CAT Scan

I have just returned from a CAT scan of my abdomen. A CAT scan machine is like a donut the size of a jet engine. You lie on a bed and get moved through the donut slowly as it takes pictures.

I did not need contrast dye because they got a good picture without it.

The initial comment from the radiographer was "I don't see anything exciting." He added that he would go over the pictures in detail before making a report to my doctor. I should hear that report today.

My doctor said that he wanted the CAT scan because he would hate to overlook anything important "like a mass." I think a mass would be exciting so I am pleased that there was nothing exciting. I am sad there was not immediate diagnosis like "OMG you have a pair of scissors in your abdomen!" or "your appendix looks like a boot."

If the results are as benign as I suspect, the doctor is referring me urgently to a gastroenterologist. He said that this "has gone on long enough" and he thinks he can get me in soon by "pressing them."

I am trying to drink V8 splash in small quantity in hopes that it will be a better source of calories than the Gatorade. The v8 splash is now available in Passionfruit which is my favorite flavor since Australia. It is sadly neglected in the US.

According to the Doctor my labs show that my blood protein and fat levels are still adequate. So, at least on Friday, my body wasn't eating my brain for food. That's what it feels like.

I could get all philosophical on you about how food is an obsessive centre to our culture and that I now understand, grasp, see, realize and appreciate why monks and others seeking spiritual truth mortify the flesh with fasting and deny voluptuous foods. Without food my mind is going around and around in an addictive way looking for SOMETHING GOOD. I nearly bought an orchid at the supermarket (shopping for my family dinner I can't eat) because it was going to be A TREAT for me instead of the waffle-icecream-muffin I would have had in my fantasies. I can't find anywhere to sit in public that isn't adorned with food or coffee. People seem to move around festooned with food.

Perhaps when all this is over I shall undertake an intentional fasting retreat and examine this in more detail. For now, I am going to unpack the yummy treats I have bought for Frost and Wren who are the new proxy for my own stomach.