CAT Scans are Cool....
 

So apart from needing a CT (formerly known as CAT) scan....I think they are really an awesome spectacle.

If you have never heard about them they work kinda like a stack of x rays each taking a slice view of your body and piecing together the whole thing....after some processing, even in 3d.

To get a nice contrast of vessels, the digestive tract and other body parts they give you a Drink....if you can call it that....of a barium sulfate suspension.....mine was called apple smoothie...it was neither apple nor smooth....after you chug almost a liter of the "smoothie" they lay you down on a table and hook up an IV. The machine then starts to slide you through the beams of radiation, first taking what seemed like a whole body xray...it showed lungs, heart, ribs...you get it. Then on a second pass they force the IV contrast into your arm and you get this warm woosh through your whole body. The machine starts the scan over again, only this time more deeply.
After about 30 seconds or so you are done.

My scan was Chest, abdomen and pelvis and yielded about 135 or so pictures layer by layer. So I can say to a certainty that I am NOT a heartless, gutless, spineless....anything. I have pictures to prove it.

At the end I got to scroll through the images like one of those flip page books and see how the whole scan progressed. The organs were pointed out to me but I could not tell what I was seeing well enough to note any tumors separate from normal tissue.

I forgot to ask if I could get copies but I have a feeling this won't be my last one.....

Just thought I'd share the coolest thing I have done in awhile:)

Did you have to hold your breath fro varying lengths of time?

Last time I had one done, I had to hold my breath, when told to do so, until I was told to "breathe freely"

In theory that should be no problem, hold your breath for 20-30 seconds, whats the problem? Until the bastard forgets to tell you to "breathe freely" again.

As a matter of fact I did have to hold my breath....the machine told me what to do.....:eek: Oh no...the robots told me what to do...HUAR!

Just keep in mind that someday you also get to have a colonoscopy, the fun continues. Good luck and good health.

I had to get a CAT Scan when I jumped a ditch with my bike when I was like 10, and landed in the ditch...haha

I've been scanned twice before (and odd that you should mention it, but if I called my doc like everyone was saying today (one pupil was dialated and the other was normal) then I'd have probably gotten one tonight, but really, you'd think I'd notice if I had a stoke or brain anurism. Dan?). As I am a fan of dronology (music), I really like the repeating dub nature of the sounds it makes. Heck, I'm surprised some dronology band doesn't have a song that is nothing but a CT scan.

Of mild interest, when I was scanned the first time, I thougth the tech had just taken the liberty of pushing me into the machine by grabbing my belt buckle and yanking me. Nope, as I got closer to the machine, it started making my belt buckle pull up really hard. Could have been bad if I didn't say anything. Probably would have wrecked their machine too.

Also, at that time I wore a lot of silver rings on my fingers. I was told this was fine and it wouldn't mess with the machine. They vibrated like crazy. This probably explains why my wife says the machine is deafeningly loud (she has silver fillings).

if it's a cerebral bleed, you'd be dead by now so no worries

Cool.

Since we're on a medical topic...

When I was a child (maybe 5) my lung collapsed for no apparent reason. I was rushed to the hospital and immediately had a chest tube inserted. The doctors cut a hole in my side (no anesthetics - how come doc?) stuck the hose in and suctioned air outside the lung to re-expand. I remember the procedure being very painful and required several nurses/doctors to hold me down for the duration. After the procedure I was very untrusting of everyone is the hospital (I figured it was just a matter of time before I was tortured again) and made several attempts of escaping. Eventually the staff became frustrated with my escape attempts and put me in a cage - I shit you not! I did however, receive a clown covered gown, a Spider Man balloon and all the popsicles I could eat, so I guess it wasn't all that bad.

I hand my hand scanned. I should go ask the Dr for my image file. and post it.

Someone remind me