Scan Day

Update #2: Scan day (November 6)

Matt & I went in to the Avera Cancer Institute to check in for my PET CAT scans this morning around 9:45 am. Turns out the reason these tests take so long is there is a lot of waiting. They took me back to a little room with a nice cozy heated recliner and gave me a warm blanket while they checked my blood glucose level (Normal! Yay! Sometimes my sugars are weird) and started an IV. They apparently pumped me up with radioactive something or other (and I never even experienced any Spidey Sense. Movies are so misleading), then they let me chill for about 45 minutes while it worked into my system. I had left my phone with Matt in the lobby, so I just took a nap to the soothing sounds of 80's pop music (Xanadu!). I did get to watch the window washers rappel by and clean my window, so that was cool. FYI, they don't dress like super heroes at the grown-up hospital. 😒

Then I went in for the PET scan, which covered "nose to knees" (I remembered or was told wrong last week). This is not a bad test to have done. They put me on a nice flat gurney thing that gently moved in and out of this tube of white with rings of lights that reminded me of the O'Hare airport for some reason. I thought, "This is much more sci-fi and futuristic than those archaic MRI machines that sound like someone's banging on it with a hammer and shooting Buck Rogers lasers." Much more Star Trek in nature. The future of medicine, ladies and gentlemen.

After that, we moved on to the CT scan. This was a scan of just my abdominal area, liver in particular. I had to drink 32 oz of water before this test, which I did during the 45 minutes of waiting for the first test. I laid down on a similar looking contraption, though the tube was not as long. More like an enclosed hula hoop or a big mechanical floaty. This one had breathing instructions. The machine would tell me to "breathe in," "hold your breath" and "breathe" while it went through all its maneuvers. I don't know how their pictures don't turn out all blurry. The hula hoop was spinning away while I was holding my breath. Hope it has a fast shutter speed! 😉

I held my arms up and over my head for this one. They had to run a contrast iodine solution into my IV at one point and warned me that I would get a warm, hot flash sensation that might make me feel like I need to pee, but that it would pass. Let me tell you, I've experienced hot flashes before... this was not what this felt like! I felt it going into my arm, pooling in my clavicle area, then shooting down my midline and up into my tongue. I didn't feel like I had to go pee, I felt all warm and wet like I had already peed! (I hadn't. I asked) Unfortunately, the warming sensation made my mouth start watering, and not in the "I'm hungry for popcorn" way. More in the "Uh oh! This is what happens right before I puke" kind of way. 🤢

Yup, I puked. 🤮The techs were pretty Johnny on the spot though and caught most of it before I ruined my outfit. Nobody likes puking, especially when laying on their backs. I guess this is barf #1 for this round of cancer. I felt better immediately, and they checked for allergic reactions, but couldn't see any evidence. I just have a weak stomach. Also, one of the techs complimented my eye shadow AFTER I vomited. Good, I think?

Anyway, I thought that the graphic on the CT machine was kind of amusing. I sort of recreated it in the above picture. When you were allowed to breathe normally, the green face was on, when you had to hold your breath, the orange face was lit up. At first I looked at it and wondered if it was a warning that the patient was about to puke. Turns out, might have been a handy warning!

I was done an hour earlier than anticipated, so Matt & I had lunch at the counter downstairs.

Much thanks to Stacy Readd Dixon who came to keep Matt company in the waiting room, and to all my students who rescheduled their lessons for Friday this week.

We don't think we'll know results until Monday. I have an appointment with Dr. Dosch (surgeon) at 3:45, and I assume that's when we'll find out if it has spread at all. Thanks for all the prayers and positive vibes! You all are wonderful!