CT Scan At Assunta Hospital

The next morning, my sister and I went to keep my mom company at the hospital ward. It was a 4-bedded room and visitors are allowed anytime. During the doctors' morning round, I was told that a CT Scan would be done on my mom and she had been put on IV drips since last night. She was sent down for an ECG Scan and the result came out normal.

We stayed until around 4pm and the nurse came and informed us that the CT Scan schedule was called off because the slot in of the schedule was impossible seeing the long list of appointments. We then headed home and while on our way home, we received a call from Dr Tee, one of the MOs in-charge of my mom. He suggested that we send mom to Assunta Hospital for the CT Scan to speed things up as the queue for the scan in UMMC would be as long as a few days later. We agreed with his suggestion as we too were anxious to get the outcome of the result.

The next morning, after getting the referral letter from Dr Tee, I went straight to Assunta Hospital to register mom and checked the soonest appointment available for the CT Scan to be performed. The clerk at the X-ray unit confirmed that I could bring my mom over anytime. After getting mom registered, I rushed back to UMMC to bring her over to Assunta Hospital.

Mom had to finish drinking 2 glasses of "Readi-Cat II" (barium sulfate contrast). The lab assistant asked for mom's blood test result as the contrast material is filtered through the kidneys and they would need to have a blood test to determine kidney function (creatinine level) before she can be given the contrast material. I called Dr Tee and she said mom's blood test result was all normal.

Mom was then changed into the loose hospital gown and lied on the bed for IV injection that was injected into her arm through an IV line. According to the assistant, at the time of injection, mom may have a momentary feeling of warmth and flushing, a salty taste in the mouth, and possibly some mild nausea but this should pass quickly.

The scan took about 30 minutes and it was 11.20am when the whole procedure completed and we were asked to come back at 2pm to collect the Scan Report. We paid RM699 for the CT Scan.

My mom rushed to the toilet right after coming out from the room. Barium contrast is not absorbed into the body; it passes through your colon which may cause loose stools. It can cause bowel movements within the 2 hour period that you are consuming the Readi-CAT.

The doctor in-charge of my mom at UMMC confirmed a huge tumour presence in the colon of mom after studying the CT Scan Report and a surgery would be the only choice though they refused to conclude that it was cancerous. I understood from the Scan Report that the tumour could probably be the cause of carcinoma, a type of cancer. Should it be cancer, what I could do was to pray that it was still in early stage.

Mom is now discharged as the operation is scheduled for this coming Monday. She would have to be readmitted this Sunday. What I can do now is to pray hard that everything goes well during and after the operation.