A 68-year-old woman has arrived for a scheduled abdominal com-puted tomography (CT) scan

A 68-year-old woman has arrived for a scheduled abdominal com-puted tomography (CT) scan in the radiology department where you work as a tech. A part of the process of preparing the patient for the scan is to have her ingest a contrast agent in the form of a drink—sort of a pharmaceutical milkshake. She has had CT scans before and has consumed contrast, but she is convinced that since that last CT she has developed an allergy to the agent. She is terri-fied of the drink. She has no rational reason for believing she sud-denly has an allergy, and she should drink the solution as soon as possible if she is to have her scheduled scan in 30 minutes. What would be the appropriate way to speak to this patient about the prospect of drinking the contrast? Explain your answer.