Today was the day. Arrived at hospital at 11, 30 minutes early, glad I did. Once inside, their signs made no sense and I was on the wrong floor on the wrong side of the hospital. Two employees separately gave me bad direction, and finally a kind nurse saw me walking aimlessly around near an elevator. She personally rode with me on the elevator and walked me to where I needed to be.
I was put in a small room with only a very large hospital type recliner in it. Nurse came in and took my blood sugar first, she said it if was 200 or higher, no test. Mine was well under 100, no issue. She went over the risks of the test, and explained the isotope being used, as Tall Allen said in my other thread (you were right on, man) it was the FDG F-18.
Her records on me weren't complete, and when she found out about my 3 other cancer episodes and my previous neck/radiation, it was almost going to be a deal breaker. She said she had to clear it with a doctor in that department, to see if it was going to be safe to continue. He said, just barely, but I was definitely at a point where no further radiation of any type should be used in treatment with me, unless absolutely needed.
Then it was IV time. Took her 3 sites to find a good vein. And she did the famous digging around with the needles we all love. Finally, first she hydrated the vein with water of some sorts, felt like ice in me. Then she left and returned with a stainless steel syringe, large diameter with the isotope. Took a long time, and a lot of pressure on her part, to get it to flow into me properly. She stopped several times, to inject more water, then continued to inject it.
She left me watching tv and reading a car magazine, then returned with a 12 oz. cup of the most bitter and nasty tasting stuff I ever had to drink. Thought I was going to hurl just swallowing it. I was then left to sit for 40 minutes. She came again, with still another 12 oz of the same stuff, and this time, it was all I could do to get it in me. Twenty minutes later, the operator came in grabbed me and took me to the machine.
It was called a General Electric Discovery PET machine, it was only 2 years old, the first non-mobile PET machine ever in this large hospital system. Was very much like most MRI machines I have been in, but a tiny narrow tube. Had to pull my pants down to my ankles and then covered with a blanket. After a few adjustment runs in and out of the machine, she went for the real thing. Altogether, I was in the machine for 40 minutes. It moved so slowly, that it was almost impossible to detect. The hardest part, was having to have my arms stretched over my head the entire time, made my shoulders ache after a few minutes, and she stressed to try hard not to move a muscle. The tube was so tight, I bet there wasn't more than an inch above my nose looking upward.
So, I did what I usually do in those situations, I closed my eyes and zone out and daydreamed away the time, unlike MRIs. it was total silence in the machine and in the room. During the 40 minutes, she never once spoke to me or ask me how I was doing/feeling, thought that was a bit odd.
When it was finally over, she had to help me sit back up and get down off the table, was pretty stiff by then. She said that my doctor should have the full results by tomorrow at the latest, possibly this evening.
They never once asked for any money, no co-pay, zip. Liked that part. So now, its wait for the results. Oh, yeah, because of my previous cancers that were both on my scalp and throat, they did extra passes over my entire skull to make sure that there was no evidence of the dreaded porocarcinoma returning.
I will post the results as soon as I get them. Not too bad an experience, as this was my first PET scan ever. I saw one of my son's right after the test, and he said I looked very tired and as white as a ghost. Did feel pretty drained from the experience, but guess that is normal too.
david