Thursday, September 07, 2006

Step right up: 2 tickets for big CAT ride!

It turns out that having a sinus CAT scan is like riding the world's most boring amusement ride. Picture the Spinning Teacups, only in a drab setting and without all that thrilling twirling action. First, you lie on your stomach on a sliding table; the table goes in and out of this 2.5 foot circle while a train track-looking thing with tiny camera thingies whizzes around your head. Then you flip over on your back and the same procedure unfolds. I spent most of the time on the table reading stacked boxes of medical supplies: drapes, cannulas, etc., and wondering if they could tell that my eyeballs were moving around like mad. The bottom line: it was boring, but absolutely painless. That's fine with me--I'll take boring over painful anytime.

The cool part happened when it was all over (all 3 minutes of it) and I asked the technician whether I'd get to see the films. "I don't know," she answered, "They're all on computer nowadays." I was disappointed and it must have shown, because she said, "I can show them to you now if you want." And YES, I did want! So I got a 10-second view of my own sinus cavities, which is kinda rad. (Not as cool as the photo of my uterus, but still pretty awesome.) At a brief glance, they looked like the normal ones I've seen online (thanks, Dr. Google), so I can rest easy that there aren't pieces of chicken hot dog from 1998 still stuck up there. So that's good. I have a follow-up appointment with my new BFF, the otolaryngologist, on October 9, so I'll get the scoop on my sinuses then.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Also, you said chicken hot dog from 1998. Was there a chicken hot dog incident I don't remember?

And I know you're not a Simpsons fan, but this reminds me of the episode where they find out that Homer's so dumb because he has blue crayon shoved up his nose into his brain from when he was a kid. Not that you're dumb, but the thought of chicken hot dog stuck in your sinuses for years was pretty funny. ;)

9:51 AM  
Blogger Barb said...

i was going to make a chicken hot dog comment...but i just can't bring myself to do it. so just know that i'm thinking about you and hope you are well! :)

1:31 PM  
Blogger Clementine said...

Hey Barb, I sure hope you weren't going to slam chicken hot dogs! I LOVE those things, even after the incident I'll relate below. And oh shit, now I really want one. With ketchup and mustard and a regular bun, NOT a nasty New England-style bun. Those are wicked gross. Ha!

And JPP, do you not remember hearing the story about how I shot chicken hot dog out my nose? I was living in Charlotte after college/before grad school, and one night I was eating a hot dog while talking to my dad on the phone. (Note: I also had a REALLY bad sinus infection at the time--damned kid cooties!) He said something funny and I totally snarfed. A minute later I was like, "Hold on a sec," and went to blow my nose...and was TOTALLY HORRIFIED to see a chunk of mustardy/ketchupy chicken hot dog in my kleenex. I hadn't even known it was up there cuz my sinus infection was so bad! Isn't that the NASTIEST THING YOU EVER HEARD? Dad was all blase--"You'd have noticed it sooner or later."

GRODY!

1:45 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't really remember, but it sounds like some high class stuff. Also, I love my special dad. He's all "eventually you'd notice - when you smelled the rotting hot dog smell coming from inside your sinus cavity." Also!

3:20 PM  
Blogger Clementine said...

Jane, you can laugh, but in your heart you know that's *exactly* what he said. I'm talking word-for-word. He kills me.

Also, my word verification is fckejjut. Fucking eejit, anyone?

6:34 PM  
Blogger squasha said...

hehehe ewwwww that would have freaked me OUT! i wish i had thought to ask to see my cat scan after it was done (and i too wondered if looking around while it was happening would skew the results somehow, so i ended up closing my eyes)... the only bad part was they made me take out a piercing i had in my upper ear, and so now it is closed. i was lucky though-they didn't catch my nose ring because it is so small! i would have cried if i had to take that out. anyway, hopefully the follow-up appt will show all is well!!!

8:36 PM  
Blogger Hashbrown said...

That is my true love, blowing hotdogs out her nose. It doesn't get more romantic than that.

9:28 PM  
Blogger Clementine said...

Oh Squasha, you had one of these, too? Was it helpful? Could they tell anything from it? I'm eager to hear the results at my appt. on October 9, but I sure don't want to have sinus surgery! Surgery sounds WAY worse than a run-in with a chicken hot dog.

PS--I'm going to see the cadaver exhibit tonight! More soon.

1:37 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home