Nervous about kidney scan

[Suman]

I've been suffering extreme fatigue and pain for over a year now, to the extent that I have to walk with a stick. I finally went to my GP in August to see if they could help, and they sent me straight to A&E. Four months later they said I had a vitamin D deficiency and a restrictive lung defect. They prescribed 10,000 units of Vitamin D weekly and two inhalers which I have taken religiously but no change so far.

I went back to my GP who next requested a spinal X-Ray and a kidney ultrasound which I had last Saturday. On Tuesday my GP called to say the hospital have requested a more detailed CT scan of my kidney.

Due to VACTERL association, I only have one kidney and I'm nervous about why they want to do the CT scan. Has anyone else here had the scan and what did they find as a result?

[ATurtle]

Sharing experiences of medical procedures and what goes on during them is a good thing, worrying about "Could be's" is not good. 

"Could it be" goes round and round
Sending self-worth down and down,
You'll need two doctors so much faster
If you search round for disaster.

One for brain and one for body,
Soon makes you feeling shoddy.
So look for the sun and not the rain
And life will feel great again!

Wow, that just flowed out!  Be great, be happy.   >hugs<

[ditchdwellers]

The results of the scan will depend on what, if anything, they find wrong with you.  They have probably asked for a scan so that they can see in greater detail the functioning of the kidney.  Try not to worry about it too much.  Once you have the results you will know what treatment, if any is required, will be most suitable.
Scans are useful for ruling out conditions, as well as diagnosing problems and will help the doctors come up with the right diagnosis for you.

[devine63]

Hi Suman

if it helps: different kinds of scans are better at doing different tasks.    Some scans are great for picking up how much energy the tissues are using, so they are best for looking at the living functions of the organs.  Other scans are best for looking at the hard bony structures and still others are best for looking at the soft tissues of the body.

Most likely if the docs have asked for another scan it's because the previous one did not show the kidney very clearly and they want a less fuzzy picture.  It does not necessarily mean they have seen something nasty lurking.
regards, Deb

[Suman]

Thank you all for your kind and inspiring words  >hugs<

[Suman]

An update - my doctor sent the request form for the CT scan back on the 15th of January. Since I hadn't heard anything, I called the surgery to enquire. They assured me that everything had been done but I could call the hospital radiology department to confirm it to put my mind at rest (I don't handle uncertainty well).

So I called the hospital to be told that due to funding changes, they no longer accept GP requests for CT scans, and the GP should have referred me to a consultant... so I had to call the surgery again to tell them about this  >steam<

Finally my GP called me again this afternoon saying how frustrated he was with the hospital as they had suggested he send them the request directly, but that he had today requested a referral to the consultant.

[Suman]

Another update - I finally saw a registrar at the hospital who examined me, did a sigmoidoscopy check, and authorised various other tests.

I had blood tests looking for various tumour markers, had my CT scan last week (made me think of going through a mini Stargate) and have a testicular ultrasound next week.

I will get my results in May when I go back for my next clinic appointment, so fingers crossed that they find the cause of my pain and weakness.

In the meantime, I lost my job because I couldn't get to the office. I'm in agony walking and although I tried to battle through the pain, I collapsed one too many times at the tube station on my way to work.

[devine63]

Hi Suman

I hope at least the employer sorted you out for ill health retirement rather than just sacking you?

regards, Deb

[NeuralgicNeurotic]

Suman >hugs<

 >x-fingers< for your results.

[auntieCtheM]

Suman, oh dear.  How distressing for you.  What a difficult situation to find yourself in.  I hope that you have had a benefits check so that you have some income.

[Suman]

Hi everyone

Thanks for your kind replies to my last update. It really cheered me up. Here's my next update.

On Friday I had a testicular ultrasound done. It was remarkable only in that I struggled to get from the bus stop at the hospital to the X-Ray department and ran out of spoons by the time I got there.  Sheer bloody mindedness got me out of the department after the test but I was out of breath and exhausted by the door of the department on my way out.

A kindly porter who was passing asked me where I was going, helped me into a wheelchair and took me back to the bus stop.

I get my results on the 2nd May...

[Yvette]

What a kind porter. 

Good luck for your results.

Helpful Note: most hospital departments will arrange for a porter to collect you from the main door and another porter to take you back to the main door afterwards.

[ATurtle]

Helpful Note: most hospital departments will arrange for a porter to collect you from the main door and another porter to take you back to the main door afterwards.

Really?  At my local District General Hospital, if a porter isn't given an order to move someone from their control office, they won't move you.  I've even seen a receptionist point out a lady in her own chair trying to move through the hospital on a major lack of spoons to a porter who said they haven't had a call for it so couldn't do it.  In the end, another patient's husband offered to push the lady through to the taxi pick-up point.

[Yvette]

That is why you have to make an arrangement *some days previously* with the department you have the appointment with, so they can request the control office to send a porter to you.

My neighbour does it all the time.  She lets the department know a few days in advance of her need for a porter, then she gets to the main reception a bit early, phones the department who then phone the porter's control office.  When her appointment is finished, she asks for a porter to be called and waits for the porter to arrive.  Yes, she has to wait a while, but she does get help. 

The receptionist at your local hospital should have phoned the porter's control office and asked them to send a porter for the patient who was struggling.

Porter's journeys have to be logged, for H & S reasons as well as the controller being able to direct porters to their next job, so it is understandable that they can't just wheel a patient whenever someone requests them to.
The receptionist should have known that and phoned the control office.   >doh<