Barium nightcap

m_azingrace
m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Tomorrow morning I am scheduled for a CT SCAN. I had to force myself to stay awake until 10pm, in order to drink 15 oz of barium sulfate. Tomorrow morning, I'll have another equal portion for breakfast.


For my sisters in pink, who may have to use this liquid, the description says "pleasantly flavored", and actually, it's not too bad. Not nearly as chalky as I expected, and I can face tomorrow without the same aprehension as I was feeling before taking the first dose.

So, cheer up ladies. The barium cocktail isn't awfully awful. Gracie

Comments

  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #2
    Cocktail ? lol
    Good luck tomorrow Gracie with your CT scan. Post and let us know how you do when you feel like it.

    Hugs!
  • tjhay
    tjhay Member Posts: 655
    #3
    Who you think you foolin
    HaHaHa, you aint fooling me I do the scans thing every 3 months I know just what that stuff taste like, and i think your taste buds are off. hehehehe or maybe its my taste bus are off.
    happy smiles
    tjhay
  • tommaseena
    tommaseena Member Posts: 1,769
    #4
    tjhay said:

    Who you think you foolin
    HaHaHa, you aint fooling me I do the scans thing every 3 months I know just what that stuff taste like, and i think your taste buds are off. hehehehe or maybe its my taste bus are off.
    happy smiles
    tjhay

    Gracie
    Gracie,
    After your scan you need to drink plenty of water so you can get the barium out of your system. If you don't drink enough water it may harden in your intestines and then you have more of a problem.

    Also--I don't want to be too graphic but when you have your first bowel movement after it maybe white--don't think something is wrong--it is the barium coming out.

    Good luck with your scan.

    Margo
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #5
    tommaseena said:

    Gracie
    Gracie,
    After your scan you need to drink plenty of water so you can get the barium out of your system. If you don't drink enough water it may harden in your intestines and then you have more of a problem.

    Also--I don't want to be too graphic but when you have your first bowel movement after it maybe white--don't think something is wrong--it is the barium coming out.

    Good luck with your scan.

    Margo

    Thanks for the replies, and
    Thanks for the replies, and the good wishes. And thanks for the tip, Margo. That was one question I had, if it could cause constipation or peculiur looking stools. Lovely. Got to get going, we have a 90-minute drive to get the test. It's raining today, and that typically slows traffic down, so we're leaving early. Gracie
  • Akiss4me
    Akiss4me Member Posts: 2,188
    #6
    m_azingrace said:

    Thanks for the replies, and
    Thanks for the replies, and the good wishes. And thanks for the tip, Margo. That was one question I had, if it could cause constipation or peculiur looking stools. Lovely. Got to get going, we have a 90-minute drive to get the test. It's raining today, and that typically slows traffic down, so we're leaving early. Gracie

    Hope all went well
    Gracie, hope all went well for you today. Post and let us know when you get a chance! ♥ Pammy
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #7
    When I think of cocktail .. I think of
    a 7 and 7, or apple martini.

    Godo luck with your test tomorrow, look forward to news from you, Gracie.


    Hugs and Love,

    VickiSam
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #8
    VickiSam said:

    When I think of cocktail .. I think of
    a 7 and 7, or apple martini.

    Godo luck with your test tomorrow, look forward to news from you, Gracie.


    Hugs and Love,

    VickiSam

    The CT scan is over, and I
    The CT scan is over, and I guess it went well, but I never had one before, so I don't really know what "good" is. No one warned me about the GAS! It's worse than if I ate a truckload of beans. LOL Gracie
  • tjhay
    tjhay Member Posts: 655
    #9
    m_azingrace said:

    The CT scan is over, and I
    The CT scan is over, and I guess it went well, but I never had one before, so I don't really know what "good" is. No one warned me about the GAS! It's worse than if I ate a truckload of beans. LOL Gracie

    Consider it a free pass to
    Consider it a free pass to fart all you want, you get to be gross, and then laugh as your family looks at you in shock. I know sick sense of humor, I have a very sick mind sometimes but that is why they all love me so much. Did they do the dye thing alos? When the do mine they always yell at me to hold still cause i start laughing at the sensation of feeling like i peed my pants, more sick humor it know.
    Don't forget lots and lots of fluid you dont want to pass that stuff easily. They did not tell me then first time, ohhhhhhh the misery. So drink, drink, drink.
    tjhay
  • Kat11
    Kat11 Member Posts: 1,931 Member
    #10
    tjhay said:

    Consider it a free pass to
    Consider it a free pass to fart all you want, you get to be gross, and then laugh as your family looks at you in shock. I know sick sense of humor, I have a very sick mind sometimes but that is why they all love me so much. Did they do the dye thing alos? When the do mine they always yell at me to hold still cause i start laughing at the sensation of feeling like i peed my pants, more sick humor it know.
    Don't forget lots and lots of fluid you dont want to pass that stuff easily. They did not tell me then first time, ohhhhhhh the misery. So drink, drink, drink.
    tjhay

    Looks like a milk shake, but
    Looks like a milk shake, but it's no milk shake. Drink a lot of water to flush it through.
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #11
    tjhay said:

    Consider it a free pass to
    Consider it a free pass to fart all you want, you get to be gross, and then laugh as your family looks at you in shock. I know sick sense of humor, I have a very sick mind sometimes but that is why they all love me so much. Did they do the dye thing alos? When the do mine they always yell at me to hold still cause i start laughing at the sensation of feeling like i peed my pants, more sick humor it know.
    Don't forget lots and lots of fluid you dont want to pass that stuff easily. They did not tell me then first time, ohhhhhhh the misery. So drink, drink, drink.
    tjhay

    Thanks tjhay, I needed a
    Thanks tjhay, I needed a good laugh! Yes, they did also do the dye thing. I was warned about the "odd sensations". Too funny. Because I'd received advice here, from my many new friends, regarding drinking lots of fluids as part of the "after-care", I didn't mention it to anyone there. I wanted to see if they would say something. NOPE. It seems to me that this is critical information, that should not be withheld. If they don't have time to inform patients, then at least they should send them away written instructions. This is especially important for patients who are scheduled for other procedures. In my case, the chemo port goes in on Friday. The last thing I really need to deal with is being bound up with barium cement. I guess I have my work cut out for me. This health care provider routinely sends out patient surveys asking "how did you enjoy our torture this time?" I'll suggest that they make a better effort to tell patients how important it is to drink lots of fluids after this test is done.
  • Booberta
    Booberta Member Posts: 61
    #12
    m_azingrace said:

    Thanks tjhay, I needed a
    Thanks tjhay, I needed a good laugh! Yes, they did also do the dye thing. I was warned about the "odd sensations". Too funny. Because I'd received advice here, from my many new friends, regarding drinking lots of fluids as part of the "after-care", I didn't mention it to anyone there. I wanted to see if they would say something. NOPE. It seems to me that this is critical information, that should not be withheld. If they don't have time to inform patients, then at least they should send them away written instructions. This is especially important for patients who are scheduled for other procedures. In my case, the chemo port goes in on Friday. The last thing I really need to deal with is being bound up with barium cement. I guess I have my work cut out for me. This health care provider routinely sends out patient surveys asking "how did you enjoy our torture this time?" I'll suggest that they make a better effort to tell patients how important it is to drink lots of fluids after this test is done.

    Oh and another thing
    My surgeon decided to get all my tests, CT scan, Body scan, MRI, Labs and whatall done in one day.

    The nurse who gave me the barium was very informative, she even mentioned that it may cause dirrhea and that the restroom was right around the corner, sweet. So I got through the MRI, no problems. However, during the body scan BURUMP! Since anything that can give you diarrhea, will give me the toots, I took the precaution of putting on a sanitary pad, good thing, but it still stunk to high heaven.

    Ahh yes, good times, good times.
  • survivorbc09
    survivorbc09 Member Posts: 4,374 Member
    #13
    m_azingrace said:

    The CT scan is over, and I
    The CT scan is over, and I guess it went well, but I never had one before, so I don't really know what "good" is. No one warned me about the GAS! It's worse than if I ate a truckload of beans. LOL Gracie

    Glad that is over for you
    Glad that is over for you Gracie! Hope the "after effects" are better or gone now. Let us know how you are doing.

    Hugs
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #14
    survivorbc09 said:

    Glad that is over for you
    Glad that is over for you Gracie! Hope the "after effects" are better or gone now. Let us know how you are doing.

    Hugs

    Things seem to have returned
    Things seem to have returned to normal. Thanks everyone!
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #15
    m_azingrace said:

    Things seem to have returned
    Things seem to have returned to normal. Thanks everyone!

    So glad for you Gracie!
    So glad for you Gracie! :)

    Hugs, Leeza
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #16
    jnl said:

    So glad for you Gracie!
    So glad for you Gracie! :)

    Hugs, Leeza

    CT
    I had a CT 14 years ago without issue, this time I was in the BR before it even stsrted nasty! The techs seemed to have no personality, One said to me "are you seeing your doctor soon?" kinda deadpan I said Why should I? It made me so nervous thinking they had seen something bad. In retrospect i should have said 'You made me very anxious witht hat comment" so they THINK about what the say! BTW it was negative!
  • Kylez
    Kylez Member Posts: 3,761 Member
    #17
    m_azingrace said:

    Things seem to have returned
    Things seem to have returned to normal. Thanks everyone!

    Yea Gracie! Back to normal!
    Yea Gracie! Back to normal! lol

    ♥ Kylez ♥
  • m_azingrace
    m_azingrace Member Posts: 399
    #18
    Kylez said:

    Yea Gracie! Back to normal!
    Yea Gracie! Back to normal! lol

    ♥ Kylez ♥

    Thanks everyone! Although
    Thanks everyone! Although "normal" doesn't seem like an appropriate word now. I told HubbyDearest that we now have a "new normal", one that revolves around dr appointments and treatment schedules. I think we'll all be glad when things really do seem normal again. Gracie

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