CT Scan

I had an appointment with my onco, Dr JC on 20 Dec 2010, and he wanted me to have a CTscan of my chest and abdomen, and blood test before my appointment.

13 December 2010, I went for my CTscan and blood test.

I had to fast for four hours before my CTscan.  Before the CTscan, I had to drink 2 cups (one upsized followed by one regular much later) of liquid contrast.  Before I finished the upsized cup, I was already feeling bloated.  While waiting, I was feeling mild pain and my stomach felt distended.  When the nurse brought the second cup, she took one look at my face and told me I don't have to take it if I didn't want to.  I didn't.

Before I went through the machine, I was hooked up on intravenous feed for more liquid contrast.  The procedure did not take long, but when I left the hospital, my stomach was already not feeling good.

For the next few days, my stomach was in turmoil.  If I didn't eat, I would feel faint.  If I ate, I would get all jammed inside, followed by fever, vomiting.  I tried home remedies but I just couldn't get rid of the gas trapped inside.  I had lost my appetite.  I was also having problem holding down plain watery porridge seasoned with salt and sauce.  It got so bad, that when I looked at the food shows on tv, I felt like puking.

I lasted one whole week before I decided that I had had enough, called an ambulance and went back to the hospital.

At the hospital, I was immediately put on drip, and was seen by a fresh-faced, young intern (I think).  He was asking questions concerning my medical history.  As I was running a fever, he ordered urine and blood tests, and x-ray.  I told him my stomach was the cause of my problem, but he did not accept that.  He wanted to know if I was menopausal and when was my last period.  My menstruation had stopped when I started chemo in January 2008.  2 years later (which was about 6 months ago), I had one last menstrual flow, which my ayurveda master attributed to clearing out the system.

When he heard my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago, he included a test for pregnancy.  I insisted that I was not pregnant, that I was already menopausal, but he would listen.  I gave up, I was sick, I had not eaten properly for a few days and I was in no mood to argue with him.  When the nurse saw the request for pregnancy test, she pointed out that I was already menopausal, but he still referred to the fact that my last menstrual flow was 6 months ago.  I am sure that when he pulled up my records on the computer, he would have seen that I was diagnosed as having advanced and terminal metastatic breast cancer, that I just had a CTscan which would have ruled out any possibility of pregnancy, I was past 50, and yeah, I forgot to mention that I had gone through ligation.  Pregnant??  That was it!  I told him firmly - I can assure you that I am not pregnant.  That did it - no pregnancy test.

Next, a nurse took me for an x-ray.  I was weak from not eating well, I had one arm hooked onto a drip, I was cold and I had to struggle to get out of my top and into hospital gear for the x-ray.  Fortunately, I had some help with the undressing and dressing up from the nurse.

Then, the x-ray machine jammed.  The nurse left me standing there holding the drip while she went to get help.  I was feeling weak and cold and near collapse, when she finally returned with a senior nurse.  The senior nurse was shocked to see me standing there with the drip.  She quickly got me a chair to sit down and found something to hang the drip, and at the same time, telling off the nurse for leaving me in that manner.  I was so grateful that I smiled as I was too weak to reply.

I was warded and discharged on the third day.