Bone density? Have had two of them done a year apart. They were easy, just lie down and the machine scans you. Like an x-ray I guess. Takes longer though, I was lying there for about 1/2 hour total each time.

Good luck!
Jane

Bone Scan is no biggie. Just take off your jacket and lie down on the table, and the scanner just slowly takes scan from above.

Room is bright, and tech often converses with you about the weather etc.

Least invasive of any medical test you can think of.

My 93 yr old neighbor was/is having pain in her thigh bone--Doc tried medicine first & pain still there--so he ordered a MRI & bone scan for the same day--he called her & said the MRI was fine--next day he called her with the results of the bone scan & she has Arthritis--Therefore, I can see why your PA said X-ray was OK! Hope this is what you wanted to know--

Good luck, Donna (^_^)

I've had several bone density scans- nothing to it. My dr said the scans should be on the same machine each time.

A bone scan is not the same as a bone density test. When I had the bone scan they injected a dye and then I had to drink lots of water but I could go pee...thank goodness. I had to wait about half an hour and then just lay still on a table while the machine scanned my whole body. Not hard at all. Then they took extra xrays of my neck and determined that area had arthritis and they took extra xrays of an ankle that had been broken a few years earlier. They were looking for cancer spread in my case. I don't know if they would do your whole body or not, but the test itself is a breeze.

I just had a bone scan for something they found on my knee after an Xray. It is like Heather said, though I had to wait 3 hours after they injected me with radioactive tracers. Here is an article at that has more information on bone scan.

If it is a bone density test this is what they do. I have had a couple of those to check for osteoporosis.

Neither one hurts and it is really easy. You just lay there and let the machines do their thing. Good luck.
Clare

You could be right, it may have been 3 hours I had to wait. It was a long time ago when I had it and it didn't seem to be that long to me.

I have had 2 Bone Density tests, about 3 years apart. Each time I just sat on a stool beside a bed while only one arm was scanned. Then I laid on my back on the bed with a pillow under my knees for another scan. The last one was about 6 weeks ago and showed that I have lost some density. Doctor has me on Calcium 500+D, and a Multi Vitamin. 3-4 years ago I had a Cat Scan on my spine. That report listed each section of my spine and what the problems were .

Bone density test is quick and easy. With the Cat Scan I had the dye. etc and about 20 minutes in the machine. Neither of these tests are traumatic.

Sue

Just a radio active dye in an IV. I didn't even have to wait. In fact, they did one without the dye, then gave me the dye and did the scan again. Ooops! That was for the cat scan when I had vertigo so bad! I think I did have to wait when I had the bone scan. But that was about 14 years ago, when I slipped on ice and broke my wrist. I didn't show up on regular xrays.

Tami

Thanks!
I just made the appointment for next Tuesday and it's the injection kind. According to the scheduler they will inject me at 11am and I'll come back for the scan at 2.

I'm glad to hear this is non-traumatic.
I appreciate guys!

Lori