Training Complete!

I've now had several cat scans, MRI, X-Rays, and now a Pet cat scan. I've completed training on all scans:)

After filling out my paperwork, I received a beautiful bracelet for my stay. I went into a small room with a big blue throne. Even had a pillow for my arm. After looking over my veins for several minutes, the very personable Tech hooked up the IV. Have to say, this was the best IV I've had. Least pain of other sticks, and no bruising even now. I wish I could remember what it said on his nametag. Radioactive something. Very cool title. First, saline injected via IV, then after a try at drawing my blood from the IV, he had to stick me:( Checking glucose level. If level is too high, as with diabetics, the scan will not work. Then he injected the radioactive isotope florine 18 with glucose. This radioactive isatope was brought into the room after all the prep was done. It was in this metal container marked radioactive and injected from there into my IV.

After this I waited in another room for 45 minutes so the glucose can begin to metabolize in the tissues. Info on the bottom of this entry about pet scan and more info. Next I was brought into the room with the cat scan equipment. The Tech, Michael, very kind, enjoyable even, got me set up on the bed, if you can call the long plank a bed. 1st there were x-rays, then cat scans and lastly the pet scan which lasted 35 minutes. Lawrence was able to be in the room for the petscan portion.

After the pet scan they gave me water, and a granola bar! Who ever heard of such a thing! How nice. All around, best customer service in a medical situation I've encountered.

I can't nurse for 24 hours, so that takes me to 2p tomorrow. Poor Silas. He was so sad tonight when he couldn't nurse to sleep. He laid under the piano bench gently crying face-down on the carpet. So sad. He didn't cry and scream, but morned.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) which is a more precise and sophisticated technique using isotopes produced in a cyclotron. A positron-emitting radionuclide is introduced, usually by injection, and accumulates in the target tissue. As it decays it emits a positron, which promptly combines with a nearby electron resulting in the simultaneous emission of two identifiable gamma rays in opposite directions. These are detected by a PET camera and give very precise indication of their origin. PET's most important clinical role is in oncology, with fluorine-18 as the tracer, since it has proven to be the most accurate non-invasive method of detecting and evaluating most cancers.