Carol,
Glad you made it through okay. Those scans are really informative, like they will find all kinds of things. On one test they did on me they found some metal shot from a rabbit I had one winter. I had a gallium scan, which is a little different, they use a tracer that has the "biohazard" symbol on it and it's in a container like a small nuclear bomb. Then they inject it and I had to come back every day for three days. They watched it go all through my body. The next step was a pet scan, but they are reluctant to do that to me unless it's really necessary. The gallium scan was inconclusive for lymphoma, and I decided that if I got lymphoma type symptoms, I'd follow up because it just could be sjogrens. The PET scan is supposed to be much better.
I think you are right about not getting some quick emergent phone call. I know with the gallium scan, the gallium accumulates in tumors and in any inflammed area, so you could have an infection, or you could have a tumor. It is useful in showing where they might biopsy. Mine lit up in so many lymph nodes and my eyes and it wasn't practical to biopsy them all, especially with a pretty good cure rate with later stages of lymphoma, so its a wait and see for me. It's probably just sjogrens or even sarcoidosis type problem in my case. I may get another scan later to see if things have gotten much worse.
I don't know how the pet scan works, but what is really nice about these scans is it shows all these places where you had these little aches and pains and you can say "see, I really did hurt here!"
I can't imagine not being able to read or think, I wonder what happens if you have trouble thinking, like the confusion I'm having now. Maybe it just spins around and around in your head!
Wow, that would be hard about the kitten. You seem cheerier. I hope the docs are doing right by you. It sounds like it. I've been praying for you. Sorry I haven't been on, because I've been really dizzy lately. Take care and know I'm thinking of you.