I'm not sure how I fit into that scanner, but I know why.

November 14, 2022 10:38 PM

I'm having a cat scan in a day or two. Great! Tell me how it goes, if you've had a cat scan.

Do I have to get naked? Can I cuddle a stuffed toy cat because I'm scared? How long will it take? Will I be in a tube? Will I get cat or electro-magnetic super powers? You are not a radiologist! Tell me about your cat scan! I'm on the verge of freaking out!

posted by vrakatar to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

I'm an ultrasound technologist, but I've had CTs, and helped the CT techs get patients set up for scans. You might need to change into a gown, depending on what body part is being scanned, and what you're wearing. Metal is safe to go into the machine, but it can get in the way of the picture. So if you're having your head scanned, a metal belt buckle is fine, but if you're having your belly scanned, the belt will need to come off.

You may be able to keep the stuffed cat with you, that may depend on the sensitivity of the CT tech. Ask politely, I'd say you've got a good chance of keeping it with you.

The CT machine is the one that's a giant donut you go through, not the noisy tube you go into (that's MRI). Depending on what body part and what type of scan, you may have an IV for a short time. When they push the contrast, it makes you feel like you peed yourself - most techs warn ahead of time about that sensation, as it is super common. The feeling fades quickly, but it is rather disconcerting!

Depending on what body part is being scanned, you may go through head first or feet first, but the machine is only about 2 feet deep, you can still see out either way. Remember, you go through it, not into it! Some studies get a quick preliminary scan through the machine, then a second slower one. Even then, the slower one is only a couple minutes or so. They might have you hold your breath if it's a short scan. Honestly, you'll spend more time checking in for your appointment and answering the tech's questions during setup than you'll spend actually in the machine.

No special powers afterwards, sorry! If you want to update with what kind of scan you're having, I might be able to give a little more info about how it'll go. You'll do great, though!
posted by dorey_oh at 11:32 PM on November 14, 2022 [10 favorites]

You'll likely be in a hospital gown. Depending on the scan being done, it will take seconds to minutes. You might get some IV contrast which gives you a weird feeling like you peed yourself, but don't worry, you didn't. The CT tech will warn you so you'll know to expect it, too.The tech might give you simple instructions like where to position your arms or when to take a deep breath in or out. It's not a tube like an MRI, it's a giant donut that the stretcher moves in and out of to scan the right part of your body. People don't usually get claustrophobic, and it's over quickly if you do for some reason. The tech has to sit behind a barrier during the scan itself but they can see and hear you, and talk to you. Getting onto the table and off it usually takes much, much longer than the scan itself. I take patients to CT on a daily basis, I've never seen anyone have a bad time of it who wasn't already having a bad time for other reasons.
posted by adiabat at 11:34 PM on November 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

I get regular CT scans and the process is nbd at all. No metal but I wear regular clothes, they always offer a warm blanket, the contrast is not unpleasant, and I'm in and out of the tube in ~5 minutes. It's not loud like an MRI, just some whirring and the tech's voice telling you when to hold your breath. My scanxiety is all about what they find, and waiting is torture! But even that is minimal now since (in the U.S.) you can now have results show up in your patient portal the same time they are released to your doctor.
posted by headnsouth at 11:44 PM on November 14, 2022 [2 favorites]

CT scans are neat; they feel very future-medicine to me. The machines look like something from Star Trek TNG or like slightly advanced civilizations on Stargate. You lie down on a bench and depending on what part needs to be scanned, you might be asked to put your arms in a certain position. You might get an IV. Then the bench moves in and out of a ring structure. You’ll probably get told when to breathe and when to hold it and so-on, this is to minimize movement for image clarity, iirc. You’ll move in and out of the ring in small motions, but at no point will you be in a tube. If it’s your head that’s being scanned you’ll have your body in the open and vice versa, you know? You might need to change into a gown but no nudity is required. You might not be able to hold a stuffed toy depending on what’s being scanned and all that, but you can ask, and you can probably have the toy in the room with you. The superpower you will receive is that afterwards you can see your own organs. Wowza!
posted by Mizu at 12:32 AM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: lungs/chest being scanned.
posted by vrakatar at 12:43 AM on November 15, 2022

Best answer: Ok, in feet first then. It's likely with contrast (could be without, depending on what they're checking for). So you'll probably have an IV put in, and will keep that arm above your head during the scan. They'll probably have you hold your breath for a short time. The contrast will make you feel like you peed your pants - a warm flushed feeling, it won't make you actually pee. I've had this scan a couple times, it's quick and easy! Best wishes for your day!
posted by dorey_oh at 1:37 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

If it's a thing you'd be interested in, a lot of places will make a CD for you with all the pictures, usually requested through medical records and for a nominal fee. The place I used to work, discs were $5 for personal use. You had to put in the request and go back for it another day, but kinda cool!
posted by dorey_oh at 1:40 AM on November 15, 2022

Oh, and wear a short-sleeved shirt without metal or hard plastic buttons, and you may not even have to change into a gown.
posted by dorey_oh at 1:45 AM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

It was so much easier than I'd expected, mostly on account of being a donut not a tube, so you're not really shut in. You get to have a nice lie down on a gliding bed, move up and down a bit while a disembodied voice talks to you, and then you're done. I think mine was in two parts and in between the two they came out and put a second lot of contrast into my IV.

FWIW, they warned me about the 'you'll feel like you've peed yourself' thing with the contrast, and I didn't feel like that at all. My groin area felt warm, which I guess, if you were unprepared might feel a bit like you'd peed yourself - but to me it was just like "Oh, warm groin!" for a few seconds and then it passed.

You'll be grand - good luck!
posted by penguin pie at 3:15 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

You might also have a little metallic taste in your mouth from the contrast instead of/in addition to the feeling of having maybe wet your pants, but both of those sensations are Signs That It's Working ™. (Usually just head CTs for me, though.)

The first CT scans I remember, from my youth, were these slow, loud rattling and squeaking machines. The technology has improved considerably, and it's kind of like sick bay on the USS Enterprise in there now.
posted by emelenjr at 4:38 AM on November 15, 2022

You will be asked to take a breath and hold lt probably by a robot voice in the machine. As best I remember, I only had to hold it 10 or 20 seconds.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:48 AM on November 15, 2022

Wear nice soft clothes, I always used the no metal as an excuse to show up in sweat pants and a tshirt. The pee yourself thing is real weird, I never got used to it after dozens of scans. If they give you a thing to drink before you come in, cranberry juice hides the flavor best but that's a lot of juice to drink so I would pour a normal amount of juice and then dilute it to the amount you need. For me it was something like 32oz. They may have you sit around after for a few minutes to make sure you don't have an allergic reaction to the contrast. The techs must run dozens of people a day thru the scanner but I never met one who wasn't patient and kind if I seemed nervous. They will not know/won't tell you any results on the spot.
posted by donnagirl at 5:05 AM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

I thought I’d offer a quick take purely from the perspective of a patient. I watched some CT testing back in … uh, 1979. It was really really slow. I mean like on the order of a minute per ”slice” slow, and a study might do hundreds of slices.

This year I had to have a CT. I was expecting it to be kind of slow. It took literally less than a minute for the entire series. I was astonished and very pleased with the whole experience. No noise, no discomfort, no sense of confinement. I think you’ll be pleased when it’s done, and I’m here to tell you it will be done very quickly.

It was the closest thing to “pleasant” I’ve ever had that was a medical procedure. Good luck, and if you get a chance to briefly share what your experience was like, it might be helpful for later readers with similar questions.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 5:58 AM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Others have already covered the “what will it be like” aspect of your question, but I want to chime in with everyone else and say that of all the bigger medical procedures I’ve had, this was one of the least unpleasant. I don’t even think I had to change into a gown, and it was over very quickly.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 12:08 PM on November 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

I really enjoyed reading the report after I got a CT scan. It's nice to know which of your organs are grossly unremarkable.

You might find that one or more of your organs is in fact remarkable, and maybe that's why you are getting the scan - and that's cool too, that they can see all that. In the report, the remarkable area(s) might be described in a very dry fashion.
posted by wondermouse at 7:01 PM on November 15, 2022 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you everyone. Just got home from the scan. It was every bit as simple and quick as you all assured me. Thank you.
posted by vrakatar at 10:27 AM on November 16, 2022 [5 favorites]