Empty tank

A CT scanner. 

Well the senna tablets worked! I had my mapping scan today and my insides were as desired (ie not full).  The quick scan said all was good, so it was time to set me up for the full scan. They inserted a canula in my right arm and ... OW! For some reason it was very painful. So they tried the left arm, and that was fine.

The marker fuild went in - it's a weird feeling, your hands go hot, it tingles as it goes into the vein, and it also makes you feel like you have let loose your bladder. You don't, but that's how it feels. Weird. I lay still, knees up, pants down, hands on my chest, and the machine buzzing around me.

The scan didn't take too long, but once the mapping had been done, I needed my tattoos. Three small black dots (in the centre of two felt pen lines crossed) - one on each hip, and one on my abdomen.

The new cold frame

The scan took shots of my insides at 2mm intervals - so the area they covered must have meant a lot of 'slices' of scan. Each one of those has to be looked at, and the treatment plan developed accordingly. Then it has to be signed off by the team (oncologist, radiologist, and maybe others), before my treatment can be booked.

In about two weeks time I will get notified when my treatment will start, and then I'll need to take the oral chemo as well as undergo the therapeutic radiotherapy. I can't say I'm looking forward to it, but I am looking forward to it starting so that the end will be nearer.

Still being positive, and whilst I have to wait, I am doing a lot of gardening and been building things out of wood.

Photo of CT Scanner (C) Cancer Research UK

Useful links
About CT Scans - from CRUK
Radiotherapy - from Bowel Cancer UK

More from my blog:
Crocs in the Fens
A proper gander
Food security