If you are scheduled for any head exams, you must remove earrings, glasses, hearing aids and dentures prior to your exam. If you are scheduled for an abdominal CT, this means you will be given an equivalent of 36 ounces of barium to drink over 30 to 45 minutes prior to your exam. While on the exam table you will receive approximately 3 to 4 ounces of bicarbonate water to help visualize the stomach during your exam. You may need to have an IV line so that IV contrast can be given just before imaging begins. The contrast may make you feel warm all through your body.
Some patients experience a metallic taste during the injection.
These sensations last until the injection is completed. If you received IV contrast you may want to increase your normal fluid intake to help flush this material from your system. Unless your doctor objects you should increase your fluid intake over a 24 hour time period. Results of your exams will be discussed with you by your doctor.