What to Expect When You Are Sent for a CT Scan

Health & Medical Blog

If you are not familiar with the process of getting a CT scan, you might be a little concerned, as you do not know what to expect. If your doctor has scheduled you for one, you will want to be as prepared as possible. To help you with that, you might want to take a few minutes to review the following points.

You May Be Asked to Fast

In most cases, patients are required to refrain from consuming any food or liquids for several hours before the scheduled test. Your doctor will let you know when you have to stop eating and drinking. It is extremely important to make sure that you are following those instructions, especially if a contrast is going to be used for the CT scan. A contrast is a dye given to you by mouth or in your veins to illuminate various parts of your body that the doctors need to pay special attention to. Once the CT scan was successfully completed, you should be allowed to resume your normal diet, as long as you are not immediately scheduled for another test.

Lie Still in the Tube

You might need to mentally prepare for this one, as many people find it difficult to lay perfectly still during the CT scan. However, it is incredibly important that you do so, especially when getting accurate results is so important. Also, by doing as instructed, you reduce your chances of having to repeat the CT scan.

You will be asked to lay on a flat table with you arms kept to your side. Some medical facilities will actually strap you down in order to help keep you from fidgeting too much during the CT scan. Others will just ask that you stay in the position they put you in. You can close your eyes and relax as the table you are resting on slides into the CT scanner. There is a tube around you that will spin in place and if your eyes are kept closed, you will only notice a small humming sound.

Listen to the Breathing Instructions

In order to get the best shots at the portion of your body that the doctors are looking at, you may be asked to inhale and exhale at certain points in time. You may also be asked to hold your breath for a few moments. This is not strenuous and does not usually last for a long time. Of course, you will want to make sure that you are doing as you are asked when you are asked to in order to ensure that you are able to finish the CT scan as quickly as possible. After all, there are certain things that your doctor is looking for and it is the job of the technician to keep you there until those things can be recorded by their machines.

With all of these things in mind, you should find that you are much more prepared for the CT scan that you are about to face. For further questions, contact a representative from an establishment like Hudson Valley Imaging.

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16 September 2015

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