Yesterday was PET scan day for me. That involves a huge machine like an MRI beast. The scan shows areas where cancer is present in the body.
I was to report at 7:30 AM. Fasting was required including no coffee
. First thing to happen was an IV was inserted and some chemical was injected that helps the machine "see" the cancer. Then I was treated to a bottle of barium. That comes in flavors...banana, berry or mocha. I took the berry and yes, still is nasty and tastes like chalk.
There's a one hour waiting period for the injected chemical and barium to circulate in my body. Finally I'm inserted into the scanner. About 20 minutes of being moved back and forth through the tube. Finally released, my first action was to scarf down the candy bar I'd brought with me. I don't do fasting well.
I headed home knowing it would be a few days before the scan was read and available for me to see on on line account. Then next week to get it explained in English at my Oncology appointment.
As I walked in my back door, the phone rang and it was my Oncology nurse practitioner. Hey, she says, I have your PET scan results. I was stunned to say the least. Never have test results come back so fast.
The results:
It was good news and bad news. The chemo therapy has been doing some good. Prostrate responding well as the lymph nodes showing improvement. What doesn't look good are more spots of cancer on the bones. So... another bone biopsy ahead for me