I'm not claustrophobic so I wasn't too nervous about the scan. I changed into some lovely apparel (see picture below) and then had to wait for an hour and a half because they were behind schedule! I'm a fairly patient person and we didn't have any other plans today so it wasn't that much of a problem. The beginning of the scan went fine. It took about twenty minutes total with each scan taking between two to five minutes. Then they pulled me out of the machine to inject the contrast. This is where things got interesting. I've had CT scans before and never had an issue with the contrast but I had a horrific episode with this one! She injected the contrast and right as she was telling me I shouldn't feel anything a wave of nausea came over me and my entire body started to feel warm. Then my heart kicked it into overdrive! I have never had my heart race like that while lying down! The room started going black so I started praying and focusing on breathing. After what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only a minute or two) my heart started to calm down and we were able to finish the scan.
I never got hives or had trouble breathing so I know it wasn't a true allergic reaction. I also got a sunburn (dumb I know) yesterday so I couldn't really tell if I was flushing. So, I have no idea if that was a Mast Cell issue or just my funky heart. I do know it wasn't an anxiety attack because I was completely calm at the time and excited to almost be done with the scan. My strange body!
The good news is I am done with my testing! Hooray! It was a scary and emotional day and I don't think I would be able to go through much more. We meet with Dr. Goodman Friday morning to discuss results and make a game plan. I'm hoping to view what results I can on my phone and make a list of questions for him. Me and my lists! :-)
By the way, I don't want my experience to scare anyone who needs to have an MRI. There is something crazy going on with my body right now that is causing it to over-react to things that normally would not bother me. Most people do fine with that contrast and there is nothing to worry about! Keep in mind that a couple of months ago my body was having similar reactions every time I took a bite of solid food! Also, I apologize for any typos as I'm still posting from my phone and this tiny keyboard is very annoying!
Until tomorrow,
Amy
Amy, I just wanted to say a quick word about how God led me to your blog this morning when I was avidly searching for others who are either diagnosed with POTS or who are currently in the process of getting a diagnosis (I belong to the latter group--been waiting on some tests at Cleveland Clinic for a long while and am currently less than a month away from one of them!!). I have found another blog which has been great to read because of all of the relating to symptoms, etc., but your blog in particular is really hitting me hard (in a WONDERFUL way) this morning!!
ReplyDeleteIt is so amazing to see someone else who has no bones about sharing her Christian faith in relation to the health issues, in particular. God has recently given me a peace of mind about all this that has been going on (I have been off work for almost 4 months and no indication of when, or if, I'll be able to go back), but I know that the peace of mind I have about my illness/diagnosis/husband's concerns/financial situation/other related issues is a peace that can ONLY come from God, so the fact that I found your blog this morning was also something sent from the G-man (God :-) ). Thank you for sharing your faith alongside your journey with this illness and I look forward to reading more! Also keeping you in my prayers!
Becca, your post literally brought tears to my eyes and made my day (on a day when I'm my feeling so well)! So, thank you! My whole intention with writing this blog was to hopefully help someone else. POTS is such a hard illness to understand and diagnose and most of us spend years going to doctor after doctor and leaving in tears with no answers. I'm hoping my journey will help others get answers and avoid some tears! The G-man (I like that) is the only thing that gets me through hard times. At the beginning of this flare I went weeks without solid food and was probably about a week from needing a feeding tube. I literally spent all day and half the night praying my way through it. There was nothing else I could do and I have come leaps and bounds! God is so good and I feel so blessed to have my Faith! I'll be keeping you in my prayers and please keep me updated on your journey! God bless! :-)
ReplyDeleteWow! Typing on my phone! Ugh! That was supposed to say (on a day when I'm not feeling so well). I can't wait to get home to my computer! :-)
ReplyDeleteSo I've tried to reply like 4 times but my phone/tablet don't like to cooperate so I broke down and got out my laptop!! (Which I actually prefer but the trouble it takes to get it out of the bag and plug it in and such wear me out)
ReplyDeleteI am so glad my post helped make your day a little brighter--your reply did the same for me. As have your posts (most of which I've read during the days while my husband is at work). I feel so very blessed that God has led me to your blog because you are one of the only people I've met that both struggles with this disorder (which we have no doubt is going to be my diagnosis but my next appointments at Cleveland, which are supposed to be the key diagnostic appointments, are May 9th and May 21st) and yet also has the faith that God is always there, always sovereign, and always delivers on His promises for His children.
I'm glad to hear you found answers (I know this post is a few posts back now) at Mayo! People sometimes think it's strange when I say, "I don't really care what the diagnosis is, I just want a diagnosis!" but again, this peace that passes understanding is something the G-man is blessing me with right now so I am just clinging to that and riding the waves of faith!