Chapter 20: First CT

 

Hey all,

Welcome back! Hope you all had a good week.

So for those of you who are not familiar with a CT scan, it is short form for computerized tomography. A CT or CAT scan, is a machine that takes a series of X-ray photos at different angles, of the bones, blood vessels and soft tissues inside the body. As you can see above, the look is very similar to an MRI. However, it takes about a 1/3 of the time, an actual voice that yells at you, and there's a lot more "holding your breath" involved.😆

Naturally as i'm sure you all can imagine, I was still traumatized from the last test I had to do at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre(PMH), yes the dreaded MRI. So knowing that I needed to go back once again to do a CT scan, there certainly was some anxiety going along with it. That being said, I pulled up my big girl panties and went on with the wonderful cancer crap show that was my life at this point. 😆💪

I arrived at PMH early to ensure I was not going to be late, seeing as you have to do some "pre test prep" when you arrive, aside from fasting obviously. Much to my surprise, well of corse the CT scan was at the exact same place as the MRI I had just a few days ago. FML, well this isn't embarrassing at all.🤦 I walked into the reception waiting area, trying to hide as much as I could behind my mask, a.k.a "face diaper" as my hilarious husband likes to call them.  Hoping and praying for the best, that no-one will recognize me from the last time I was there, a mere few days before, and had a full on mental breakdown. Lucky for me, I didn't recognize any of the staff that were working there, and luckily they didn't recognize me either.😅 FINALLY! after all this seems things were taking a turn for the better, or at least I thought.

There I was checking in for my test and after verifying my information. The receptionist then hands me a huge white styrofoam cup, which I swear was the equivalent size of a BIG GULP at 7/11, filled with some sort of concoction mixed with water (I think).  She then put a plastic straw on top and said "drink this, you have 30 minutes to finish it" and sat back down at her computer. Well....umm...ok?, I guess I will.

Well my friends, whatever the h3ll was in that cup, would have made Oscar the grouch want to vomit. For real! and even he eats actual garbage. No matter how much I mixed it, how fast I tried to drink it, or how hard I plugged my nose not to taste it, that sucker was NOT going down without a fight. To be honest, it was like a mixture of watered down, chalky, semi-solid, orange-cicle flavoured sand. 🤮 Part of me wants to have Gordon Ramsey try it just to see what he would do, and how fast he would be to throw it up.😂 Mind you, at least the staff were nice enough to chill it in the fridge, so that somewhat helped. Well not really but lets go with that.....💁

I was finally able to get to the bottom of what seemed like the never ending cup of h3ll. The technician then called my name into the back to get changed into my ever so familiar hospital gown couture. Now that I think of it, I should have invested in hospital gown stocks. I feel like i'd be a millionaire by now. Wait, actually maybe not, as seeing the state some of those robes are in. Looks like they've been there since old Father Time was a child, if you know what I mean.😏

She then escorted me into a room with the CT machine and asked me a few general questions i.e. allergies etc. I then expressed to her that I was nervous, and a brier synopsis of my "not so pleasant experience" the last time I was there for my MRI. The tech then reassured me that I was in good hands and that I will be ok. She then briefly went over the procedure to ensure I knew what was going to happen.

"so you are going to lay down here with your arms above you head, and follow the machine's instructions. I'll then come and inject the dye, you may feel a bit warm after that."

Ok cool, I thought to myself. I laid down on the table with my arms above my head. Not going to lie, was probably one of the most difficult things i've had to do in a while. Being someone of a bigger body type, despite having lost close to 100 lbs. I was still having difficulty breathing in general while laying down, AND having to wear a mask through all of this... I cannot say it was my favourite thing. Before I knew it the test had started, and an extremely loud voice, who was borderline yelling at me, repeatedly to hold my breath.😟

To be honest, I felt it was hard enough to catch my breath to begin with seeing as I was lying down, with my mask ON. I was already only able to take super shallow breaths, so I was basically already holding my breath, at least thats what it felt like. Before I knew it, I heard the tech's voice saying she was going to inject the CT test dye. Ok, let's do it! Well.....what was to happen next was certainly interesting. Immediately I was hot, oh SO HOT, in fact my entire body felt like I was sitting in a sauna adjacent to a bonfire. I could feel the heat starting in my torso and progressing throughout the rest of my body. I could even feel the heat radiating from my cheeks into my mask and then back into my face. A really surreal experience.

In the mist of all of this happening, the loud woman's voice  continued to yell at me to take a deep breath and hold it while the machine did its task. Honestly, i'm not sure how I was supposed to do that. Seeing as I was so caught off guard by how hot I was getting, AND wearing a mask, I could barely breathe normally to begin with. I didn't even have a chance to hold my breath, I just stopped breathing for what felt like a lifetime. At this point I was done, I tried, I'm waving the white flag and hoping for the best. With everything that was going on and not breathing normal to begin with, I had to breathe or else I was certainly going to pass out on the table.

So I did, I don't advise anyone else to do so, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I tried to breathe as slowly and steadily as I could to avoid having to do this whole thing over. Before I knew it the "turbine" turned off and I was free to go. WHOO HOO! another test in the books. I got out of there and dressed as quickly as I could, happy and thankful it was over.😅

But it was after this test, I couldn't help but think....what did all of these tests show? I was getting the results in my online chart but it might as well have been written in hieroglyphics, seeing as I couldn't understand any of it anyway.....yet no-one was explaining anything to me......where were the answers, ANY answers at this point?!?

To be continued.....