CAT scan  They tell me to allow three hours, but it doesn’t take that long.  Nothing by mouth after midnight– again.  This is almost enough to make me hungry.  It’s done at an imaging center in the Columbus Circle area.  I drink two jars of a barium contrast medium, and they go down surprisingly easily after the fast.  I wait about forty-five minutes for the stuff to make its way to my gut, and then they take me inside to put on a gown and go into the room.

First thing they do is an intravenous with a second contrast medium (iodine based). This will show up the internal organs; the barium is for the gut.  I point which vein is easier to tap, which makes the technician happy.  My arm is up; they wheel me forward until I can brace it against the frame of the machine.

It’s a lot like the ultrasound:  breathe in, breathe out, don’t breathe; breathe normally.  They’re really good about including the “breathe normally” part, for which I am grateful.  The procedure doesn’t take very long; I’m out in a little over two hours.

I go home and eat something, but not too much or I won’t be able to eat any dinner at all.