Easy procedure

Half the time, I seem to get an oral contrast agent before a CT.  Half the time I don’t.  At least that’s how I remember it, dimly.  This time, I had to take it.  The contrast agent is 600 ml of a clear, largely tasteless liquid that I’m asked to ingest over the course of half an hour.  I have nothing against the contrast agent, except that it makes the whole procedure take longer.

On Thursday, it took longer than usually anyway.  I had to wait a bit and then, when I had already bared my upper body and clothed it in a hospital gown, wait a bit longer.  An emergency had just come in with higher priority than me.  Fair enough if it’s a question of life and death, but it meant I wouldn’t be in time for tea and christmas cookies with Flucha who was working from home that day.  When I finally arrived home, she had just left to take the girl from kindergarten to her weekly polysport session.

Thursday’s scan had a good side too.  Because of my immune reaction to iodine, the second, intravenously administered contrast agent during the first scan, I had received a heavy dose of the antihistamine Tavegyl during all further scans.  This had preempted further adverse reactions, but Tavergyl is an old drug with strong side effects.  It had always knocked me out for the rest of the day.

For this time, my doctor had given me a prescription for two alternative antiallergics, to be taken orally in the morning of the scan.  These drugs build their action slowly, and much less is needed if they’re given well in advance.  There should be way fewer side effects.  The radiologist was a bit surprised at this unexpected change of protocol.  A bit of a palaver ensued until I got the go ahead from the head radiologist, together with half a dozen stern warnings to shout at the onset of anything strange.

Nothing strange happened.  My body showed no reaction to the iodine.  The scan proceeded smoothly and successfully.  Afterwards, I was detained for another 15 minutes to rule out a delayed reaction.  Then I was free to go - but not yet home.

First I had to have the tubing detached from the port in my chest.  Back at the oncology ward, my doctor took the opportunity to stalk me out for a chat.  The liver enzymes had come down further.  Some were still slightly elevated, but most have returned to a healthy range.  Bilirubin was down as well, though not fully yet.  I was expecting this.  Flucha had kept commenting on my increasingly healthy complexion.

A CT scan doesn’t sound like much.  It’s not exactly an intervention.  The radiation has no acute effect on the body.  Leave the hospital, and everything should be normal.  This is not how it is.  The contrast agents pound the body, and it takes some time to flush them out.  Taking it easy today, I’m still working on this.