Urinary tract ultrasound

[luthien]

Hey, so I have an appointment for my urinary tract ultrasound (this coming Friday) to see any kidney problems. I've had a liver one done years ago.

The letter says to drink 1 litre of water 1 hour before the appointment, and then if really needing to urinate only empty half. Well I work about 30 mins walk from the hospital (where my appointment is) so I'll really need to wee by the time I get there! The letter also says you may be waiting about 20 mins for your appointment - ahh that's over an hour with a whole 1 litre in bladder. Should I sip water as normal before the ultrasound just more frequently to fill my bladder slowly?

What areas do they look at for this type of ultrasound? My liver was round my side and towards back.

[Hidden]

When I had mine taken I arrived early and was already halfway through the water intake process. I sat in my vehicle and read a book until I finished it and went inside and checked in. When I asked why this was necessary I was told that they wanted images of a full bladder, then one about half empty and the final images of my empty bladder. There could be other reasons or procedures for your test. You didn't say what time of day your appointment was but is it possible to take a half day and not deal with the worry of being/returning to work? How about a friend picking you up and taking you to the appointment? If I remember correctly, once I was on the table the test was over in about 12 minutes.

[luthien in reply to Hidden]

Hi,

The letter did explain it's so they could see more of the bladder. I'm fine with that, makes sense.

Oh it's an odd time 11:55, neither here or there!

I'm at one end of town and the hospital at the other end of town so driving round would probably take longer.

I'll let work know of course and just go with the flow (no pun intended!)

[Hidden in reply to luthien]

The tech who did my procedure told me that it was important to see the bladder empty and full to determine capacity and emptying capability. Whatever works for you. Hope everything comes out alright. (Pun intended)

[Betsysue2002]

Too funny ... HALF full ?! That aint gonna happen. Once started i wont stop once i start unless they want to ring out my clothes and follow me with a mop. Not a pretty pic but an actuality.

Drink some ... then finish in waiting room and advise if youre not incontinent to begin with you are now !

[luthien in reply to Betsysue2002]

hah!! great mental image!

yeah if I'm desperate it's not stopping. If it's just full then I can control it but I've never stopped and then thought "right that's about half, so I'll finish there" lol!

thanks for the suggestion

[Hidden in reply to Betsysue2002]

Since you want to be hyper-technical let me explain. Half full is not an exact term. When asked I was told that... "If possible don't completely empty your bladder, return to the table and let me get an image of the bladder, then go to the restroom again and complete the process." The restroom was about 6 ft. from the procedure table. You don't get penalized for not being able to stop "halfway" through the process, but it gives them another image to process. Not everyone has the ability to control their flow.

[Betsysue2002 in reply to Hidden]

Me included !