Having a HIDA scan for your gallbladder

Yep, the medical tests continue! I've already written about my MRI, CT scan, colonoscopy/endoscopy, and visit with the GI. The final piece of the puzzle for me was having a HIDA scan for my gallbladder. 

For me, I had this procedure RIGHT after my MRI, so I already had my IV in and was already dressed in the lovely hospital gown. 

You'll get an IV once you enter the nuclear medicine room. The HIDA machine was really weird looking, with a long table, a huge camera above it, and a computer screen up above. 

There's this huge camera above the table you lie down on and it stays there over your abdomen while the table is moved into place. You have to stay still for the whole time you're lying down, which was not fun. I mean, you can wiggle your toes and scratch your nose if you need to, but you HAVE to be still. 

So I was told that this test is done in two parts... First is the "waiting" phase where you're injected with the contrast material. The tech was great and wrapped me up like a burrito in a warm blanket while we did this part. All I could see was the monitor, which got pretty boring after awhile. It's set for 60 minutes, but the actual time depends on how long it takes the contrast to reach your gallbladder. I actually fell asleep because I got so bored. There's a screen to watch which shows where the tracing material is. The goal is for it to reach your gallbladder and not be anywhere else. 

Once my gallbladder was all loaded up with the tracer material, the tech asked if I needed to take a break or anything to use the bathroom or get any wiggles out or anything, because once we started, I was at the mercy of my internal organs. This next part would take at least an hour. 

I was given some CCK hormone, which is the hormone your body releases to help you digest fat. I was told to let the tech know if I felt anything, because some people do, and some people don't. The goal of the test is to see how well my gallbladder releases the tracer material and by the end of the scan, I shouldn't have any of the tracer there and the screen which currently had my gallbladder all lit up would be dark. 

Phew. I got the first injection of CCK and it was BAD. I felt a huge wave of dizziness, then a bigger wave of nausea, and then some major cramping. Buh. I said all of this and the tech made sure I was okay and then we just kept going. He said to keep breathing, but not breathe too deep since I had to stay still. I got more injections of the CCK every few minutes, and each time, it was the same thing... extreme dizziness, nausea, and cramping. It was NOT FUN and I was MISERABLE. 

Finally, after an hour, he called it done. I looked over at the screen and my gallbladder was still lit up like a Christmas tree. I glanced at the numbers on the screen and they didn't seem to have changed much. I was suspicious about this, but had to wait for my results. 

The tech helped me down and let me recover for awhile. I was still very nauseated and dizzy and didn't feel like I could walk back yet. I was pretty miserable. Finally, I was feeling recovered, and was allowed to go back into the MRI room to get my clothes and shoes and go home. (Normally, some people are allowed to remain clothed during this test, but since I was coming straight from the MRI and had an IV in my hand, they wanted me to just stay in my gown... whatever). 

So, the HIDA scan with the CCK measures how well your gallbladder absorbs the tracer and then expells it. My gallbladder absorbed it just fine, but it didn't release it! My ejection fraction was only SIX PERCENT! SIX PERCENT! That is NOT good. That means my gallbladder is not working. Usually, anyone with the EF (ejection fraction) of under 35 - 40% is recommended for gallbladder removal surgery. Since my EF was so low, that means my gallbladder is barely functioning, and that combined with the symptoms I experienced during the test means that I needed to have my gallbladder removed. 

During my followup call with the GI, she said that my gallbladder is likely causing all my GI issues and removal is the best bet. FINALLY! SOME ANSWERS!!!! I had my gallbladder removed a week ago and I'm still recovering, but I'll write about it sometime soon. I was told I'd feel like a new woman by Christmastime, so I'm looking forward to that. 

What are you most looking forward to right now?