#6 Jul 31^st

I have another 9 a.m. appointment at the hospital.  This time it’s for my CT scan.  I’ve wondered about them, taken Mike’s dad to a few with his stomach cancer, but haven’t had one myself yet.  I check in at the desk, have a seat and wait, wait some more, then I’m led into another waiting area just outside the behemoth’s door.  Someone installs an I.V. and gives the speech “You may feel as if you wet yourself, but you won’t.  It’s normal.”  Are these butterflies in my tummy just nerves?  It may be the fact that I’m having the other sigmoidoscopy this afternoon and my gut is feeling pretty empty.  The door opens and I’m ushered in. 

Lying on the table I wonder if I’ll feel anything when the scanner peeks into my inner workings.  I sense the liquid dye going through the veins in my groin and yes it feels like I’m wetting my pants; that’s such a weird sensation.  Arms over my head, take a deep breath, and again, and one more time and it’s all over in less than 3 minutes.  I drive home.

At 1:30 I’m back at the hospital for my next procedure.  This should be easy.  I’ve had it done before.  Into the sexy gown again but this time there is no I.V. and no sedation but there is a lady doctor navigating.  We begin.  I feel a little discomfort, a bit of air is pumped in, I feel a lot of discomfort.  Where’s that sedation when you need it?  Twisting and turning the tube doesn’t seem to help get it around the first bend.  Ouch!  The doctor seems frustrated with this lack of progress.   I feel the appliance being removed as she asks for a thinner tube.

I’m relieved when the juvenile sized tubing passes through smoothly and without incident. Now she has to locate the scar from the removal of the mutant polyp.  The search begins just past the first corner.