CT Scan

I wasn't allowed to eat the morning of the CT scan, though I could have a cup of coffee. In the waiting room, I ran into another expat friend (not the same one I met at my doctor's) and we chatted for a bit. She had an ankle problem not too long ago, so I figured she was there to get that checked. Again I didn't explain why I was there.

I always thought that the CT Scan involved lying on a bed and being rolled into a chamber that completely enclosed your entire body. Maybe I was confusing CT scan with MRI. Anyway, instead, when I lay down, they injected me with something (in my right arm, since I already used my left arm for blood tests the previous day) and told me that I might feel a warming sensation soon around my head and chest area. Then they made me put my arms above my head and told me not to move a muscle. I was not rolled into a chamber. Instead, a narrow plastic-looking apparatus was rolled over me. It seemed that the scan would only be of my chest area, above the swelling.

It was more uncomfortable than I expected. I almost thought about crying out, because it felt like all of my blood from my head down to my toes was replaced with very warm water. Was that normal? But before I could say anything, the radiologist was back with a cheery "Finished!".

I put my warm clothes back on and went to the office.