PET Scan Day. This was a day that I just ended up losing somehow. My scan was scheduled for 7:30 that morning and I knew I was getting injected with something and it would light me up. Something akin to a glucose drink for pregnancy and the cancer would eat it up and shine bright on the screen. Well, this was true. But there was more to this unknown. And I dislike the unknown.
I got there and this nice man, Bryan, was taking care of me. Chayse was there for the finger prick to check out my sugar levels and had placed my IV. He showed me the drink to enjoy (much better than the glucose drink!) to outline my intestinal track. I suppose for reference when he lined up the PET and the CT into one image. Then he asks about the kids, which I love talking about, and he stops and says, oh. You won't want to hold the 1 and 3 year old until at least dinner time. But the more you drink, the quicker you'll get the isotope out of you because of its half life. Whaaat? Half life? I remember hearing about that in school! And it's going in me?? Then the shipment containing my isotope comes just before 8 and he gets it prepped and then injects me and removes the IV. And then he says usually he shuts the door of the room I am in but since I prefer Chayse around (since I'm a baby and all) he lets Chayse sit outside my small room and in the hallway of the PET area while I just sit, read and sip my delicious drink for the next hour.
Once the hour is up I lay on a table and the CT pictures are taken first; just like last week. A quick in and out a few times. Then the PET. One bonus of being smaller, it didn't take as long as most! It gets a chunk of my midsection and takes a pictures for 3 1/2 minutes, and then moves onto the next section. The whole thing took about 20 minutes. Then Bryan tells me to make sure Grandma can watch the kids as long as possible to keep them from being harmed from the radiation being emitted from my body.
Well, if anyone has had a teething, grumpy one year old, you know just about how impossible it is for the babe to not sit in your lap or want to snuggle. I was also worried about nap time; that's a solid 5-7 minutes of me giving her a bottle and singing primary songs to her before she goes to sleep. So I hid for most of the day.
We left the hospital about 9:30 and got the most delicious breakfast at Chick-fil-a before taking Chayse to his office. (I don't know if I mentioned I was on a strict protein and greens diet for 24 hours and had to fast for 8, along with zero exercise-including walks-to make sure this test lights up correctly.) I spent some time there catching up on my cancer notebook and a few other things. Then I took off to Target to find a planner for 2018 and a few extra items. While there I realized a few things I wanted from Walmart to get for the girls I had been meaning to buy. Then I rushed over to get Zane and his buddies Riggins and Taysom from Ms Rachel's preschool. By this time Mimi (my mom) reported a sleeping Pippa and it was safe for me to come inside. Basically I avoided my kids all day. It was the strangest thing to be near them, but pretty much unable to assist or be too close to my little ones. I was able to do things around the house until Pippa woke up, when I grabbed a bag of Christmas cards to address (sure didn't), Dan Brown's new book Origin, and some returns I wanted to do while in my "isolation" time. I kept thinking of people I could visit, but I didn't want to expose them either. So I quickly did my two returns and headed to Chayse's Grandma's house to watch tv, read and nap until I needed to get Chayse from work at 5.
About 4 I headed downstairs for a treat from Shay's cupboard and Grandma was down watching TV. We then watched Ellen on opposite couches as I snacked and we chatted about nothing much. I also had to drink as much water as possible to wash out the isotope quicker. About 200 ounces later and a lot of bathroom trips...I think I did it! So off to get Chayse and to finally see my babies. It was such a strange day and it felt like I lost it as it slipped through my fingers. But another scan was checked off my list!!
Checked off so far:
CT
PET/CT
MRI
Ultrasound
Ultrasound Breast Biopsy
Mammogram
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