Has anyone had a body scan??

[parham91]

I'm having one next Tuesday on my pelvic area. I have no idea at all what to expect. odear.gif What do you wear? How long does it take? What if TOM shows up.. does that matter?

Chris graemlins/ugh.gif :confused:

[lindalou9]

Chris - what type of scan is it? CT Scan, bone scan, MRI? I would recommend wearing something with no metal in it, and I don't think it will matter if TOM shows up. Sometimes they give you little scrubs to wear.

Linda graemlins/bcbsalute.gif

[jennylomond101]

If it's an MRI, then I've had one of those...my advice is, don't freak out like I almost did!

The tech that I had didn't explain the procedure to me properly. What happens is this: you lay on a metal slab (it's not too uncomfortable), and then they slide you into the white giant thing-y (technical term). What jarred me was being in such an enclosed space with such loud NOISE. The machine starts bleeping and buzzing VERY loudly, and boy did it freak me out. The scan lasts twenty minutes, and what the tech didn't tell me was that the bleeping buzzing noise DOESN'T last twenty minutes. It goes on and off at intervals of about one minutes, so don't worry, you won't have to lie there in purgatory for twenty friggin minutes.

Also, they told me to bring in a CD to listen to. They gave me head phones; the CD didn't really help during the bleeping buzzing noise part, but it was comforting.

They strap you to the slab, loosely, even though that bugged me. And since I'm a spaz, I asked the tech what would happen if an earthquake or a nuclear explosion occurred while I was laying inside of the giant white thing-y, and the answer was pretty reassuring. He said that the giant white thing-y is very, very sturdy and that even if the roof collapsed it would be a very safe place to be. It would probably not collapse. He also said that if there was a nuclear explosion, we'd probably all die, and that I shouldn't worry about it.

Anyway. Bottom line? There are loud, uncomfortable noises, but they do NOT last for the duration of the scan. And if there is an earthquake, you will not be trapped inside the machine.

[quilting lady]

Chris-If it is an MRI, some people, like me, can tend to get a little clausterphobic (MS) during the procedure. If you think you might be this way do not hesitate to ask your Dr. for something to relax you for the procedure. They usually prescribe a Xanax, or 2, and you take someone with you to drive you home.

Good Luck!
Carole

[healthylady]

Chris, I had an MRI three weeks ago for my knee. What was described above is pretty much what happens. I was amazed at how big those GE machines are. The very top of my head was left in the open side so I didn't feel that much claustrophobic. There's no pain whatsover, only the loud noise. They gave earphones, but I couldn't listen to the music because of the noise. All in all, a good procedure.
All the best to you.
Healthylady

[Ginaki]

Fortunately, the radiologist I go to has an "open" MRI as I am severely claustrophobic and couldn't do the regular MRI. If it is just a regular scan, depending on what they are looking for everything is in the open. Sometimes they just run a scanner over the area they are looking at which shows up on a screen. Whichever test you are taking, good luck.

[parham91]

Thanks you guys graemlins/wave.gif

Actually it's none of the above. It's this new thing they have where you can see all your insides in color as they are doing it. It has no radiation like an Xray. Oprah had one done (Last year?) on her show when they first started doing them. They can see inside your arteries, organs... and tell what's going on better than an MRI I guess. I've got cysts so they will be able to see them clearly. I've had ultrasounds done and they weren't clear at all. Hopefully this will let me know how many and what kind. They have been able to find cancer in people with these new scans that regular tests didn't pick up.

Thanks again guys!
Chris graemlins/kiss.gif