Chapter 22: First Pet Scan

 

 This is not a picture of my own scan, This just to give an idea of what the scan looks like.

So here we are at another test. I know that may come off as passive aggressive, but really its not intended to be that way. I am feeling so blessed to be able to have such an amazing team behind me to give me such great care. Even If I had to jump through quite a few hoops to get there. Next in the line up of tests, was a PET scan. For those of you who do not know what a PET scan is, the machine itself looks like  an MRI or CT machine, but it provides more specific results. According to dr. Google,  a PET scan, also known as a positron emission tomography, is a machine that doctors use to locate/check for disease inside the body. The person having the test is given dye containing "radioactive tracers", depending what part of the body they are looking at will decipher how the dye will be given i.e. orally, injection etc.

But here's the thing though, given the nature of the test and the dye given, you cannot just walk into a hospital and say "yeah ok thats great, gimmie a PET scan". From what I understand, it's some epic/elite bougie people sh*t, and you need to have the "powers that be" approve you to have one. Forreal tho! When my oncologist initially told me she wanted me to have a PET scan I was like sure boss! whatever you say. Although in the back of my mind I was like ANOTHER GD TEST! just get to the chemo already, i've already decided i'm gonna have my head! Joke was on me tho, there still was a lot of answers that even the doctors didn't have yet. So as I was saying when my oncologist told me she was awaiting approval for a PET scan, I was like oh well ok then, this is interesting. Turns out she had to take my case to the "tumour board" and get their approval for me to have this test.

If you think about it, thats pretty bada$$. "what do you do for a living?"......"I'm a member of the tumor board at PMH, and get to approve specific tests for people". UGH! so cool. It's like being in Seal team 6, or Black Ops in the CIA. Just a super bad a$$ job. Anyway, everything was halted for a bit, for a few days, until I was about to hear that this test was going to happen. Luckily for me, they did approve it.

The prep for a PET scan is naturally more extensive than a CT or MRI. With this test, like the others you have to fast and not consume any liquids a certain number of hours before. On top of that, you cannot do any exercise or vigorous movement up to and including 3 days before. Well there goes that 12 hour Zumba dance-a-thon I was planning on attending the night before.💃😆 excessive? yes, however if not followed, the results will be inaccurate. Seeing as the scan picks up activity within the body, aka "FDG uptake" which then tells the doctors where the cancer/tumour is. Imagine though, someone being a rebel and exercising the night before a PET scan? that sucker's whole body would light up like Mardi Gras parade float on Fat Tuesday!😂🔆🔆🔆

Before I knew it, the day was here. Seeing as I didn't sleep at all the night before from being so nervous not really knowing what to expect, I was really ready to get this sucker over with. On my way to the hospital, I did my usual party in the car routine. However this one looked a little different, seeing as I had to be careful with how much movement I was doing and not sing TOO loud. Next thing you know they may try to remove my whole throat cuz that lit up like a Christmas tree. So had to pass on the heavy metal scream session this time. 😆

I arrived at the hospital and went in to register, seemed to be painless so far. I didn't have to wait too long before they brought me to the back hallway and sat me down to ask a few routine questions. I wish I could give you the rundown of that, but I really can't. With having to fast for that length of time, and with no water as well......the situation wasn't really turning out in my favour at this point. Even as she was asking me the questions, my brain refused to work despite trying my best to answer.  Lucky for me the young woman I chatted with was pretty cool, mind you didn't seem to have a big sense of humour. Thats ok tho, i'm willing to put up with a lot of sh*t if you're good at what you do. Which i'm sure you all know, if you read even the first few chapters of this blog.😏 She then proceeded to take my blood sugar level, to ensure that it was the right level. Seeing as the dye they inject is radioactive "sugar dye". The last thing they want are any complications of corse. Aside from this current sh*t show i'm going through, im fairly healthy. Well I believe I am anyway. Even though I know i'm not diabetic, whenever a healthcare professional checks my blood sugar after ive been fasting....I cannot help but get super nervous of what the result will be. I feel like a cat, eventually my 9 lives will run out, y'know?

I was relieved to see the result was well within the normal adult range, PHEW! The next step was for sure the super awesome part. Her trying to find a vein to start the IV.......F.M.L🙄 As Ive mentioned before, my veins are super hard to find on a good day. Let alone a day where I've had to fast, and haven't drank any liquid in the past few hours. At this point it's like my veins were going for the gold medal in the hide and go seek Olympics. Those lil b*strds weren't coming out for anyone. She tried both arms, both forearms, both wrists, and both backs of my hands. Finally the game was over and she got one.

While she was inserting the IV, another staff walked up to where I was sitting, without saying anything, grabbed my chart and started reading it. Well geez a hello would be nice, I thought to myself. So I decided to take the matters into my own hands....

👩 "hey, how are yah" I said

👴"i'm good how are you" he replied

👩"well y'know, not the best but could be worse." As I shrugged my shoulders and gestured my head towards the lady putting in the IV.

👴"true" he replied and then smirked as he continued to read my chart.

👴"Do I know you?"

👩"Nope, just saying hi. Might as well make the best of a sh*tty situation y'know?"

👴"Exactly, why not! have you been here to have a PET scan before? your name looks familiar"

👩"Ive been here to have other tests done but not a PET scan"

I thought about it for a minute and then it hit me. I realized why he knew my name. He most likely heard about me from the first MRI I did there and had a full on mental breakdown. Well.. it was bound to get around some how. It was at this point I felt an overwhelming need to be excessively nice to every other staff I came across at that appointment. Especially the man who said my name looked familiar. The last thing I want is my name to precede me in a bad way of corse.😟

Finally she was able to get the IV in and escorted me around the corner to a quiet, dimly lit area with 3 recliner chairs divided by hospital curtains. "You can have a seat here and wait for the dye to do its thing and we will come back and get you in about an hour and a half". Lucky for me, I didn't have to change into my hospital couture yet while I waited. I knew ahead of time that I would have to wait at least an hour for the dye to do its thing, so I made sure my cell was full charged and that I downloaded a few Netflix movies before I left for the appointment. Much to my dismay however, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle to get there on time I forgot to charge my bluetooth headphones all the way and the battery died 20 mins in.😤🙄😒

Since back in the day, i've always despised those people who felt they were doing everyone a "solid", and outright favour even, by being the transit bus' personal DJ. Like really, what in any way possessed you to believe that as a transit rider, I would love NOTHING more than to hear that mumbling profane garbage you somehow refer to as music. Blasting on the highest level possible, not just from your phone, but from the headphone-less bluetooth speaker you have linked to it. Like c'mon guys! I'm not gonna lie if it was a packed bus during rush hour and someone came on blasting move b**ch by Ludacris,  or even a lil method man or Busta Rhymes, I could certainly get down with that. But its always the worst music that literally no-one has ever heard of other than the person playing it, compacted with the most swear words possible. Like why!?! if you did this, or continue to do this, we are not friends. Period.

Now i'm sure you are wondering why I had that rant just now, and don't worry i'm about to tell you. Before I do, in my defence let me start by saying 40 minutes is a LONG time to sit in a dark room, without doing anything, and not talk to anyone. Despite a man sitting in the chair next to me on the other side of the curtain, yes, I played my movies without my headphones. I didn't want to be like one of those A-holes on the bus and blast it as loud as I could so people coming into the lobby on the main floor could hear. Mind you although I played the movie, I doubt he even knew what was going on seeing as I could barely hear my movie playing over his hibernating bear like snoring. For real though, apparently when people snore its referred to as "sawing wood". If thats the case this guy must have been on mission to take down every tree in the Amazon rainforest at the rate and loudness he was going,😴 geez!

The time had finally come! no unfortunately mr. wood saw didn't wake up, it was finally time for my test.👏👏👏 The tech came and got me, I quickly changed into a hospital gown and went across the room to where the machine was. I put down my things and laid down on the table, I made a joke about how cold it was and the kind man offered me a warm blanket. Well holy cow! thats certainly an upgrade from both the MRI & CT's I had! I placed my hands above my head, and the machine began to turn on. It didn't talk and truly just sounded like a wind turbine, quite relaxing really. Surprisingly enough, was done in about 10 minutes and almost fell asleep from how quiet it was and how nice and warm the blanket felt. Too bad they couldn't have started with the PET scan in all this. Im sure overall it would have been a very different experience for sure. 

Before I knew it was over. I grabbed my stuff, changed, and went on my merry way. Seeing as its me, of corse the story is far from over. I got home and ate, drank and chilled out the rest of the night. I went to sleep at my usual time, before I knew it I woke up at around 2-3 am and could not go back to sleep the rest of the night. It might have been a reaction to the dye I was given, but the room was spinning, I was seeing doubles of everything and I couldn't stop dry heaving. Horrible, HORRIBLE I tell you! after about 4 hours of that, my husband woke up around 7am. I told him how I was feeling and that if I didn't get better in the next 20 minutes I was going to the hospital. Luckily by 7:30 ish, I was feeling better and was able to to function somewhat normally. At first I though it might have been my vertigo acting up again as i've had it before, but no, this was different. I probably should not have waited to go to the hospital, but seeing as the pandemic was still in full force, the last thing I wanted to do was be anywhere near a hospital.

Luckily, I was feeling better and just took it easy the next day. Heres to hoping the results come out in my favour.🤞

To be continued!!

See you all next Monday💖