very nice and explained clearly what to expect when they started the IV infusion (containing a contrast agent). Once that starts pumping, your entire body heats up for a few seconds. It’s a very strange feeling indeed.

But it was over very quickly and painlessly (the nausea aside). Now I head to see my doctor, get the CT scan results, and find out exactly where I’m at with this whole thing. I’m really hoping for Stage II (which would indicate a large but localized cancer, treatable with Radiation Therapy instead of Chemotherapy).

Below are photos of printouts of my CT Scan: