CAT Scan Day, with a Nice Surprise

As per my quarterly appointments with either the Doctors, Nurses or some kind of test or scan today was one that I typically dread, the CAT scan. Now leading up to this we coordinate my schedule of tests so they can be done at the same time given the more than hour drive I have to go. Today also involved getting blood taken and dropping off thee old pee jug, which if you read the post about the urine test there is a stricter diet I follow for to days leading up to the collection, which was yesterday…exciting eh?

My day starts at six a.m. as I’m schedule for a 7:40 a.m. appointment, it’s not so bad as the traffic isn’t bad and upon arrival the line up is pretty empty in the CT waiting room. Typically I sit down for five to ten minutes before I’m asked what favour of barium drink I want ( 2 big cups) that just make my stomach roll and flip around, thinking, “what the hell is this poison you’re putting in me. Although I’ve treated my stomach much worse in the past, we really don’t like this liquid…at all. When to my surprise I barely have a chance to remove my coat and my name is called, without even being given the line up I automatically tell the nurse, “The cranberry, please”.

This time is different though and she tells me just to follow her, I say “hang on, I haven’t had my drinks yet there must be a mistake? “Nope” is the answer I get, “we have a new machine that no longer requires the patient to have to drink the (and hold down) the juice. Well, I think that I came close to tears knowing that, that part of the scan is now done with and boy, you couldn’t wipe that smile off my face, as I’ve said before it’s the little things that bring real and simple happiness to your day/life. Today I am grateful that I don’t have to feel like, well, shit all day and on a day I thought would be wasted I’m able to be productive and get a small win, so simple. Even the IV went in on the first attempt, tonight I’m playing the lottery for sure. The big donut with the bed to lay in while your scanned is still a necessary monster in the treatment program, along with the dye that runs through the body and warms you from the back of your throat to well…the groin. Although today didn’t seem as bad, my mind was in a good place today and along with newer technology it made this day 100% easier.

So, easy in fact that I was up in the Cancer Clinic before any of the nurses arrived and was able to read for about twenty minutes. With the IV left in, I promised not to leave the hospital and score a hit, the blood work was done in less than five minutes and with the jug’o’pee dropped off I was out of the hospital in about an hour, an easy record time for those test’s. I got back home and had extra time, so I took some extra time to meditate and show gratitude for the advancement in the CAT scan that I had today, also that my body felt well and as far as testing and Cancer screening goes it was a good day. Tonight I will be able to have a nice dinner and not have to worry about an upset belly, WIN!!

I’ve talked a lot about forming habits and will continue too, as it also hold me accountable to myself and how I aspire to approach life and the obstacles put in front of us. I meditate to visualize how I want life to play out, day by day, although I know the new machine wasn’t there because I thought hard enough, but the mind is a power piece of equipment itself and if we can get it to work for us instead of against us, who knows what gains can be made? I will continue to sit, clear my mind and do my best to see only a long road ahead. There will be many roadblocks, but around every one is a detour, it may be a longer journey, but hey isn’t that why we are here?