Wellness

[Teddixat]

I am scheduled for an Abdominal scan with contrast  tomorrow morning  (8.24.25).  I am curious about the stuff you have to drink I hour to 45 minutes prior to the actual scan.  Is it really horrible tasting?

[TheMemphisVette]

not really.  just bland

some places offer flavored.

[Winkk]

It's been a couple of years since I've had one, but I picked it up beforehand and took it home.  It was tolerable.  They told me it's easier when it's been in the refrigerator for awhile.  Some people find using a straw help

[wilma]

@Teddixat 

I had an abdominal scan with CT contrast earlier this year. The nurse gave me a drink with a banana flavor. It wasn't that difficult to drink. Much better tasting than the chalky barium liquid I had to drink back in the 90s. No flavor could help that stuff go down.

FYI - The stuff they put in your IV right before the test begins makes you feel like you urinated on yourself but you didn't. It's a very warm feeling down there too. Assuming they will tell you all this. 

I've had a lot of tests and medical procedures and IMO this one was easy.

Good luck! 

[PA Mom-mom]

@Teddixat I had it last year, and it just tasted like water to me. The hardest part was sitting and waiting for the procedure. Hahaha!

[JeanLouiseFinch]

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@Teddixat wrote:

I am scheduled for an Abdominal scan with contrast  tomorrow morning  (8.24.25).  I am curious about the stuff you have to drink I hour to 45 minutes prior to the actual scan.  Is it really horrible tasting?

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I'm sorry I can't help you, @Teddixat.  The scan itself is no big deal.  I get them annually to monitor my remaining kidney, but mine are done without contrast. 

[mrshckynut]

@Teddixat    have had many CT scans of my abdomen which I have had 13 surgeries, some with contrasting some without     most I did not have to drink anything unless they were tracing it looking for leaks after a major abdominal surgery    the drinks I had were not a problem and nothing close to the drinks prior to a colonoscopy 

mrshckynut

[Faceplacegirl]

@Teddixat, drink is not bad at all. I had an abdominal and chest Ct scan to rule out cancer this past June. My drink tasted like a sugar free pedialite, I think peach flavor don't remember flavor. Lol. Drink it slowly and yes the contrast makes you feel like a rush of warmth running through your body as if you went pee. Just relax and they will explain everything to you. Good luck, don't be afraid. 🙏 that everything will turn out ok. 

[conlt]

I had a CT scan last November. The contrast drink was not bad at all. Good luck!

[AuntMame]

When I went in for a scan the nurse asked whether I wanted lemonade or punch-flavored contrast liquid to drink. It tasted like Kool-Aid. Not hard to drink at all. The worse part was feeling like I really, really, really had to pee. 

After the scan I sat near a restroom door for about an hour before leaving the hospital. Didn't think I could last through the ride home without hitting a restroom every few minutes. I have a weak bladder.