CT Enterography

[AgB621]

Copied and pasted from my post under "My GI Visit" because I feel too lousy to type it up again and since I'm now having stomach issues, I thought a new post would be a good idea...

I just had a CT Enterography done, it was just godawful. Not just because the contrast tastes horrible and sits so heavily in your stomach...I have tiny rolling veins and they couldn't thread them so they couldn't even do the intravenous part of the contrast. He said I should still get some useful information out of it, but I have 4 holes in my arms, a smattering of burst blood vessels, bruises already developing, and nothing to show for it! Anyway, I should get the results in a few days, I'll post in here what they find. My doctor said it could show nothing but I could still have Crohn's and have symptoms, but I hope it wasn't all for nothing.

Addition: Now I'm having diarrhea. Could it be the contrast doing it? My stomach hurt all day yesterday, and my boyfriend's hurts today, so I don't know if we maybe have a bug, but we both had the same (lactose-free) milk before our stomach aches starting, so not sure what the cause is. Just trying to rule things out if possible!

 

[Guest]

it is so long since i had a CT scan, i can barely remember how i felt afterwards. i do remember the mouldy-tasting liquid i had to drink, and the weird hot flush feeling from the injection. i think i just went back to the ward after and slept off the effects..

i hope your tummy ache goes soon, & that you get some answers from the results.

 

[AgB621]

It's looking more like bug than anything else, my boyfriend has a low fever, but I suppose food poisoning could do that too.

I didn't even get the weird hot flash, my veins are too tiny for the IV contrast! I really hope they get some good information from it regardless though.

 

[teeny5]

I felt aweful after both my CT scan and upper GI series...diarrhea and a feeling of soreness in my intestines. They had told me to drink extra fluids to help get that stuff out of my body.

 

[AgB621]

That's good to know. I have nothing to compare it to because when I had my first CT scan, I was already having diarrhea every 15 minutes. I'll push fluids and see if that helps. I started feeling it really fast while I was drinking it, first it felt like it was just sitting really heavy and I got really nauseated, then the cramping, and then the loose stools. If it weren't for the stomach pain and nausea I had all day yesterday, and my boyfriend having the same symptoms, I would be satisfied that it's just a reaction to the contrast. Maybe it's both, who knows!

 

[katiesue1506]

My CT scan was bad too... but just because the contrast was nasty. They tried to make it good by making it berry flavored and frozen like a smoothie, but it tasted like popourri and was hard to gulp cold. I didn't even get all of mine down. The IV contrast does give you a very warm feeling all over, which was nice since the hospital was so cold.

 

[teeny5]

Yeah the lady who did my IV for the contrast told me that it would feel like I am peeing my pants, but don't worry I am not. I didn't really get what she was saying till it actually happened....totally felt like I was peeing on myself!

 

[AgB621]

Haha, she told me the same thing. And since I already desperately needed to pee, I was a little nervous. I'm actually kinda disappointed that I didn't get to experience that!

My stomach is rumbling and unhappy, and my boyfriend is having similar symptoms, it seems likely that this is mostly a mild bug, exacerbated by the grossness of the contrast. Hoping it will pass soon.

 

[NCWaves]

I hope you are feeling a little better. I had my CT enterography done on 8/7/08. Boy that was some nasty contrast. With the CT enterography though its a partial solution of saline/water/Barium *white chalky* crap. Since its water down this alone will give you that tummy ache and then later a watery stool almost stomach bug like symptoms. I am assuming you drank a good bit like myself, so I am almost certain that was the cause of your symptoms. The best thing to do was chug lots of liquids when you got home. I did Vitamin waters, one after another, just for some flavor too.

Well back to the CT Ent. This is unlike the reg. CT scan in that it gives a more definitively look at the small bowel, small intestine area. Yes it should be enough with the IV, but of course that would have helped.

I think it was a smart move by your Doc to order that test on you so quickly and too the point. Some like to beat around the bush with useless xrays or small bowel series which show very little compared to this type of CT scan.

Good Luck, what kind of meds are you on if any?

 

[kromom1]

I had diarrhea multiple times after all of my CT scans (they were just regular CTs, though - not enterograophies), but I did have rectal contrast, too.

Hope you get your results quickly.

 

[AgB621]

Only med I take for the Crohn's is Nexium, which doesn't help very much. No word on the results, which I assume means they were normal. But, as my doc said, normal test results doesn't mean I don't have Crohn's and doesn't mean I won't have symptoms. I should call to confirm though, I guess.