The Dreadful CAT Scan

On Friday I went to the Hospital to get a CAT Scan done to make sure all the cancer is out of my body! I was so excited but a little nervous for this whole process.

Last time I received a CAT Scan was on October 10th when I found out I had a tumor. Everything was so rushed that day and they were trying to squeeze me in so they can run all these tests before the lab closed. Because of this the ladies doing my CAT Scan forgot to explain fully what I would be feeling while the CAT Scan was going on. It was just such a horrible experience and I had to drink nasty contrast!

My CAT Scan on Friday was at 11, so I arrived around 10 for my appointment. We did not go to the Main Campus to get the CAT Scan because there was an Emergency Campus 5 minutes from our house. They did CAT Scans there so we were able to go there. The day started off great instead of having to drink contrast, I was able to drink water. Which tasted much better. At 11 exactly I went back into a room where they were going to do the scan. Before they could start, they had to put an IV in my arm so they can inject contrast into my body while I was getting the CAT Scan. I was a little nervous because when I was in the hospital earlier on, they were having a hard time finding a good vein. I warned my nurse of this and she assured me that everything would be fine. Well 7 needle pokes later....I am told I have to go down to the main campus of UH to get my CAT Scan done because they couldn't find a good vein. They needed a specialist to put in IV in me and they had none at that hospital. I was so upset because my arm was so sore and bruised after them trying to get an IV in! But I put a smile on my face and got up and left with my mom. We had an appointment at 4 that same day to get a CAT Scan done at the main campus.

When I got to the main campus of UH my mom and I had to go all the way in the basement of the hospital to get my test done. The nurses their were so mortified and upset that they poked me so many times. They decided to give me a picc line needle so I wouldn't have to get poked a billion times. I picc needled is inserted with the use of an Ultra Sound. What happens is a nurse comes in and uses an Ultra Sound to locate a vein in your arm. Once she finds one she will take a picc needle, which is longer than most in case it needs to go further into your body, and stick it into your veins. My nurse was able to find a vein on the first try and I was so happy! Although it hurt really bad I was glad it was only one poke.

Once I had my IV in, everything else went super easy! The guy who did my CAT Scan was hilarious and made sure I felt comfortable the whole time I was in the room. He also explained the whole process of a CAT Scan which made that time around a whole lot better. I am so happy I have this CAT Scan out of the way. On Tuesday I have an appointment with my doctor to go over my results. He will let me know if I am cancer free and will start remission or if more treatments need to be done. I am so excited!! I will definitely give everyone a blog update Tuesday night letting everyone know how that appointment goes.

Me happy to have my IV in after one poke...all smiles :)