Contrast Flavor: Berry Berry or Banana Poll sort of

[IowaBrian]

OK I know this is a odd question but what the heck.
I have only had the banana flavored crap contrast and was wondering if the berry berry is any better? I only have the 2 choices and chose the berry berry to mix it up but it is sitting in the fridge waiting for the end of the month to roll around.
Is there a flavor that doesn't taste like spoiled road kill maybe I can con my doc's into ordering something else since they have never tried it for themselves
So I guess this is a poll of sorts: what is your favorite flavor of contrast?___________

Brian

[dadmo]

My son goes with the Berry Berry. It has a pleasant earthy chalkiness with a mild hint of a fermented fruit like product.

[MRM]

I'm not picky. I just slam whatever they give me as quick as possible. It took a little practice to drink a bottle of that stuff all at once, but it's preferable to sipping it like a glass of merlot, the way I see so many people do it in the waiting room.

[IowaBrian]

I can't down it that fast I am thinking about inventing some type of contrast gun that just flushes down fast You would think after 6 plus years of college I could drink just about anything .. must be getting old hahah
Brian

[rjs]

If you invent a device that gets that stuff down quickly I will be the first in line to buy one! I only wish I could slam it like some do, but my attempts at the slam have only resulted in a not to pleasant slam right back up my throat. (yuck) I tried the straw, but no real luck. So I am a sipper, with some gulps mixed in for variety.

I have also only had the banana and berry flavors. I thought about getting one bottle of each, but figured its all bad so it would not matter. The issue with the banana flavor for me is that it sticks with me everytime I try eating a regular banana. I found that some hand soap we had in the house had the same berry smell so that was not a pleasant reminder either. Seems I can not get away from this stuff.

My one saving grace is that I am on a 1 year CT schedule now, so I am hoping that something comes up before next Spring that will be easier to take. (Hey, a guy can dream!)

So as for my preference, I really don't have one. Part of me wonders if its the flavor combined with the smell that makes it so tough to take. My vote is for a new flavor!

[Karen]

My one saving grace is that I am on a 1 year CT schedule now, so I am hoping that something comes up before next Spring that will be easier to take. (Hey, a guy can dream!)

So as for my preference, I really don't have one. Part of me wonders if its the flavor combined with the smell that makes it so tough to take. My vote is for a new flavor!

rjs,
Your wish has come true...there is a new "creamy vanilla smoothie" flavor!! Not for nothin', ya gotta come up with better wishes!!!!!

[Don]

I'm not picky. I just slam whatever they give me as quick as possible..

Usually doing that will make you sick and/or give you bad gas pains...My oncologist suggested mixing the contrast with vanilla or strawberry Carnation Instany breakfast.. Seemed to work well and though it still tasted bad , it wasn't half as bad after mixing it!!!! Give it a shot..

PS mixing has no effect on the scan!!!!! Be Well !!!!! DON

[Kman99]

At Dana Farber, they use Crystal Light (a variety of flavors) and mix in a capfull of the contrast solution. It tastes so much better and not as rough on your stomach (at least for me).

Across the street at Brigham and Women hospital however, they use the Berry-Berry or Banana contrast. Both are awful in my opinion, and whether I gulp or drink it slowly, my stomach does not handle it well.

So, you can imagine I do everything I can to keep the appointments at Dana Farber!!

[Kev332]

I agree Kman,,, that crystal light mix really isn't that bad,, but like you said, i've had that chalky crap at other hospitals that was terrible!! yuck

[IowaBrian]

OK what is this cap full Brand name please I will figure a way to con errr get the doctor to trying it Nothing can be as bad as banana chalk crap
In the words of my GP and my Ct Tech the contrast "sucks" so true.
Brian

[MRM]

My hospital has me drink the solution only an hour before my scan, so I don't have time to mix it. I haven't suffered any gas pains from drinking it quickly.

Whether I slam it or drink it slowly, I will need to be in a bathroom about 30 minutes after my second bottle. I also try to drink a liter of water as soon as my stomach can handle it. That seems to help get rid of it.

[Vinny]

Well, I've had Berry, Banana, Apple, and flavorless (all E-Z-EM Readi-Cat Smoothies) and they all pretty much taste like crap. If I had to pick, I'd go with the Berry - it leaves less of an artificial flavor aftertaste than the others, although it still tastes like pottery clay mixed with Jones Soda Blue, with some extra Nutrasweet added for good measure.

I've asked if there's a chocolate flavor, and apparently there was at some point, but everyone surveyed seemed to think it was the worst of any of the flavors. If I could mix in some rum and make a Daquiri out of it, that would probably help, but I'm sure the docs and techs would frown upon that practice.

Also, I haven't decided if it's worse to drink cold or room temperature. They give me two 450mL canisters to ingest prior to each CT, over a 3-hour period. It used to be you'd take part the night before, then some more in the morning 2 hours before the scan, then finish off the rest an hour before. With the new schedule, I have to get up at 5:30 to start drinking for an 8:30 CT. Won't make that scheduling mistake again!

By the way, I learned when blogging my last CT experience that barium sulfate is also used in pyrotechnics and as paint pigment. I may have to try the Crystal Light thing.

[Sans rt1]

I've only had two CT's - spaced about 23 years apart, so I can give you a then vs. now comparison.

In 1983 when I was being checked out for enlarged lymph nodes (dodged a bullet that time, it was 'cat scratch fever' not cancer, but still lost a node). I don't remember the contrast solution being chalky, but I do remember it being just nasty and gagging while drinking it down. Afterwards I was sick to my stomach and actually and lost it in the parking.

Last April my urologist sent me to the nearby hospital radiology lab for my CT as part of the getting pre-admitted for I/O surgery. The techs made up the contrast solution and handed it to me in a big gulp sized cup with lots of ice and told me that folks say it tasted like a cosmo without the booze. They also told me to sip it down over a 30 minute period of time to avoid the chance of getting sick from it. So I sipped it while I made the rounds getting my blood drawn, my EKG, meeting with the admittance nurse, etc.

Maybe it was the crystal light stuff, but it was berry flavored and actually was not all that bad. I wouldn't order it in a bar, but I could understand the comparison to a cosmo. A little vodka would definitely made drinking it a lot easier, especially considering my state of mind that day. . .

[mikeygti]

I've been given a different contrast to ingest prior to my CT scans called Telebrex. It's a small bottle of about an once,that you mix in glass of water
and drink 2 hours prior to scan. You are also given one glass to drink while in the waiting room,and another when you are on the scanner table. It's a clear,oily looking fluid that doesn't taste very good,but sounds nothing like what some of you have been given.

Best Wishes

[Don]

I will request the Crystal light or bring some of the single serving pouchs of Crystal light.. Good Idea guys...thanks!!!!!