CT Scans: Please Elaborate

After years of tests I feel like there are almost no surprises because I have already been through it, x-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, injections, blood test. I am a pro, completely desensitized to needle. I can even point to the best spot for the nurse to find a vein.

Tuesday I am actually going to experience something new, a CT scan, two actually, both my hips. This is to help the OS see the bone abnormalities better, so there are no surprises during surgery. I know a CT scan is basically just a series of x-rays, but still not having had the experience of one yet makes me nervous.

The thing is for test like x-rays, MRIs, and CT scans, since they are noninvasive no one thinks to explain to the patient what is happening, which can be really frustrating. Once I had to stand in a rather painful position a long time after an x-ray just because the tech never told me he wasn't going to take another picture.

These test are technically painless, but for someone who is already in pain (as most people are when they have these test done) they can aggravate the pain. It seems like no one in the medical profession understands that if something is already painful then holding it still for a half hour or holding certain positions can be REALLY painful.

In the end telling us what to expect can just make us calmer and tolerated the discomfort better. My main concern for the CT scans is how long I will have to stay still, if someone told me I do not think I would even think twice about them.

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