Fun with a PET scan

Posted by Wayne:

DEFINITION: A PET, positron emission tomography, scan measures important body functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and sugar (glucose) metabolism, to help doctors evaluate how well organs and tissues are functioning.

CT imaging uses special x-ray equipment, and in some cases a contrast material, to produce multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body. These images can then be interpreted by a radiologist on a computer monitor as printed images. CT imaging provides excellent anatomic information.

(Information from: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=PET)

So, my doctor decided another test was needed. A PET scan. Innocent sounding enough name. I show up at the scan facility 30 minutes early for bookwork. I am taken back to a “quiet room”. No windows, no TV, no MP3 player and no books. I get 8 ounces of dye to drink and a needle in my arm, which is used to put radioactive isotopes in my body. 

Why did they not use the port in your chest, you ask? That would have required a RN. Techs cannot use ports. 

After the meds are flowing, I recline, get covered with a warm blanket, and am supposed to rest for 45 minutes. Wonderful concept…you would think.

Except for the two telephones that ring often {two different ring tones}. You never hear talking just ringing. Outside in the distance, I hear a roaring sound coming closer, easy to identify because I have one: a leaf blower.  Followed closely by another roaring sound: a lawn mower. So much for a quiet room. 

Now for the fun part. The tech takes you into room. A machine {looks like 2 large do-nuts back to back} takes up most of this room. You are placed on a conveyor table, which is not very wide nor is it very comfortable. Both arms are supposed to be over your head for the duration of the test. Did I mention that the test is 45 minutes long? Since I had the port inserted on my left side, I could not keep that arm up. They strapped it down with a huge Velcro blanket. It was at this point that I felt my first twinge of uneasiness... 

You slide slowly into the machine. My elbow hits the top and the side…more uneasiness. It seems my eyebrows are touching the top of the machine. The machine is closing in on my face. My breathing is very shallow. Less than 7 minutes into the test I am soaked in sweat, on the verge of panic. It takes 2 tries the get the technician’s attention. My voice is a croak. Finally, she stops the test. I calmly explained, in a relative manner, that I was coming out of the machine one way or the other, and the hospital could pay for the damages if I wasn’t allowed to exit the machine quickly.  

       When I talked to the doctor later in the day I asked to be sedated if we needed to repeat the test. No sedation for this test, I was told. However he did offer to give me an anti – anxiety drug. I told him they have not made enough of that drug for it to do me any good. We start chemo later in the week.