CT Enterography: Searching for clarity in the unknown

My CT enterography with contrast was conducted on 7 September 2022. The aim was to exclude small bowel issues that were not able to be seen when conducting the upper endoscopy and colonoscopy. As I prepared for the CT enterography, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of anticipation and anxiety. I knew this test might finally bring some clarity.

The test itself involved me drinking 2 liters of a Metamucil-type liquid, orange-flavored. I had to drink the liquid over the course of 1.5 hours to ensure the best results on the scan itself. Sitting in the corner of the waiting room, I dutifully sipped the orange-flavored liquid every 15 minutes. The drink was thick, slightly gritty, but surprisingly tolerable. With each sip, I hoped it would be worth it - worth the hours of waiting and the uncertainty that came with it. It could have been worse - it could have been colonoscopy prep.

It was a strange kind of solitude, watching people come and go while I stayed put, focused on the task at hand. In those moments, it felt like the whole world was moving around me while I remained stuck in this limbo of tests and waiting.

Following drinking all the liquid, it was time for the scan. The scan was straightforward and just required me to listen to instructions and move as I was told. As I lay on the table, I tried to stay still, but inside, my thoughts raced - what would the scan show? Was there a simple answer hiding in my small intestine, or something more worrying?

The scan itself was over quickly, but the waiting had just begun. The results would be available in a few days, and those days stretched out in front of me, filled with questions that only the scan could answer.