adult diapers and pet/ct scan

saucychiq

Hello All! I hope everyone is having a good and pain free day.

It's been awhile since I've been on and things have been busy, hectic but good. I'll be getting my 3rd PET/CT scan since starting Ibrance/Letrozole tomorrow. My last two were good. Cancer is stable in my bones and there are some areas of improvement. I am grateful, forever thankful. I made my way back on here in the hopes of some advice. It's a strange one so bear with me.

Has anyone worn a adult diaper into a PET/CT scan? Any experience thoughts about wearing a diaper for a scan? Despite emptying my bladder right before getting into the machine once the contrast is administered thru the IV I have an overwhelming sensation to go to the bathroom. I actually had them stop during the last scan because the feeling was too much. i thought it might serve me to wear a diaper during this one for assurance and insurance against any disasters while getting the scan.

If anyone has a story or advice please please share with me...it will do me a world of good.

Wishing you all the very best...the very best.

Thank you much,

Karen

Tina2

Karen, that is the feeling everyone gets from contrast! If you have urinated immediately beforehand, you should not have a problem. You should have been advised of this by the person who was administering the IV. You feel as if you have to "go" and you ignore it because you know the feeling is caused by the contrast. Viola--the feeling disappears quickly!

Tina

Kandy

I am a CT tech. That feeling is so normal. But if it would make you feel more comfortable there is no reason why you can't wear an adult diaper just as long as there is no medal pins it will be fine. But honestly, I have done millions of scans and no one ever peed due to the contrast. I wish you luck.

oregongal

Hope you don't mind me replying, I don't have stage 4 breast cancer, but a history of breast lumps and now have pancreatic cancer.  I found more info on these boards than boards that include pancreatic cancer.  My bladder leaks as well as I have to go constantly.  I did pee during an endoscope procedure, but of course, you can't even wear a pad during those.  But I have had no problems with all the scans and I have had a ton of them lately. 

I sent a message to my gyno who specializes in bladder issues.   She said to get a prescription for Vesicare (I have moved into another state, so she couldn't give it to me).  I approached my PCP who said some people love it, others say it only helps a little.  Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I never got a chance to see if it works for me.  

RebzAmy

Sorry to jump on the band wagon here, but just adding that when I had my CT scan, yes I had that feeling, but when they injected the dye, my throat tightened up, my heart starting pounding - I didn't actually have trouble breathing. But when I stood up I felt pretty weak and a bit faint. Any thoughts on this? I'm scared now as I need to have these every year for an aneurysm in my brain

jamiemarie

RebzAmy, Kandy may have more info, but you may have or are developing an allergy to the contrast dye. From what the techs have told me, allergies definitely happen and can also develop even after having no reaction on previous scans. Thats what happened to me, and now before CT scans I take prednisone and benadryl and havent had any problems. But an allergy can be really serious, so definitely give your doctor and the techs a heads up before you have another scan

RebzAmy

hi Jamiemarie, thanks so much for getting back to me on this. I did try Dr Google - but probably didn't ask the right questions! I've had reactions before to intravenous drugs, but they were all different. This one was weird as I felt my throat actually tighten up - but as I said I could breathe, but the other symptoms were a bit similar to when I had reactions to other intravenous drugs, or else it could have just been a panic attack. If it wasn't for the throat tightening, I think I would have put it down to a panic attack as I was extremely nervous. The techs said I had to stay for a while so they could monitor me to make sure I was okay - and I was fine after a few minutes.

jamiemarie

Hi RebzAmy, I started sneezing after one CT scan, and ever since then, they won't take a chance and always premedicate me in case it was the start of an allergy forming. What I hadnt realized was that the allergy can develop even if you've had normal CT scans before. Difficulty breathing was another potential sign of an allergy, so I would definitely ask about it. It may be something easily addressed and you wont have to worry when you have scans in the future

Kandy

Are you sure it was tightening of the throat or just the warm sensation of it going through the throat? Different people are more sensitive to that feeling than others. The warm sensation starts in the throat and works it way down as the contrast is moving through the system. It is a strange feeling. My gut feeling is that is what you experienced and was not a reaction. People typically have hives, itching, sneezing, redness to the skin. Then they can be worse reactions also. Once someone has a mild reaction, the next time that is given statistics show the reaction will be twice as bad which could be anaphylactic shock. That is why they do not want to take the chance. But the techs would have told you if you were considered to have an allergy to contrast. They typically would have given you drugs to counteract the reaction. And yes, you can become allergic to contrast although you have had it before. This is true with any drug. I wish you all the best.

Fitztwins

I get that feeling, but my problem is the feeling of wanting to throw up right after they push the die. Dry heaves, I have tried zofran and ativan, nothing works.

Kandy

Fitztwins, that is a very common side effect of the contrast. Some, actually a lot of pdo vomit. This is because the contrast is so foreign to the body that it is your bodies natural defense. Although this is not something we like to happen, nausea/vomiting is never a reaction to contrast. Just an unfortunate side effect. Best wishes.

ShetlandPony

I had my first CT with contrast recently. Wow, it was an unexpectedly intense experience, though not an allergic one. The heat felt like I was holding fire in my hands and it felt really hot between the legs also. (Why there?) My heart started pounding and I thought I might faint. I hoped the nurse and tech were watching me. I knew I needed to stay still. I had to talk myself through it, telling myself I would be ok. Afterward they said that next time I should ask that the contrast be pushed more slowly, as that might help moderate the effects. I took dh's arm leaving the room. He theorized that maybe using the port that goes directly to my jugular vein was part of the reason for the intensity. But I am pretty sensitive to anything that goes in my body.

Kandy, so great of you to share your knowledge with us!

Kandy

ShetlandPony, it is a very strange sensation. Be careful as far as asking for the contrast to be slowed down. Every procedure has an exact protocol as to how fast the contrast goes in and how much to give. This is because of what you are trying to enhance. It depends on what they are looking at and what they are looking for. An example of this is if they are looking for a clot in your lungs then it must go in very fast and the bolus of contrast must hit the pulmonary artery, so they inject at 4cc per second, on the other hand if you are having an abdomen, then they want to enhance the liver. So bolus is slower, 2cc per second. This is all specifically figured because of knowing how fast a body's circulation is.So ideally we would not be able to grant a patients wishes to slow the contrast down without jeopardizing the quality of the scan. A port really has nothing to do with that feeling of flushing, the higher the rate of contrast going in does.Wishing you the best.

RebzAmy

Kandy & JamieMarie - thanks for the feedback and information. I've no idea if it was just the warmth of the dye that made my throat feel like it was tightening up, but I've never had that feeling before and I've had Scans with dyes quite recently and didn't get that. Also, my heart didn't pound on the previous ones, I also didn't feel faint and weak when I stood up on the previous ones. Very strange

pwilmarth

I wear disposable underwear all the time and have done many PET scans wearing one.

sharethehope

I can't imagine there could be a problem. Nothing in depends to interfere w/scan. Do what U need to do to be comfortable.