I might have to get a CAT scan

[sabotai]

Has anyone here gotten a CAT scan before? What's it like? Should I be as paranoid and worried as I am? :)

[spleen1015]

The worst part for me has been having to drink that stuff they make you drink. It is a lot to consume and it doesn't taste very good at all.

[Peregrine]

I've had both CAT scans and MRIs before. The actual experience isn't too bad, though it can be a bit nerve wracking. Mostly you end up just having to lie there and try not to go to sleep while a machine makes loud sounds (at least in the case of an MRI, I haven't done the CAT in 15 years or more) and the doctors chat to you through earphones. There's usually a shot involved and an IV taped to your arm to inject some kind of tracking fluid into your bloodstream, so you can get a bit cold from that.

[Glengoyne]

Done the MRI bit, but not a CAT scan. So I can't help much. Good luck though.

[MJ4H]

Don't worry too much. My son has had like 4 of each of them and he's only 18 months. You're probably tougher than he is :)

[nilodor]

Do yourself a favour and drink all of the fluid they give you or else you will end up with an IV, which is a very annoying thing to have. Other than that nothing to fear, I almost fell asleep during one of mine.

[INDalltheway]

I have had a couple, and I am only 16 years old. There is nothing to be scared of. I fell asleep once, and I guess it wasn't a big deal.

[sabotai]

Originally posted by MattJones4Heisman
Don't worry too much. My son has had like 4 of each of them and he's only 18 months. You're probably tougher than he is :)

Yeah, but I bet I could come up with more creative things that could be wrong with me than him. :)

[The_herd]

Originally posted by spleen1015
The worst part for me has been having to drink that stuff they make you drink. It is a lot to consume and it doesn't taste very good at all.

Ain't that the truth. I had 4 done on me when I was 10, this is by far the worst part. If you can survive drinking this horrible stuff, its ok. Imagine very soggy Fruity Pebbles in a thick liquid form, at least that's what it tasted like to me.

I haven't touched fruity pebbles since then.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not all CT scans need contrast (the stuff you drink or have injected) In any case, the only thing to be worried about is if you have a bad reaction to the contrast (if you even need it) Otherwise, it is a piece of cake as long as you aren't claustrophobic.

[EagleFan]

Actually, the CAt scan is less claustrophobic than an MRI so that usually doesn;t bother as many peopple with a CAT scan. Alergic reaction to the dye is the only real thing that could be a problem, but that's a remote chance.

I've had a couple different types. The ones for my heart have been easy, just the dye being injected through an IV. It's just a weird feeling at first, you feel a warm sensation moving through you as it first spreads.

Not sure how you are with drinking nasty stuff. If it's one where you have to drink, that was the worst part for me. Plus I was there because of my appendix at that point and had trouble keeping stuff down as it was, let alone something that awful (I actually think it was made worse for me by the juice they tried to put it in to help the taste).


It's an easy prosedure though, just lie there during the whole thing and it doesn;t take too long.

[finkenst]

openMRIs reduce the claustrophobic feeling of MRIs...

having had an MRI about 3-4 months ago, the noise was the worst part about it.

--tim

[Chubby]

boy i must have lucked out then, for my multiple CAT scans after my concussions I never had to drink anything. I just had to lay there and try not to fall asleep as the thing whirred around me. Mine were a little clastrophobic but after like 5 mins I was used to being in the tube.

[Eaglesfan27]

I personally found the CT scan claustrophobic. I found the MRI (it wasn't an open MRI) downright scary due to EXTREME claustrophobia. Guess I just don't like confined spaces as I really had to fight myself to stay still during them.

[Glengoyne]

Originally posted by Eaglesfan27
I personally found the CT scan claustrophobic. I found the MRI (it wasn't an open MRI) downright scary due to EXTREME claustrophobia. Guess I just don't like confined spaces as I really had to fight myself to stay still during them.

I had an MRI done once to look into a problem with double vision. It was really amazing how small the compartment my head went into actually was. I am not the least bit claustrophobic, but if I were I think it would have been quite a problem. It is true about the noise though, it was really loud and didn't sound very scientific(lots of bumps and thuds).