first ct scan post treatment with and without contrast --tips on how to best handle this??

maggie_wilson

hi sisters,

i'm going in for my first ct scan with contrast and have to drink some yucky stuff the night before and day of. i hear making it cold, and drinking through a straw helps. any other recommendations from those who have gone through this?

as always, thanx so much.
maggie

kkstef

Contrast "stuff"
Maggie..... I drank my contrast in the radiology dept....I believe it was 3 glassfuls, one every 30 minutes. It wasn't too bad. I tended to drink it rather fast but by the 3rd glass I was a tad "full".

I guess it just depends on the contract "cocktail" and what they flavor it with. You might ask if they have any "options".

Good luck. After all you have been through, this will be EASY!!

Best to you!! Hugs...Karen

maggie_wilson

kkstef said:

Contrast "stuff"
Maggie..... I drank my contrast in the radiology dept....I believe it was 3 glassfuls, one every 30 minutes. It wasn't too bad. I tended to drink it rather fast but by the 3rd glass I was a tad "full".

I guess it just depends on the contract "cocktail" and what they flavor it with. You might ask if they have any "options".

Good luck. After all you have been through, this will be EASY!!

Best to you!! Hugs...Karen

ct contrast drink

karen,

thanx so much for your response. i always appreciate what you have to say. it helps!

best and hugs back to you,
maggie

Kaleena

Hi Maggie:
I always get the
Hi Maggie:

I always get the CT with contrast. Where I get it done, you have to arrive early and they give you two drinks. I used to be able to drink it fast. Now they want you to drink the first one for an hour and the second one as fast as you want. It was banana flavor. They put an iv in you (where I have it done) They take an initial scan and then they do a scan (with contrast). They put the stuff in the iv line. It is very warm going in and it goes from your head to your feet (the feeling). It almost feels that you "peed". Then they take a quick scan and come in and take out the IV.

When I get a PET/Scan, they do the contrast the same way.

The drink is better when it is cold. Also, when you are done, make sure you drink a lot of fluids during the day. It helps flush out the stuff afterwards.

Take Care!

Kathy

maggie_wilson

Kaleena said:

Hi Maggie:
I always get the
Hi Maggie:

I always get the CT with contrast. Where I get it done, you have to arrive early and they give you two drinks. I used to be able to drink it fast. Now they want you to drink the first one for an hour and the second one as fast as you want. It was banana flavor. They put an iv in you (where I have it done) They take an initial scan and then they do a scan (with contrast). They put the stuff in the iv line. It is very warm going in and it goes from your head to your feet (the feeling). It almost feels that you "peed". Then they take a quick scan and come in and take out the IV.

When I get a PET/Scan, they do the contrast the same way.

The drink is better when it is cold. Also, when you are done, make sure you drink a lot of fluids during the day. It helps flush out the stuff afterwards.

Take Care!

Kathy

ct contrast drink

thanx, kathy. i guess they do it differently in different parts of the country. i'm in northern california, and drink the night before than 1/2hour before tests. interesting. thanx for the tip re: fluids.

sisterhood,
maggie

cleo

maggie_wilson said:

ct contrast drink

thanx, kathy. i guess they do it differently in different parts of the country. i'm in northern california, and drink the night before than 1/2hour before tests. interesting. thanx for the tip re: fluids.

sisterhood,
maggie

Diabetic CT contrast
Maggie I had great difficulty with the contrast, vomiting and upset stomach for days after. For further scans given the diabetic contrast. Found it much easier to drink and no after effects. Worth a request and try.
Celia

clscurnutt

maggie_wilson said:

ct contrast drink

thanx, kathy. i guess they do it differently in different parts of the country. i'm in northern california, and drink the night before than 1/2hour before tests. interesting. thanx for the tip re: fluids.

sisterhood,
maggie

contrast
I drank one the night before and one 1/2 hour before my appointment. And I drank it cold. Then they gave me another 4-6 oz. before i was put on the table.

Lynn

kanary01

clscurnutt said:

contrast
I drank one the night before and one 1/2 hour before my appointment. And I drank it cold. Then they gave me another 4-6 oz. before i was put on the table.

Lynn

CT Scan
How long after treatment ends do you usually have a ct scan? I will be going for my second post treatment check up next week.My Gyn/Onc has not mentioned a CT scan. He does a pap and a C125. I was diag in April of 2009 after surgery. I hade 6 cysles of chemo 27 pelvis rads, 26 abdomen rads and 5 internal high dose Rads. I was never told how the chemo and raduation worked..At my first post treatment check-up I had to grab the doctor's hand to keep him from leaving the room after he did the pap. I wanted to know where I stood..asked about survival rate etc..I was diag with 3c endo cancer (had tumors n endo wall, cervix and fall tube) the wash was clear. He told me that becasue I had the extra rads. he would stage me now as 3a instead of 3c and my chances of 5 year survival were probably in my case about 75% instead of the 47% I have been seeing on all the charts etc.. My C125 has always been between 4 and 5. I never had one taken before surgery so I am not even sure the C125 means anything. One nurse in chemo told me it was not a good marker for endo cancer another nurse told me it was..I have been given so much diferent info...Did anyone hear that you should have chest xray each year??
Thanks to all for reading..I wouuld appreciate any responses.

kkstef

kanary01 said:

CT Scan
How long after treatment ends do you usually have a ct scan? I will be going for my second post treatment check up next week.My Gyn/Onc has not mentioned a CT scan. He does a pap and a C125. I was diag in April of 2009 after surgery. I hade 6 cysles of chemo 27 pelvis rads, 26 abdomen rads and 5 internal high dose Rads. I was never told how the chemo and raduation worked..At my first post treatment check-up I had to grab the doctor's hand to keep him from leaving the room after he did the pap. I wanted to know where I stood..asked about survival rate etc..I was diag with 3c endo cancer (had tumors n endo wall, cervix and fall tube) the wash was clear. He told me that becasue I had the extra rads. he would stage me now as 3a instead of 3c and my chances of 5 year survival were probably in my case about 75% instead of the 47% I have been seeing on all the charts etc.. My C125 has always been between 4 and 5. I never had one taken before surgery so I am not even sure the C125 means anything. One nurse in chemo told me it was not a good marker for endo cancer another nurse told me it was..I have been given so much diferent info...Did anyone hear that you should have chest xray each year??
Thanks to all for reading..I wouuld appreciate any responses.

Kanary
I was diagnosed with Endo Ca, Grade ii/iii, Stage 3A in June 2008. I had radiation first, then chemo. CA125 was not a marker for me as it was low before surgery and afterwards.
I had a CT scan of pelvis, abd and chest 3 months after completing cancer. Just this month, I have "graduated" to pap smear and physical exam every 4 months instead of every three months. I have a chest x-ray every year as that is likely place of metastasis. My gyn onc. does not do routine CT scans unless exam or my symptoms indicate something needs to be checked. He does not feel the risk of the additional radiation is worth it. PLUS, I had ultrasounds and a CT scan when I was having symptoms and NO problems were detected, in spite of the fact that the oncologist says that he estimates I had cancer at least 2 years based on the fact it had invaded clear through the uterus. SO...CT scans don't always show the whole picture!

I have not heard of changing the stage of cancer based on your treatment...???

Best wishes to you!

Karen

kanary01

kkstef said:

Kanary
I was diagnosed with Endo Ca, Grade ii/iii, Stage 3A in June 2008. I had radiation first, then chemo. CA125 was not a marker for me as it was low before surgery and afterwards.
I had a CT scan of pelvis, abd and chest 3 months after completing cancer. Just this month, I have "graduated" to pap smear and physical exam every 4 months instead of every three months. I have a chest x-ray every year as that is likely place of metastasis. My gyn onc. does not do routine CT scans unless exam or my symptoms indicate something needs to be checked. He does not feel the risk of the additional radiation is worth it. PLUS, I had ultrasounds and a CT scan when I was having symptoms and NO problems were detected, in spite of the fact that the oncologist says that he estimates I had cancer at least 2 years based on the fact it had invaded clear through the uterus. SO...CT scans don't always show the whole picture!

I have not heard of changing the stage of cancer based on your treatment...???

Best wishes to you!

Karen

I also don't understand
I think what happened with me is very simalar to what you went through. I had been having sympthoms for over a year maybe even 2 years..obnly my primary was treating me for uninary track infections..it seems I wa getting then every 2-3 months..bad cramping, running to the bathroom all the time and then bleeding started first just when I would wipe..then sometimes the toliet would be filled with blood. She gave me antibotics for 2 years before I just knew something bad was going on..I went to the gyn and she did a pap which came back abnormal. We did a transvag ultrasound which showed fibroids but nothing to worry about. Another pap in 6 months was ok..so she attributed it to hormones. I ofund out that the urine sample they took when I was being diag with urine tract infesction turned out to be fine..

I went back to primary who sent me to urologist so I was thinking I had bladder cancer..He found nothing. I then went to see another gyn and she said I needed a biospy..she couldn't do it in the office because the pain was horrid and I started bleeding all over..We then scheduled a D&C..during the D&C she punctured my uterus so that had to be stopped. I had to wait 8 weeks for that to heal before she could do another one. By then I was just crazy with worry and pain all the time..more untra sounds and always they were ok..Finally after the hole in uterus healed she said she wanted to do another D&C because she was very sure I did not have cancer and did not want to discuss a hyst..I said no..she referred me to a gyn/onc. I saw gyn/onc and he also told me that he didn't think I had Cancer but that I could wait and take more ultersounds every 3 months or he could do a robotic hyst. I choose the hyst., I had the Hyst on April 14 2009..the frozen sections he told me were all fine and there was no cancer..a week later he said the final paths came back and I had a Stage 3A Endo cancer..He said he was staging it at 3C because he did not take any nodes during surgery. I had 2 choices go back to surgery in 2 months or be treated as if it were in some nodes..I am sorry this is so long..I choose to have the agressive treatment and be treated with an extra 26 treatment of radiation to abdomen..I wanted to start right away, I was schocked, confused and scared as hell...
Now I am 7 mos out of treatment and OI am still confused and as hard as I try to stay positive there are days I just feel so alone and scared..
I have not heard of anyone saying that the staging was changed after treatment either..I am very leary about the C125 marker because it was never more the 5 and they never took one before my surgery..I just want to know what tests etc I should be having now that I am 6 mos out of treatment. How do we know if the treatment worked. After taking so long to find I want to make sure I do everything to stay on top of this Cancer.
I am glad I found this site and I really need some support and I need to know what to ask now since my onc does not really give me answers I understand.