So we have this argument every time a CT/PET scan is coming up. Michael has one on 4/15/08. How long before the scan is best to be a low/ no carbohydrate diet? He loves potatoes, corn and ice cream. I keep trying to tell him he can live on meat and green stuff for a few days.

I know I read somewhere that 3 days was good, my husband says 24 hours. He found a couple web sites saying 24 hours. He has been generally doing well since he ended radiation treatment on 12/5/06. He still has a dry mouth, some things (mainly tomato based things) still taste strange, he still gets tired more easily and goes to bed much earlier than he used to in his pre-cancer days. Good stuff is that he hasn

I've never been put on a diet for a CT. This has me wondering.

Never heard of this...

My friend, Mary, was never put on a special diet for her CT scans, but she was put on a very strict diet for 24 hours before her first PET Scan. No bread, no sugar, no exercise- all to reduce the chance of a false uptake. However, the CCC she went to did not have any restrictions prior to the Pet Scan- not sure why- but she did double-check with them and they told her no dietary restrictions. So maybe it all depends where it is done????
Liz

I had 3 PET scans and never had to watch what I ate at all. I was told nothing to eat 4 hours prior to the scan and no exercise the day of the scan.

Bill's instructions from Moffitt CC included no carbs for 24 hours. Then he had a 6 hour NPO before the scans.

Who knows - I think every Imaging Office is different. I was also told by several friends before Dan's scan that he would be radio-active and couldn't be around our kids thta evening/night. We weren't told that prior to the scan so he asked them the day of and they laughed and said that was pretty much an urban myth. They said by the time you leave their office and make it home, etc. that it has worn off.

Hello all,
I am the worry wart about the pet scans and did a lot of research on them before I had one done. It is good if you can get the combo pet/ct scan all at one time.
I was told no exercise the day before and the day of the scan. No carbohydrates 24 hours before and nothing by mouth for at least 6 hours before, just water. Water is wonderful to drink and I drank quite a bit of it 6 hours before to help flush my body out of sugar, etc. This will cause your scan to give false positives and we all know we do not want to deal with those!!!!!!!!!!
I took a sedative before I went and when I got there. They did not even want my eyes to move watchiing TV so there was no TV or magazines in the room, just lay quiet, very, very quiet. Anything not to have a false postive. I took the requirements very seriously. Mine, thankfully, was Ok for now!
Debbie

Depends on the scan. The spiral CT I just had required fasting for 12 hours. PET scans also have specific fasting requirement requirements (and you certainly want to limit your sugar intake before one), as well as MRI's. Always ask the RO - sometimes they just assume that you already know.

Some blood work is the same - Cholesterol tests require a 12 hour fast.

Some institutions are terrible about providing pertinent patient instructions.