It's Just that Easy...

I can't resist using that phrase...and nobody probably even knows who says it but me. Shell Busey (pronounced  Shell "Buzzy") from a home improvement show back home on Corus radio. I loved waking up to that guy's voice on weekends. http://www.askshell.com/

Anyway, what's 'just that easy'? Having a PET scan! That's right, the queen of claustrophobia just said it. It wasn't 'fun'...but it was definately do-able. As you know, I chickened out the first time (last week) and rescheduled. I spent the week trying to visualize myself through the scan, and really trying to think positively about it. But every time I did, I felt fear grip my stomach, ugh.

Had to prep for it again yesterday as well...back on the meat, eggs, tofu, and 2 veggie diet. The plain-ness of the food, especially being mostly meat, was awful. I spit out my dry, stir fried beef strips with green pepper, blegh! I made scrambled eggs instead and snuck in a few tomatoes just for some flavor and juiciness! No starchy veggies or ones that convert to much glucose allowed.

Huge headache that evening but got the all clear to take an aspirin (thanks Deena!). Thank God. Managed to sleep until my eyes popped open at 6:00 a.m. and I immediately started to cram in more visualizing for an hour before having to get out of bed. Ugh, still nervous! But I knew in my gut I would do it today.

What happens at a PET scan? Holy moly, pretty serious stuff. I was taken into the basement and had to change into scrubs and go into a tiny room and sit on a comfy Geri-chair (ok, I know it doesn't sound so serious yet). Then I had to start drinking 1 of 3 big glasses of water with an 'additive' in it for my GI tract. And it did taste just like water, only maybe slightly sweeter. An I.V. was inserted into my WRIST, yuck! (tech told me it was the easiest place since she had a hard time finding a vein in my arm). And I could taste the saline in my mouth. Alec, the self professed "nuclear med guy" then came into the room to shoot me up with the radioactive tracer. I loved Alec. Older, experienced, big, fluffy white beard, and KIND. He was so supportive and assured me, "You're going to be OK kid"....and not meaning just during the scan, but OK all together. What a guy.

Once the tracer was injected, they put me in 'solitary', no one could stay in the room with me. No moving, no talking, no reading, no music, no playing on my cell phone...NO stimulation. Lights dimmed. For an hour. During which time I also had to drink the other 2 glasses of 'water'. It was actually very comfy and peaceful and allowed me some time to adjust to my surroundings and talk myself off the ledge. When the tech came to get me for the scan, I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me nervous. At the same time, I was actually looking forward to going in the scanner for a nap. I know, whaaaat?!

I laid down on the scanner table and the tech bundled me up in 3 blankets and even wrapped my arms. Snug as a bug! I asked for a washcloth over my eyes, it's like an MRI scanner with a bit of a bigger tube (doesn't feel bigger when you're inside of it though!). Game on. I felt myself moving into the scanner. I was nervous but then the greatest thing happened...after only being in the scanner for a bit, it moved so that I was out again. I got a breather. And then it moved me back in for a while, and then it moved again and my head was out for a while. Phew! Those little moments of freedom were enough to relax me enough to make it through the entire scan. And I even peeked under my wash cloth several times to look inside the scanner and it didn't bother me.

PET scan done. The techs congratulated me. I thanked them and then headed to Frontier for some breakfast. Results on Tuesday...that's in about 5 days.