The CAT Scan

Last Thursday I stopped by the imaging center to pick up 2 "favorable drinks" that I needed to drink before my CAT scan on Friday. I put them in the refrigerator hoping they would go down better cold. Actually, they tasted better than I anticipated. On Friday, I arrived precisely on time. I certainly didn't want to sit around the waiting room speculating what they would be doing to me. Only after a few minutes my name was called. A receptionist took back into another room asked me to undress and put on the wonderful hospital gown and pants and to have a seat in another waiting room. There I had to fill out more paperwork. This was to authorize the center to inject me with dye. WHAT????? A NEEDLE??? I thought a CAT scan was just x-rays. My particular orders called for the dye to be injected so there would be better contrast. It was only a few minutes until my name was called again. This time a nurse took me into a room with the CAT scan machine. After asking me to lay down she approached me with a NEEDLE. At least I didn't have to sit in the waiting room agonizing over the stick.

The nurse began looking for a good vein. Well, I don't have any!! They all go into hiding when they know one will be stuck with a needle. The nurse first tried to get one in my hand. Not only did she stick me, but then began to dig around trying to hit the vein. I finally said STOP!!!!! She pulled the needle out and held pressure on my hand for about 5 minutes. I was bleeding all over the bed. She then cleaned my hand and put a bandage over the puncture.

Since she did enough damage to my right hand, she moved around to my left side and began looking for veins in my arm. I sat up and asked her if there was someone else that could possibly do this. By this time I was feeling nauseous. She said she thought she could hit this vein in my arm. I politely told her if she didn't get it on the first try, just stop and we would find someone else. She said she only stuck me once, but boy did it feel like it was more. It took more time to get the IV into my arm than it did to take the series of pictures. After the scan the nurse hugged me and said she was sorry she hurt me and that she is the same way when she is stuck.

Half of my right hand has a bruise and my left arm is also bruised from the stick and IV. I look like someone has been beating on me.

I am suppose to hear the results tomorrow. I'm hoping nothing was found and the internal exam of my bladder will not be necessary.