I’m due to have a brain scan on Monday and a bone scan on Tuesday and supposed to get results just over a fortnight after.
What should I expect at the scans? Got information leaflet but would like to hear from someone who has gone through it themselves.
Thanks.
This is my experience from last week , I do not know if it is the same everywhere, please be aware it may be different for you:
For the bone scan they injected me and sent me off for a couple of hours while it soaked in. Mine was done by Gamma rays. I lay flat on my back with my feet loosly tied, went into a machine feet first up to my armpits. The machine had a sort of ‘awning’ plate that came close to my face, but the sides were open. There was a faint warmness from it and I had to lay still as I slowly came out the way I had gone in. At no time did it touch me. The bed was a bit hard and I had to lay very still. They played some relaxing music.It took about 15 mins.
Inbetween the injection for the bone scan and the actual scan I went for my CT scan, which for me was from neck to knees only. I had to drink a litre of water within an hour (but I could go to the loo), then they put a canula in my arm, positioned me on my back with my hands above my head. The machine was donut shaped, so I went through it rather than into it! Someone had stuck a four leaf clover on it that you could see as you went through!! They warned me when the contrast medium was coming - it gave me a strange warm feeling. Then the bed moved back and forth and told me when to breathe in, hold, and breathe normally agian. With the drinking beforehand it took about 1 and a half hours.
Take a good book for all the waiting around. Wear loose clothes with few or no buttons and no zips or metal bits - and a bra with no bones! (I never had to undress) Apart form the injections there was no pain, all the staff I had were great. Relax, I’m sure it will be fine. Hope this helps. All the best Px Oh! and close your eyes during the scans!
The one thing I would add to Peachez post is that if you are sent off for a couple of hours after the injection and before the scan itself you will be told to drink about 6 cups of fluid - doesnt matter what. It isnt very clear from Peachez post if her fluid was for the bone or CT.
You don’t say what sort of scan you will need for the brain scan. I think this can be either mri or ct. If it is CT then they will only be scanning your head which will be quite short. I haven’t had brain CT before but have had MRI brain scan. Can’t remember much about it now but again as it is only the brain they are scanning you aren’t in there for too long. The MRI scanner is more closed in than the other machines but I always find it helps to take a good look at it first - you arent enclosed in it as it is open both ends. With the brain scan you aren’t far into it. It is noisy so you will be give large headphones to soften the noise and in my hospital they play music through the head set. They did place some sort of restraint thing round my head but I don’t remember it being at all scary.
I do hope nothing bad is going on - always a frightening time when they want to take a look at what’s between your ears! Have you been having problems in that area. I remember I had been getting a lot of headaches and dizziness when they sent me off for brain scan - and what made it even more scary was that they wanted it done immediately.
It’s hard having then to wait so long for the results - so hope all goes well for you.
Dawn
xx
Just to clarify,if its a CT scan of your brain,there will be no drink beforehand but you will likely be given an injection of the contrast medium either before or during the scan.
Hope this helps
Love
Dot
xxx