Today I had a CT scan to see how my liver was doing and look to see if there were any new abscesses in the dying liver. The good news came back saying that there are no new abscesses the bad news was that my belly is retaining fluid again which might become infected and so I am on another round of strong antibiotics. They were hoping that I could get scanned on tuesday so when I was going to meet with the doctor on wednesday they would have something new to look at. But CT reported that their machine wasn’t working and we could reschedule for thursday.
The painful part of today was CT scans are one of those test were they don’t want you to eat anything for like 12 hours prior to the test so that they can have a “clearer” picture of what is really going on inside. They don’t want you to have solid food like steak or something that might look like potential problems. Well right now everything I eat goes straight through me, you can almost clock it. I have corn or something at 12:30 it is coming out in diarrhea by 6:00. So I don’t know where my body is getting the food to live on maybe, that is one reason why I have so little energy. Well when I haven’t eaten I get weak and lightheaded. My veins also collapse and become more rolly, and more difficult to poke.
So this morning being thursday I started off in the lab to get my blood tested (Poke number 1). Then it was off to CT waiting room I was a touch early. (I wish I would have broke the rules and gotten a muffin at the caffateria first). When they called me back the first order of business was to give me an IV. So they look at my arms and all my veins are hiding. (I wonder why) Well lets look at the other arm. After my lengthy warning, the nurse said “I think I can get that one”, Ok but remember I warned you. (Poke number 2) It went in alright, but she then hooked up the IV drip and watched my arm. But it didn’t feel right to her, and the fluid wasn’t flowing like it is suppose to. Lets try again. I knew getting an IV on the first try was going too good to be true. Nurse: “Lets take a look at the other arm again. I feel one here but I don’t see it” we can make it work. (poke number 3) Nurse: “Oh man I missed the vain that I couldn’t really see, but I know it is right there, hold on. (poke number 4) Got it.” Ok good, maybe we are about done. Nurse: “Oh no I can’t get the catheter in the vein. This one isn’t going to work either. I won’t try any more we’ll get someone else to start the IV”
By this time my body is really going down hill weak and lightheaded. I asked if they had any juice or anything and they said nope not here. Then I told them I needed to lay down or they would have other problems they weren’t counting on (me passing out on them) They took me to a bed and I thought maybe I am not suppose to get an CT scan today. A bit later another nurse came she looked at my arms and found the same problem as the first nurse did. “Where are your veins?“ So after a lot of studying my arms. Oh look your elbow looks really go. Which I responded to ”No that one is off limits“ I have had a hard enough time with phlobotimist getting blood from me and there are 2 veins in my left elbow that I only let ”good“ people stab. I didn’t want an IV blowing out or scaring one of the few places they get blood out of me regularly with minimum amount of pain. Try again elsewhere. So for what came next maybe it was foolish of me to not let them go with the easier poke.
So finally she settled on a vein on my the underside of my right arm. Which is a lot more sensitive, so it really hurt going in. (Poke number 4) There have been very few pokes that bring me to tears because of the pain. This was definately one of those painful times... And then after she dug for a bit she reports it also isn’t going to work the IV needle is in but but the rest of it won’t go in, we need to try again. Ow!!! So after I calmed down a bit and wiped away the tears she was re-prepped and went back to my left arm again and looked at the same vein. And said ”We’ll try a smaller IV this time. Which will mess up how fast they can inject the contrast.“ So I got another painful poke and a few tears. (Poke number 5) Good news we got it. Your done! Wait here we’ll come get you when we are ready. A few minutes later I hear them talking in the hall again. The CT scanner is down again.
I learned that the hospital has three CT scanners. A 64 slice (fast) one that is less then a year old that keeps breaking down on them. One in ER that is an older 8 slice, and one in Nuclear Radiology that is an 8 slice CT/PET scanner. The staff was going to take the waiting patience to one of these other scanners to have the tests done. Things were just going to be taking a bit longer. At least I had a bed to rest on. Others were stuck waiting in chairs. Finally they took me to the CT/PET scanner, so now I have been to all of the CT scanning machines in the hospital. Does that mean I win a prize? Like maybe I am exempt from the next one? Like in college not having to take the final because you did good on the other tests.
So finally I was on the scanner bed and they take several passes. ”Hold your breath“, ok breathe which is all fine. Then they prepare the injection. Lovely stuff that makes you warm and tingly all over. If you have ever seen the movie ”Muppets Christmas Carol“ and remember the scene where Kermit the frog asks Scrooge for a few more coals for the fire to keep the staff (the muppet rats) warm Scrooge responds ”How would the staff like to be unemployed?“ To which the Rats respond ”Heat wave“ and break out into an island dance, after a scene split costume change. That is how I always feel after being injected with this ”fun“ contrast. One second I am cool and the next ”Heat wave“. When every thing works well I don’t have any problems. But today hasn’t been a day free from problems. They want to inject the contrast as fast as possible and there is 100cc of it. So it normally takes 10-15 seconds. Well since I had a smaller IV they were going to do it slower, in 20 seconds. They first inject saline to make sure everything is working right. Well this time I thought my arm was going to blow apart. It hurt bad! Then ok now we are going to inject the contrast, WAM! Another pain in the same arm. Now hold your breath for the scanner, while you feel warm and tingly all over. Then about the time I was recovering from the feeling of loosing my vein in my arm ok you are all done we can pull out the IV now. If they needed to find a vein to poke now would be a great time that one is all stretched out and HURTS!
So after all that I survived, but it is definitely something I want to do again anytime soon. But I know I can look forward to it about as much as I can look forward to another liver transplant.
Lord if there is any other way to heal me then a transplant please do it! But I know that we all can rejoice at this point anything God does in my life is a miracle.
The painful part of today was CT scans are one of those test were they don’t want you to eat anything for like 12 hours prior to the test so that they can have a “clearer” picture of what is really going on inside. They don’t want you to have solid food like steak or something that might look like potential problems. Well right now everything I eat goes straight through me, you can almost clock it. I have corn or something at 12:30 it is coming out in diarrhea by 6:00. So I don’t know where my body is getting the food to live on maybe, that is one reason why I have so little energy. Well when I haven’t eaten I get weak and lightheaded. My veins also collapse and become more rolly, and more difficult to poke.
So this morning being thursday I started off in the lab to get my blood tested (Poke number 1). Then it was off to CT waiting room I was a touch early. (I wish I would have broke the rules and gotten a muffin at the caffateria first). When they called me back the first order of business was to give me an IV. So they look at my arms and all my veins are hiding. (I wonder why) Well lets look at the other arm. After my lengthy warning, the nurse said “I think I can get that one”, Ok but remember I warned you. (Poke number 2) It went in alright, but she then hooked up the IV drip and watched my arm. But it didn’t feel right to her, and the fluid wasn’t flowing like it is suppose to. Lets try again. I knew getting an IV on the first try was going too good to be true. Nurse: “Lets take a look at the other arm again. I feel one here but I don’t see it” we can make it work. (poke number 3) Nurse: “Oh man I missed the vain that I couldn’t really see, but I know it is right there, hold on. (poke number 4) Got it.” Ok good, maybe we are about done. Nurse: “Oh no I can’t get the catheter in the vein. This one isn’t going to work either. I won’t try any more we’ll get someone else to start the IV”
By this time my body is really going down hill weak and lightheaded. I asked if they had any juice or anything and they said nope not here. Then I told them I needed to lay down or they would have other problems they weren’t counting on (me passing out on them) They took me to a bed and I thought maybe I am not suppose to get an CT scan today. A bit later another nurse came she looked at my arms and found the same problem as the first nurse did. “Where are your veins?“ So after a lot of studying my arms. Oh look your elbow looks really go. Which I responded to ”No that one is off limits“ I have had a hard enough time with phlobotimist getting blood from me and there are 2 veins in my left elbow that I only let ”good“ people stab. I didn’t want an IV blowing out or scaring one of the few places they get blood out of me regularly with minimum amount of pain. Try again elsewhere. So for what came next maybe it was foolish of me to not let them go with the easier poke.
So finally she settled on a vein on my the underside of my right arm. Which is a lot more sensitive, so it really hurt going in. (Poke number 4) There have been very few pokes that bring me to tears because of the pain. This was definately one of those painful times... And then after she dug for a bit she reports it also isn’t going to work the IV needle is in but but the rest of it won’t go in, we need to try again. Ow!!! So after I calmed down a bit and wiped away the tears she was re-prepped and went back to my left arm again and looked at the same vein. And said ”We’ll try a smaller IV this time. Which will mess up how fast they can inject the contrast.“ So I got another painful poke and a few tears. (Poke number 5) Good news we got it. Your done! Wait here we’ll come get you when we are ready. A few minutes later I hear them talking in the hall again. The CT scanner is down again.
I learned that the hospital has three CT scanners. A 64 slice (fast) one that is less then a year old that keeps breaking down on them. One in ER that is an older 8 slice, and one in Nuclear Radiology that is an 8 slice CT/PET scanner. The staff was going to take the waiting patience to one of these other scanners to have the tests done. Things were just going to be taking a bit longer. At least I had a bed to rest on. Others were stuck waiting in chairs. Finally they took me to the CT/PET scanner, so now I have been to all of the CT scanning machines in the hospital. Does that mean I win a prize? Like maybe I am exempt from the next one? Like in college not having to take the final because you did good on the other tests.
So finally I was on the scanner bed and they take several passes. ”Hold your breath“, ok breathe which is all fine. Then they prepare the injection. Lovely stuff that makes you warm and tingly all over. If you have ever seen the movie ”Muppets Christmas Carol“ and remember the scene where Kermit the frog asks Scrooge for a few more coals for the fire to keep the staff (the muppet rats) warm Scrooge responds ”How would the staff like to be unemployed?“ To which the Rats respond ”Heat wave“ and break out into an island dance, after a scene split costume change. That is how I always feel after being injected with this ”fun“ contrast. One second I am cool and the next ”Heat wave“. When every thing works well I don’t have any problems. But today hasn’t been a day free from problems. They want to inject the contrast as fast as possible and there is 100cc of it. So it normally takes 10-15 seconds. Well since I had a smaller IV they were going to do it slower, in 20 seconds. They first inject saline to make sure everything is working right. Well this time I thought my arm was going to blow apart. It hurt bad! Then ok now we are going to inject the contrast, WAM! Another pain in the same arm. Now hold your breath for the scanner, while you feel warm and tingly all over. Then about the time I was recovering from the feeling of loosing my vein in my arm ok you are all done we can pull out the IV now. If they needed to find a vein to poke now would be a great time that one is all stretched out and HURTS!
So after all that I survived, but it is definitely something I want to do again anytime soon. But I know I can look forward to it about as much as I can look forward to another liver transplant.
Lord if there is any other way to heal me then a transplant please do it! But I know that we all can rejoice at this point anything God does in my life is a miracle.
2 comments:
[The Lord says,] "Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
--Isaiah 46:4
It is terrible being a pin cushion. I am sorry you have to go through so much poking and proding! Uncle Dan
Post a Comment