I am sitting here in the curtained off room where you prep somewhat privately for the scan. I've had my IV of something (dye) and am drinking my barium cocktail. To prepare for this, I fasted for 6 hours. Really, last food was at 5:00 yesterday and last beverage at 9:30! My sugars measured 98, which I think is a little high for a fasting value. Another prep consideration is clothing. If I find an outfit without any metal in it, I don't have to change for the scan. This is a little difficult because I go straight to work afterwards. So here I am no snaps buckles zippers or hooks. My earrings are in my laptop case.
Next, I go into the scan room where I lay down placing my head in a preformed holder (a hard foam), then get covered with a thin blanket, and get strapped down bat the chest, legs, and feet. The key is to remain still for the 35 minutes it takes to scan. The one scan type is PET. I believe this is the one that looks for highly active cells. The cancer cells metabolize sugar (the drink I had) faster than normal cells. These will show up as hot spots, if they are there. The CT scan maps out my body so they can pinpoint exactly where the hot spots are. I get results next Tuesday.
When I leave, I decide if I am so hungry or am desperate for coffee. Then I either get something or wait and raid the work fridge. I think I will wait because we have some awesome leftovers from a luncheon yesterday.
I will post again next Tuesday.
Peace,
Greta
