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Bone Scan
What is a Bone Scan?
A bone scan is a test used to take pictures of your bones and joints. The scan?s pictures are taken with the help of a special medicine that makes your bones bright and clear.
Why do I need to have a Bone Scan?
You need a bone scan because the doctor needs to see pictures of your bones. The bone scan will see things in your bones that an X-Ray cannot see.
What does the Bone Scan look like?
The bone scan is a large machine with a special camera that takes pictures of your bones. There is a bed, sometimes called a table that you lie down on. The camera hangs over you as you lie down on the bed. The camera will not touch you. There is also a computer that helps to take the pictures.
What happens when I have a Bone Scan?
A porter will come and bring you to the area where you will have the bone scan. A technologist (the person who will take the pictures) will greet you and explain what will happen. You will be given a gown to wear, this looks like a backward housecoat, you may already be wearing one.
You will go into the room where the bone scan machine is. Before you have the scan you will be given a special medicine called radioisotope. This medicine will act like a highlighter to make your bones bright. This will help the doctor to see your bones better. This medicine has to go into your vein. That means that the technologist will give you a small needle to put the medicine into your vein.
After you get the medicine, you will have to wait about 2 ? 3 hours because it takes that long for the medicine to go into your bones. You will probably go back to your hospital room to wait. When it is time for the test, a porter will bring you back to the bone scan area. The technologist will help you get up onto a bed where you will lie down. It is now time to take the pictures. In the room, there is a camera and a computer. The camera is very big and will come very close to your body but it will not touch you. The camera is a special camera that will see the medicine in your bones; it will take pictures of your bones for the doctor to see. Sometimes the technologist will give you a picture of your bones to take back with you. Sometimes the scan can last for 30-60 minutes. When you are done, you are able to go back to your room.
What will it feel like?
You will feel a quick pinch or poke when the technologist gives you the medicine with the small needle.
The camera used for the test will not hurt you. It will not touch your body. It is important for you to lie very still and relax so that the pictures are not blurry. It sometimes can help to pass the time faster if you think about some of your favourite things or a favourite place.
Preparing for the test
Your nurse will give you the information you need to help you get ready to have your bone scan. All you have to do for the scan is to remember that you will have to lie still.
Remember
If you have any questions about the test, always ask!
This content has been reviewed and approved by health care team members at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. All content is for educational purposes only. For further information, please speak with your health care team.
Bone Scan
What is a Blood Pressure test?
Throughout your body, your heart pumps blood through blood vessels. The heart can pump the blood fast and slow. For example, think about a garden hose. If the water is just trickling out, the water is moving slow and at a low force, but if you turn on the hose all the way, the water shoots out really fast and at a high force. This is how your blood vessels work; your heart can pump blood through the vessels slow or fast. To measure how your blood is moving around your body, the blood pressure test is used.
A blood pressure test (sphygmomanometer) measures the force (how fast or slow) of the blood moving through your blood vessels. You may remember hearing numbers when nurses and doctors are talking about your blood pressure. For example you may hear 120 over 80. The first number 120 means how fast your blood is being pushed out of your heart and into the blood vessels, this is called systolic. The other number 80 means this is how fast your blood is going back to your heart, this is called diastolic. A blood pressure test measures both how fast your blood is being pushed out of your heart and how fast your blood is going back to your heart.
Why do I need to have a Blood Pressure test?
Usually when you are in the hospital, your blood pressure is checked everyday, sometimes it can even be checked a few times a day. This just lets the doctor and nurse know how your blood is moving around your body.
What does a Blood Pressure machine look like?
The blood pressure machine has a small computer and a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is made of material with some Velcro on it. The cuff is attached to the computer by a rubber cord. It is on a cart or a small pole so that the nurses can move it around from room to room, or sometimes it is attached to the wall in your room. No picture is taken, just the numbers show up on the small computer screen for the nurses to write down and tell the doctor.
Sometimes the nurse will use a blood pressure cuff that is not attached to a computer. When the nurse uses this type of blood pressure cuff, they use a pump to pump air into the cuff to fill it with air and read the numbers from the side of the cuff where the pump is.
What happens when I have a Blood Pressure test?
A nurse will come to you with the blood pressure machine. She may ask you to roll up your sleeve. She will then place the cuff around your arm, just above your elbow. Sometimes the nurses may put the cuff on part of your leg. The nurse will then attach the Velcro to make sure it says in place. A button will then be pushed on the machine, and the cuff will start to fill with air. If the blood pressure cuff is not one that connects to a computer, then the nurse will use a pump on the side of the cuff to help the cuff fill with air. Once it has filled, you will notice that the cuff is very puffy and gives your arm a tight hug/squeeze. The machine will beep that it is done and the nurse will remove the cuff from your arm.
What will the Blood Pressure test feel like?
The nurse will wrap a small cuff around a part of your arm or your leg. When the machine is on, the cuff fills with air. The cuff will get snug (tight) around your arm or leg. Do not worry, the cuff will stop filling with air when it is done, and the air will be let out of the cuff. It is important to relax and stay still so that the test will be short. If you move your arm or leg around, the test will take longer which means the snug cuff will be on your arm or leg longer. The test should take less then a few minutes and will be done a few times a day, sometimes even at night. Sometimes it can help to think of something else, like your favourite place or song, while having the blood pressure done. Other ideas to try to help you lie still are quiet activities like blowing bubbles or watching your favourite movie.
Preparing for the test
There is nothing that you need to do to prepare for a blood pressure test. You do not have to go anywhere to have the test done; your nurse will come into your room with the machine and check it for you.
Remember
If you have any questions about the test, always ask!
This content has been reviewed and approved by health care team members at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.
Blood Pressure Test
What is a Blood Pressure test?
Throughout your body, your heart pumps blood through blood vessels. The heart can pump the blood fast and slow. For example, think about a garden hose. If the water is just trickling out, the water is moving slow and at a low force, but if you turn on the hose all the way, the water shoots out really fast and at a high force. This is how your blood vessels work; your heart can pump blood through the vessels slow or fast. To measure how your blood is moving around your body, the blood pressure test is used.
A blood pressure test (sphygmomanometer) measures the force (how fast or slow) of the blood moving through your blood vessels. You may remember hearing numbers when nurses and doctors are talking about your blood pressure. For example you may hear 120 over 80. The first number 120 means how fast your blood is being pushed out of your heart and into the blood vessels, this is called systolic. The other number 80 means this is how fast your blood is going back to your heart, this is called diastolic. A blood pressure test measures both how fast your blood is being pushed out of your heart and how fast your blood is going back to your heart.
Why do I need to have a Blood Pressure test?
Usually when you are in the hospital, your blood pressure is checked everyday, sometimes it can even be checked a few times a day. This just lets the doctor and nurse know how your blood is moving around your body.
What does a Blood Pressure machine look like?
The blood pressure machine has a small computer and a blood pressure cuff. The cuff is made of material with some Velcro on it. The cuff is attached to the computer by a rubber cord. It is on a cart or a small pole so that the nurses can move it around from room to room, or sometimes it is attached to the wall in your room. No picture is taken, just the numbers show up on the small computer screen for the nurses to write down and tell the doctor.
Sometimes the nurse will use a blood pressure cuff that is not attached to a computer. When the nurse uses this type of blood pressure cuff, they use a pump to pump air into the cuff to fill it with air and read the numbers from the side of the cuff where the pump is.
What happens when I have a Blood Pressure test?
A nurse will come to you with the blood pressure machine. She may ask you to roll up your sleeve. She will then place the cuff around your arm, just above your elbow. Sometimes the nurses may put the cuff on part of your leg. The nurse will then attach the Velcro to make sure it says in place. A button will then be pushed on the machine, and the cuff will start to fill with air. If the blood pressure cuff is not one that connects to a computer, then the nurse will use a pump on the side of the cuff to help the cuff fill with air. Once it has filled, you will notice that the cuff is very puffy and gives your arm a tight hug/squeeze. The machine will beep that it is done and the nurse will remove the cuff from your arm.
What will the Blood Pressure test feel like?
The nurse will wrap a small cuff around a part of your arm or your leg. When the machine is on, the cuff fills with air. The cuff will get snug (tight) around your arm or leg. Do not worry, the cuff will stop filling with air when it is done, and the air will be let out of the cuff. It is important to relax and stay still so that the test will be short. If you move your arm or leg around, the test will take longer which means the snug cuff will be on your arm or leg longer. The test should take less then a few minutes and will be done a few times a day, sometimes even at night. Sometimes it can help to think of something else, like your favourite place or song, while having the blood pressure done. Other ideas to try to help you lie still are quiet activities like blowing bubbles or watching your favourite movie.
Preparing for the test
There is nothing that you need to do to prepare for a blood pressure test. You do not have to go anywhere to have the test done; your nurse will come into your room with the machine and check it for you.
Remember
If you have any questions about the test, always ask!
This content has been reviewed and approved by health care team members at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario.
PICC line
Click on the picture to learn more about a PICC line
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease that can make it hard to breathe for your lungs. Asthma can’t be cured, but with proper treatment, people with asthma can lead normal, active lives. If you have asthma, your airways (breathing passages) are very sensitive. Certain things can make your airways become:
- Swollen and filled with mucus – the swelling and mucus makes your airways narrower, so it is hard for air to pass through
- Small and tight – your airways might also become twitchy and squeeze together and tighten. This makes your airways narrower and hard for air to pass through.
Types of asthma
Although asthma is often just called “asthma”, you may sometimes hear other terms used. Here are some of the more common terms you may hear from your health-care provider. It’s time to learn the facts about asthma!
Allergic asthma: When your asthma is affected by allergens such as pets, pollen, mould and dust mites, it is called allergic asthma.
Occupational asthma: When your asthma is caused by an exposure in the workplace, it is called occupational asthma. If you already have asthma but something in the workplace triggers your symptoms, it is called work-exacerbated asthma or work-aggravated asthma.
Exercise-induced asthma (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction): When your asthma symptoms are triggered by physical activity, it is sometimes called exercise-induced asthma or exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.
Nocturnal asthma (nighttime asthma): When you mainly get symptoms in the night and into the early morning, it is called nocturnal asthma (nighttime asthma).
Adult-onset asthma: If your asthma is first diagnosed when you are an adult, it is called adult-onset asthma.
Cough-variant asthma: When the main asthma symptom you experience is a cough, your health-care provider may refer to it as cough-variant asthma.
Information taken from https://lungontario.ca/disease/asthma/asthma-facts
https://asthma.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Asthma-Society-Bill-of-Rights-Brochure.pdf
Is your asthma under control? Click HERE to do a quiz!
Type 1 Diabetes
10% of people living with diabetes in Canada have type 1 diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. Insulin is an important hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood.
Our bodies produce sugar and also get sugar from foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit. Without insulin, sugar builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy.
Type 1 diabetes is treated with insulin injected into the body and a healthy lifestyle.
Understanding type 1 diabetes
The cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown. It’s not caused by eating too much sugar and is not preventable. Researchers believe that that type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the cells that make insulin.
The symptoms of type 1 diabetes can develop quickly. Most people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed in childhood and early adulthood, but it can appear at any age.
You can manage type 1 diabetes by:
- taking insulin as recommended (and other medications, if prescribed by your doctor)
- monitoring your blood sugar levels regularly using a home blood glucose meter
- eating healthy meals and snacks
- enjoying regular physical activity
- aiming for a healthy body weight
- managing your stress effectively
Information taken from https://www.diabetes.ca/en-CA/recently-diagnosed/type-1-toolkit
Colonoscopy
What is a Colonsocopy?
Colonoscopy is a test that takes pictures of your large intestine. The test is called a colonoscopy because colon means your large intestine and scopy means a scope (a tiny camera that looks around and takes pictures). The colon is very large and it has names for its different parts.
Why do I need to have a Colonoscopy?
The doctor needs to see inside your large intestine (colon) to see how it is working and to find out what they need to do to help you. An X-Ray cannot see inside the large intestine, so a colonoscopy has to be done.
What does a Colonoscopy look like?
A colonoscopy has a tiny video camera (scope) and a light at the end of a small very flexible (bendy) tube; there is also a computer and TV screen that is used. The light helps the doctor see in your colon. The video camera can take a video or pictures of inside your large intestine (colon). This will help the doctor to see what is happening inside your body. There is also a bed that is beside the computer where you will lie down.
What happens when I have a Colonoscopy?
A porter will come to bring you to the special room to have the colonoscopy. A nurse and gastroenterologist (a doctor who is the expert about intestines) will greet you and explain what will happen.
The nurse will give you a gown to wear, this looks like a backward housecoat, you may already be wearing one. The nurse will help you to get on the bed; she will also tell you to lie on your left side. This is the best way for you to lie down for the test. The nurse will put a blanket over you to keep you warm and make sure you are covered up. The nurse will also put a plastic clip onto your finger. This clip does not hurt and it glows red. This clip is called an Oximeter and it measures how much oxygen you have in your blood. You will also have a blood pressure cuff put on your arm to measure how fast or slow your blood is moving around your body. The blood pressure cuff will go on and give your arm a little squeeze and then off, relaxing it. This happens a few times during the test.
The doctor will put on hospital gloves. Then he will take the scope and he will place it gently into the opening in your bum (this is also called an anus). The scope goes into your bum because that is where the large intestine is; it ends at your bum.
While the doctor is looking in your large intestine, he will also be taking pictures of it. He may also take a tiny piece of the large intestine to look at it more closely, this is called a biopsy. It is important to remember to relax and lie still. Once the test is done, the scope will be removed.
Someone like your mom or dad can stay in the room with you during the test. The test can take about 45 minutes to complete. When it is over, you will rest for a little while and then you will be brought back to your room.
Click here to check out a colonoscopy booklet created by Windsor Regional Hospital
http://www.wrh.on.ca/webbuild/site/wrh-internet-upload/file_collection/Colonoscopy%20booklet.pdf
What will the Colonoscopy feel like?
The colonoscopy will feel uncomfortable when the scope first goes into your bum. You may feel pressure in your bum; you may feel that you have to go to the bathroom. Your stomach may also feel a little sore, like a stomach ache. All of these feelings are normal, this happens to everyone who has this test.
Preparing for the test
Your nurse will give you the information you need to help you get ready to have your colonoscopy. You will be told that you will not be able to eat or drink anything before the test. Your nurse will give you a special medicine that you will need to drink. This special drink will help to clean out your intestine. Your intestine is where your body stores the stuff that your body does not need anymore, this is called stool (or poop). Before you have the test, all your stool needs to be out of your intestine. This special drink helps you to go to the bathroom a lot so that all the stool gets out.
You may also be given a special medicine before the test that makes you feel sleepy and help you relax. This medicine goes into your IV. If you do not already have an IV, the nurse will give you one. The IV is a small straw that goes into the vein usually in your hand. This is the quickest way to get the sleepy medicine into your body. You will feel a pinch from the poke of the IV, and it may hurt a little. Remember the needle used to get the straw into your hand, comes out and is put into a special garbage. All that is in your hand is a tiny bendy straw, no needle (to learn more about IV?s, go to the ?What is that? section). When it is time for the test, remember to relax and take deep breaths.
Remember
If you have any questions about the test, always ask!
This content has been reviewed and approved by health care team members at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario. All content is for educational purposes only. For further information, please speak with your health care team.