SeHCAT scans are the most popular medical search term that leads people to my site, so this is where I’ve decided to start.

I was prescribed a scan towards the end of 2007 as part of a wider investigation into what was wrong with my gut, as I’d had problems for a good 15 years by that point.  Luckily for me, the doctor who caught my initial referral appointment at Barts decided to be very thorough… hence the SeHCAT scan.

To be honest, I hadn’t a clue what to expect when the day came.  I had been asked not to eat anything before attending the appointment, and was told I would be scanned twice that day, with roughly an hour between sessions.

There were no medical staff present: it was a physicist who came to collect me from reception and lead me down some corridors in the London’s basement to reach the right room.  The room itself contained a couch, some steps to get onto the couch, and some apparatus over it, as well as a counter and a couple of chairs.  It certainly didn’t look all that high-tech.

If you’re worried about this scan, please don’t be.  I was amazed how simple it all was.  The first scan, to take a baseline reading, involved no more than lying on the couch until the apparatus overhead had moved all the way up the length of my body, then all the way down.  No disrobing, no discomfort and all very relaxing.  They then got a small capsule out of the safe and gave me some water to wash it down.  After that, I had only to wander around for an hour or so before coming back and getting scanned again - just like before - but this time they were able to detect the progress of the radioactive isotope and work out what the starting level would be for later comparison.

One week later, we repeated the scan.  No capsules this time, just lying on the couch with a book and enjoying a bit of down-time!

In my case, the physicist was checking the results as we went and told me very early that they’d picked up an abnormality - the reading was so low they were in no doubt there was a significant issue with bile salt malabsorption.  There are various possible causes for this, but in my case it turns out to have been coeliac disease.  It was the evidence from this scan, coupled with the results of the exclusion diet, that allowed us to push for further testing and try to reach a definitive diagnosis.

Of all the procedures I have undergone in quest of a diagnosis, this was by far the most pleasant.  It’s certainly the most relaxing, and that was without the aid of the sedatives they offer you for other things.  There are no downsides to the scan that I can detect, although anyone who’s breastfeeding would be advised to express some milk stocks prior to the scan and not resume breastfeeding until after the third scan.  But normal cuddling of children is absolutely fine.

I’m not a doctor, so I won’t go into what the results of a SeHCAT scan might indicate: you’ll need to talk to your own doctor for that.  But I would like to reassure you that the whole thing is simple, painless and by far the nicest investigation you could undergo.  And as a tip?  It’s worth taking a CD in with you because they may well have a CD player in the room and you can then ask them to put on your own choice of music.  MP3 players should also be fine if you prefer, but I wasn’t allowed to use my bluetooth headphones, so make sure you’re using the ‘old-fashioned’ type that you plug in.

Take note, as this is the only time I will say it about a medical procedure: enjoy