Ct scan

jcorum
jcorum Member Posts: 54 Member
in Anal Cancer #1

I had my annual ct scan yesterday. they scheduled at a diff facility than I normally go to and where its taken a total of 2 hours in the past, this took 4 . lost 1/2 day of work.  They had me wait 1  1/2 hrs after drinking the contrast, says it has more time to get thru your system, whereas the other place does the scan after 45 minutes. How long does your facility wait after drinking the comtrast. I am calling tomorrow to see if they can give me the results. I hate the anxiety of it. I consulted with another doctor abour my colorectal surgeon wanting to do another biopsy, even tho it's been 4 years and he said everything looks good. The doctor I tt is a well known gp and he said Dr T is "trying to keep you alive for 5 years because then your chance of reoccurrence goes way down". He said if it were him, he would want it done because he would want to be extra sure. He also said  Dr T is one of the best in  town. Keep in mind, I live in Louisville, so we are limited. I went ahead and scheduled it for the 29th. I am afraid if I don't do it and it recurs , I will be sorry I didn't do it . 

Comments

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #2
    jcorum

    When I get a CT, I have to drink a bottle of contrast 4-8 hours prior to the scan, then about another half-bottle at the hospital right before the scan. 

    As for the doctor's comments about if it were him he'd want the biopsy, I say 1) He has never been through this himself, so he cannot fully understand what it's like to have the pain that we've experienced, 2) Keep in mind that doctors rarely say anything negative about another doctor to a patient , even if they don't get along or have no respect for each other personally or professionally.  Just because a doctor is "well-known" isn't necessarily a good thing. 

    At any rate, if you've decided to have the biopsy, then I hope you get all good results.  I hope you get your CT results prior to that and if everything comes back negative, you still have the option of not doing the procedure.  It's your body, your decision.

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #3
    You breathed!

    My CT scan procedures have been as you describe, jcorum. There must be variations due to equipment and contrast used. While I was chugging it down, it didn't taste so bad in the beginning, but by the end of a liter's worth, it was getting to be awful!

    Knowing what to do can be confusing. There's the old "on one hand" and then "on the other hand" back and forth we go around. You must do what makes you the most comfortable and then not second-guess yourself later. As you think about previous biopsies, how did you handle them? Were they so horrible that you wouldn't want to repeat the procedure? Or, in contrast, would a biopsy help give peace of mind and not having one cause you worry?

    You seem much more relaxed in this thread than you did in the other one you recently started. I'm relieved that you are doing better! To repeat myself, investigating yoga and/or meditation will help many of us relax in the long term. Ahhhhhh!

  • Ouch_Ouch_Ouch
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch Member Posts: 508 Member
    #4
    Ouch_Ouch_Ouch said:

    You breathed!

    My CT scan procedures have been as you describe, jcorum. There must be variations due to equipment and contrast used. While I was chugging it down, it didn't taste so bad in the beginning, but by the end of a liter's worth, it was getting to be awful!

    Knowing what to do can be confusing. There's the old "on one hand" and then "on the other hand" back and forth we go around. You must do what makes you the most comfortable and then not second-guess yourself later. As you think about previous biopsies, how did you handle them? Were they so horrible that you wouldn't want to repeat the procedure? Or, in contrast, would a biopsy help give peace of mind and not having one cause you worry?

    You seem much more relaxed in this thread than you did in the other one you recently started. I'm relieved that you are doing better! To repeat myself, investigating yoga and/or meditation will help many of us relax in the long term. Ahhhhhh!

    By the way...........

    It's best to have consultants who are totally separated from the original MD to avoid conflicts of interest and other biases, both pro and con. Go to a doctor in a different city or to a medical center known for cancer treament. In other words, don't call someone who might play golf with the original doctor on the weekends.

  • jcorum
    jcorum Member Posts: 54 Member
    #5
    I had no pain from the other

    I had no pain from the other biopsies I had, even tho he had tOld me I would, so that doesn't worry me. But the last one was 2 years ago and I have just now gotten to the point where I don't bleed every time I Wipe after a bowel movement. I have no other side affects from treatment than that. 

  • nicotianna
    nicotianna Member Posts: 209
    #6
    anal biopsy

    I vote for declining on the anal biopsy.

    Nic

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