Well, if diverticulitis didn't show up, does that mean other things would have shown up if they had been there? Like growths or abnormalities, Rita? Does the CT scan rule out a bunch of scary stuff? That's what I'm hoping.... That's what we hope, too, Flamey. When the nurse called with the results, I asked about that. She said it would have shown a mass if one was there. ?? (I'm thinking, mass of WHAT? And WHERE?) On Monday, I'll get a chance to visit with the doctor after the procedure, so hopefully we'll know more then and/or I can pin him down on exactly what the CT scan would/would not show.

Gallstones are usually "pebbles" within a gall bladder. A gall bladder is really a pocket placed below your liver which actually keeps bile produced through the liver. During a meal (in particular these that contain fats or proteins), the gall bladder can develop contraction, offering bile by means of bile ducts to the intestinal tract to help digestive break down. Defective arrangement of bile brings about enhancement of gallstones. Gallstone problems is often a frequent root cause of abdominal pain, irritation, and also infection of the gall bladder as well as the pancreas. Here is a link that might be useful: Gall Bladder Symptoms

It's not a big deal and it will be over so fast you won't even realize it's done. They basically have you lie down on a long table that slides into the machine. Since it is of the lung, it's not a claustrophobic type thing...Your body is more into the tube than anything else. They will tell you to take a deep breath, hold it, breath normally and they will begin the scan...You can hear the machine whirring to describe the sound...It isn't frightening at all..It only takes a few minutes and it's over and done with. The hardest part is remaining completely still for those few minutes....It's a mind game thing..you know you are supposed to be still and it's only a very short time but I found my body tense.... It's really no big deal so don't worry about it. Are you having it with contrast...If so that means they will do two scans.....They will insert an IV needle in your arm, do the first scan, inject liquid into the needle and then do another scan........still not a big deal...some people have a hard time with needles ..The needle is inserted just like a catheter to draw blood from your arm..It's all so fast though you hardly have time to think about it.....If they do it with contrast, your body will immediately react to the liquid they inject and you will feel this very warm sensation over your entire body. It feels like you have just peed on yourself........but it's just the warmth and not pee. LOL thought I had better tell you about that part. I hope your scan turns out good..unfortunately mine wasn't and I had surgery and chemo....but I'm doing good at the moment.

I hesitate to contribute but... I'm a physician, and thought it might be helpful to clarify some things. Believe it or not, I stumbled across this looking for info about stoves (ranges). Anyway - 1. Abdominal pain is a real challenge to work up. Sometimes, a CT scan will clearly show the problem, but often, it doesn't. I'm ER by training, and I usually tell my patients that we only get an answer to belly pain in the ER about 50% of the time 2. The best study is determined by your exam. Sometimes, no study is needed. Sometimes, it's an ultrasound. A CT with intravenous and oral contrast will better show the blood vessels and organs than one without. A barium enema is only useful in rare situations. Xrays are generally not the study of choice 3. If you can't find an answer on a CT, the next option may be treat & wait; or refer (depending on the pain). Sometimes you need to go to an endoscopy, or a gyn, or colonoscopy, or urology. 4. Pain can be functional, meaning we won't find an anatomic cause for it on CTs. Or microscopic, as in celiac disease. Or allergic, as in lactose intolerance 5. Many, many physicians are poor communicators. Even as a physician, I've experienced this, and it is beyond frustrating. If you think you're annoyed - when I am imaged, I ask for copies and reports, and I like to look at my studies myself. Usually, I get someone who will help me out but occasionally I can't see the studies, get copies or get the reports. It drives me NUTS! 6. What sounds abnormal on a report may be no big deal clinically, or at least - not an emergency. It's not ever good to get information without an explanation, and it sounds like that happened to more than one of you, and for that I am sorry. An explanation can take that "slightly enlarged liver" or "ovarian cyst" from "I have cancer" to "that's a normal variant, or normal for me." 7. There is ALWAYS someone on call at your physician's office - you should be able to reach someone who can answer questions, and you can ask to speak to the physician. Don't let the front desk feint. The earlier you call (e.g. 12 PM vs 11 PM), the happier they'll be to answer your questions 8. Your doctor might say "I don't know," and that's ok. Not because you should be satisfied without an answer, but because the answer might be - there's something we haven't found. In that case, the next best question is, "what do we do next to figure this out?" 9. In terms of physicians, nurses and the health care industry as a whole: like teachers, who have been placed under a progressively more stringent set of requirements that are difficult to meet, there has been enormous economic, regulatory and social pressure placed on physicians in recent years. Patient volume has increased such that we are expected to see more people per hour with the same amount of productivity, which is virtually impossible with the inefficient computers and regulatory hurdles. Your physician, for example, is supposed to assure the government that he's counseled you on smoking, treated your blood pressure and counseled you on your weight - even if you just came in for a sore throat. It's often hard to make patients happy when they want things that aren't medically necessary. There is increasing pressure to reduce utilization (e.g. CTs), decrease antibiotic use (antibiotic resistance) and reduce pain medication (opiate / heroin epidemic). These constant pressures and others increase stress, reduce the ability to meet real patient needs, and reduce the real access patients have. I want to do the right thing for my patients, and that's my first goal, but it's not rewarded by the system, which pushes us to check boxes, not check people. We are just as unhappy as you are. At least, those of us not fresh out of residency anyway - I hope this helped answer some of the questions I see above. Darcy, I wish you luck.