Hello!
I had advanced colorectal cancer in 2015 (radiation, operation, chemotherapy). Then the oncologist told me that I should do periodic CT Scans for five years, at first more frequently, then more far apart. So I’m now facing my one before last CT Scan.
However, the nephrologist worries about the cumulative effect of the contrast injection on the kidneys. He says that it can be like with chemotherapy and neuropathy, where for quite a while everything seemed fine, and then I got neuropathy which wouldn’t go away. He recommends getting IV fluids for an hour prior to the scan, then diluting the contrast injection with more IV fluids (also an hour) and then 6 hours of more saline IV fluids. However, the two nearby facilities I consulted don’t want to dilute the injection or offer fluids. They suggest going to the cancer center for pre-scan IV fluids, then to the CT scan facility for the test, then back to the cancer center for post-test fluids. That sounds exhausting to me, and the nephrologist still thinks that the contrast itself should be diluted, and that the radiologists don’t want the extra bother because it’s not them who’ll have to treat me if something happens to my kidneys.
The oncologist says that it’s OK to do brain MRI and chest CT without contrast, but not the abdominal CT – the image quality will be too compromised to be useful. (I don’t take the contrast drink for other reasons, but that doesn’t make a difference to image quality, according to the oncologist.)
I just don’t know what to do. On the one hand I know I need to do the abdominal CT Scan because cancer can reappear for up to five years. On the other hand I’m terrified of irrevocably damaging my kidneys.
I wonder if anybody here has faced this situation? Is there a way for people with kidney issues to do a CT Scan safely?