Small Bowels and Nuclear Med

Watched a small bowel series with Shanna this morning which wasn't very interesting. Patient drunk two cups of barium sulfate stuff and another cup of water. When the barium had almost finished spreading she had to drink two liquids, which apparently combine in her bowels to give her gas, so as to inflate the bowels so the doctor can see better. Usually patients aren't allowed to use the bathroom because their bladder drops down after it's been emptied, making it harder to include on the film.

Soo... that means they gotta hold it in. Unless the doctor is lenient.

Shanna told me about another procedure, the small bowel enema I think, which involves putting a tube up the patient's rectum and pumping their bowels full of gas after they've had their barium. The prescence of gas in the patient's bowels gives them the sensation like they need to go to the toilet.

Gas pumped into bowels + elderly patient = expelling of gas. Bad combo. =S

And apparently sometimes the force is so great that small white flecks of barium fly out too. It's not an airtight tube afterall.

I went to Nuclear Med in the afternoon to observe a lumbosacral spine on a radioactive patient. This was after I had assisted with the projections in the Screening room. As the procedure was being performed (took 20mins for the machine to rotate 360 degrees around the patient and pick up enough radiation to create an image), the nuclear med lady called a colleague and chatted away on the phone while I tried my best not to fall asleep. I had two microsleeps before I forced myself to stare at random signs and posters around the room and read them.

Watched some more Goong (Yul time! hahaha). Ugh..I don't like Shin. Don't like ballerina girl either. Bleh. Why can't things ever work out for Yul..? >_<

Oh, and for all you people who read this,

"Pinch and a punch for the first day of the month and no returns". =P