That (foul tasting) liquid that you drink before a CAT scan, what is it and what does it do?

Usually barium sulfate used for contrast. Essentially, the barium sulfate fills up your bowels so they can be seen different from the surrounding tissue.

Little bit more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrast_medium

Be sure to drink lots of water after, eat salads if allowed or take a stool softener. This stuff is constipating.

Mine was a vile tasting liquid, clear like water. It didn’t constipate me, because I had to come fasting, and then hang about for hours waiting for the results of a kidney function test, before having the drink.

it’s barium.

it’s radioactive.

they put you under the machine, and it sees how your body is working.

it’s poison! ENJOY IT!!! ITS TASTY AS FUCK

@warribbons Barium isn’t radioactive, it’s just opaque to x-rays. Nor is it poisonous—it’s insoluble in water or alcohol (thus the thick shake), it just passes through your body.

@grumpyfish shut up. its a radioactive poison!!!!!! :D <3

If it tastes really terrible you can throw in one of those Crystal Light packs. Theres tons of different kinds of little flavor packs – My fav is the Green tea – mandarin orange & mango.

dudes – organocontrast is just basically something very dense and NOT radioactive. It allows the radiologist to see the chitlins. Separates them from all those foreign bodies that got shoved up there ; )

my physics teacher lied to me ;____;

@LethalCupcake, If it tastes really terrible- It is amazing how awful something can taste on an empty stomach. BTW, I was not asked if I wanted it sweetened or anything.

CAT piss?

It’s the first thing I could think of.

What it did was make me projectile vomit in the middle of the scan. You should have seen the technician scurrying for a trash can. He can’t say I didn’t warn him.

I had to do the whole plug your nose, so you don’t taste anything routine. The first one was a toughie to get down. The other two, I chugged them, though nearly vomited.