I am scheduled to have a hida scan on Monday a.m. I am wondering for those who have had this test if it is a pretty painless test. I understand that it will take some time approx. 1/2 day. I am a bit nervous but I need to have it done.
Results - Hida Scan
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This is a virtually painless, EASY test!! You will go in the AM and get an injection of dye (which you won't even notice!).. Then, they tell you to go SHOPPING, to a movie, or whatever and come back several hours later. Then you just lie flat under an x-ray type machine for about an hour as they take pictures. Very simple! Nothing to be anxious about!!
I just had a HIDA Scan about a month ago. Here is the deal with it. You go in the the Nuclear Medicine division at X-ray and the put an IV in your arm and put some stuff that will go through your veins, some nuclear stuff. And then they lie you down underneath this big x-ray looking machine and the machine takes pictures off your gall bladder and liver for about an hour. Then they have you (or at least me) drink a huge glass of creme and eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Or any foods that would cause your gall bladder to freak, Fatty foods!! Then you lie back under the same machine and they take more pictures of you for another 2 hours or so. Then you are done and go home. BEWARE If you have IBS go home after this test ASAP!! I went back to work and was the sickest thing with constant diarrhea for 4 hours straight. The test is determining how much bile can be produced at they give a precentage of what it should be. After this test it was like I had taken 10 laxatives so watch out. It was no big deal having the test. Just go home after... Hope everything goes well. Please let me know.
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Thank you everyone.Christian you must have been reading my mind. That is exactly what I have been a bit afraid of. I have asked my Dr. and everyone else. I have postponed this test because I was so afraid that I could be allergic to the dye. They tell me it is very rare. Ok do you know if this radioactive material is the same stuff they use for the x-ray where you have to swallow the pills to illuminate the gallbladder. I had that x-ray about 5 years ago and I did fine. I wonder if they could test me for the allergy first. Can they do that?
Hi Rita,I also had the Hida Scan. Are you having a Hida Scan with CCK? If you are, then that is what I had and instead of ingesting fatty food, they put CCK into your IV which simulates the effects of a fatty meal. The technician warned me that if a person does have gallbladder problems then when the CCK is put into your IV (towards the end of the test), this can cause major pain (like a gallbladder attack). It caused no pain in me and it turned out my gallbladder was fine.But, I did have one problem with this test. They injected so much liquid in me with the IV that I had to urinate so badly during this test that I thought I'd explode (and I am not one of those people who tends to have to pee all the time). I begged them to let me run to the restroom but they would not allow it as it would've forfeited the test results. So, I held it but I will never forget the last 1/2 hr. I thought I'd wet my pants!!!Stacey
I feel better to know that all you have had the test and lived to tell about it!
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Seriously though allergies have scared me so much this past year that it does nag me a bit whenever I hear injection of something new. I am sure everything will be ok and if not I will be right there at the hospital....Stace -- I am not sure if it is the CCK or not. I am going to call them in the a.m. to find out. He wants to see the functioning so I am assuming so but not sure. Also, I am going to be sure that I bring my bentyl with me in case I start getting spasms.Heather did you have your GB removed? I can tell you right now there is no way I am going to drink any kind of oil. I can't imagine how you could get that down.
I did have my gallbladder removed 2 weeks later. I was so sick before they took it out, I had lost 15 lbs from being sick all the time. I still have problems and it still feels like I'm having gallbladder attacks at times. I did have the CCK along with the hida scan, I didn't have to drink any icky stuff, and the test lasted about 2 hours total. I was the easiest test I have ever had done, and I have had lots of tests done because of my kidney problems.Heather
I had it done this a.m. and it was pretty painless. I did have some pressure pain where I normally do and a bit of sick feeling for just a minute when they injected me with the CCK but it passed quickly. The hardest part was lying still for 90 minutes. I should have the results in 2-3 days. If it is not my gallbladder then I am truly stumped as to why I have so much RUQ pain almost always.I checked in at 7:30 this a.m. and they lost the order from the Dr. so they had to wait until his office faxed a copy of it. Then for some reason they sent to me mammography and when I got there they looked over my paperwork and said have a seat -- so again I waited. They called me back and the girl introduced herself and said that she would be doing my mammogram today....
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They finally got me where I needed to be by 9:30 a.m.
Glad to hear that it wasn't too bad for you!I never got that far, they found a very nasty looking gallbladder on the ultrasound they did after my second horrible attack. Of course I let mine go for a few years, and it was pretty obvious that was what was going on once I went to the ER that last time! Let us know what the results are!
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My Dr. just called me with my results and he told me that my gallbladder is functioning at 15%. He doesn't want to refer me to a surgeon just yet he says. He wants to do an endoscope and a colonoscopy to be sure that nothing else is going on. He says my symptoms are vague for gallbladder disease -- my symtoms as I have told him are:a sensation of fullness in my upper right side under my ribcagesometimes it is very tender to touchit seems to bother me more after I have eaten and usually at night although I do have the pain whether I eat or notit seems to get worse with exerciseI have had a couple of episodes where I thought I would have to go to the hospital, one where the pain just kept getting more and more intense and the Dr. on call told me to pack a bag but to double up on my bentyl and take it every 2 hrs. I got through that one. Then a few weeks ago I had spasms on my upper right side that lasted for 50 mins or so and they went into my esophagus.He says if the endoscope and colonoscopy are both normal then he will refer me to a surgeon.Ok, what are your opinions on this?
Rita, sorry to hear this.I would imagine they may want to take your gallbladder out if that is whats causing the problem.You can also have IBS and a gallbladder problem.Its sounds like they are still investigating with you though.I do want to wish you the best with all this, I know it bites, but sounds like they are making some progress and trying to nail things down and in the long run that is actually a good thing.
Hi Rita:I just saw your thread and am glad you made it through the test. I don't know if I would be too quick to have your gallbladder removed unless it is quite evident it is necessary. I have known people who have resorted to the surgery only to have their pain get no better. Furthermore, I can give you countless examples of individuals who developed severe problems with diarrhea and IBS like symptoms following gallbladder removal. That is not to say you won't end up going down that route, but I would just want to be really sure it is absolutely necessary.Good luck. ~JR~
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