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Showing posts with label hospitls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospitls. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Radiation is BAD!

This morning we went in for a HIDA scan.
We took the boys to my Aunt Bonnie around 8:00 - my appointment was at 8:15.
They wouldn't let Ryan come with me, because they didn't want to expose him to the radiation (what about me!?)
So he sat in the waiting room, read magazines and watched the "Today Show."
First the Dr. took me to a room with a recliner - he put an IV in my arm and then started feeding a radioactive isotope into my arm. He was talking to me the whole time - explaining the procedure and the function of the gallbladder.
All of a sudden I raised my hand and interrupted him - he said "What?" and I said "I think I'm going to faint!" he kind of chuckled and said "That's why you're sitting down instead of standing up." he said it so simple and matter of fact, but I felt like he was talking down to me like 'duh, of course you feel faint.'
He finished pushing in that tube of isotope and then went and got me a wet wash cloth to hold to my face while he put in two more tubes.
He let me sit for a minute before leading me to another room where they keep the HIDA scan machine. I laid on a bed that was raised up as the rectangular machine was lowered to rest about 6 inches off my abdomen.
Then I waited. I had to lay there for 35 minutes while the isotope made it's way into my gallbladder. He tilted the monitor so I could see - I saw the shape of my liver all lit up on the screen and watched as my gallbladder appeared and became larger and brighter on the screen, as it filled with the isotope.
After that part of the test the Dr. came and put more stuff in my IV - this stuff was supposed to make my gallbladder drain/empty and was by far the worst part of the test. He came in every 5 minutes and put another tube of the stuff in my IV - it made me feel very dizzy, faint and nauseated - it was no fun! - That part of the test lasted 25 minutes.
I watched on the screen as the isotope left my gallbladder and went through my intestines. It was neat to watch my body working, but it hurt and I couldn't move to make things more comfortable.
After the test I felt very sick. I was told that I had radiation poisoning but that it should wear off in a "couple of hours" now, I am just barely starting to feel more "normal" (although I still feel kind of yucky) and it's been nearly 7 hours since we finished.
So - radiation is bad! And can make you sick!

I hope everyone has had a better day than mine.