Yesterday I had a PET scan.  Basically, they inject a radioactive serum into one’s bloodstream and leave the room, turning off the lights.  In an hour, after the serum has coursed through your body…’coursed’ is too active-sounding a word since you aren’t allowed to do a thing, not one thing, not read, not text, no phone calls, nuthin’.  So perhaps the word would be sauntered, yes, sauntered through your body.

OK, I’m wearing clothing with nothing metal on it (well, except for the little metal hooks on a sports bra, but they assure me that’s fine) and I am led to a darkened room with a donut in the middle of it and a narrow cot sticking out of the end.

Mayo Clinic

Did I mention that I wrenched my back a week ago Monday?  Yes, indeedy, doing absolutely not a thing but lying in bed and relaxing for sleep to take me in its loving arms.  I felt a tweak and, now, existence is pain.  Worst pain ever!  Not going away, no drugs are beating it back, I can’t sleep except upright.  That’s a first and not a good sign.

Up in the middle of the night thanks to another med not working, I look up back pain med and discover Doan’s.  Its been working, thank the Good Lord…that and the back brace I am wearing 24×7.  My back does feel better, thank you for asking.  I read that it can take 4-6 weeks, ugh.

ANYway, so I’m gonna have to get on that narrow cot.  I have prepared so I’m as drugged up as possible (and still be able to drive)(which pls remind me not to do cuz it hurts my back).

I am to lie down with my head in a foam wedge, feet directed away from the machine.  THEN since the cot is so narrow with no place to hold your arms, they bring up 2 wide straps at either side of you and Velcro them together to hold your arms in place!

No, I will not panic, no I will not panic, I am stronger than claustrophobia.

Tbh, I’m more worried about pain in my back from lying still for 16 min.  In fact, its really what consumes my mind.  If I move, then I mess up the scan.

I can tell my back is thinking about it. The longer I lie down, the more the back wants to relax and I have to keep it from relaxing. Its almost like snakes are slithering around, NO, electric eels! writhing around and I’m just waiting for a shock of pain. You move 1 mm too far and bam! But It doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.

The scan will take about 16 minutes.  I close my eyes and the cot is pulled into the machine.  It makes very little noise, nothing at all like an MRI which feels like someone is banging drums from inside your brain.

Since the space is tight, I keep my eyes closed, singing The Lord’s Prayer just like I did in choir for years.  Its a very short song so I have to keep singing it over and over.

Finally, I open my eyes just a tetch and see that there’s a little clock that shows 15:xx minutes have elapsed.  Yay, almost over!

I’m brought out of the machine and the Tech comes to help me up, he weighs about 100 lbs…but he’s strong.

I get the results later that day!  Everything is as expected, with the exception of the back.  A little more info on the parotid and salivary glands which indicate a bit of possibility, but not too much extra info.  I think they think that the radiation will take care of it, in any case.

As to the back…I’ve a fractured L3…and its ‘lighting up’ the scan in a strange way that could be a lesion or totally might not be.  So, there’s another biopsy in my future to see what that’s about.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash

Best news is that the Dr is prescribing a lovely pain med to allow for sleep!  Ahhhhhh

Today, I went to the Dentist to make sure my mouth is in great shape since the radiation will make it difficult to have any work done if I get a cavity or something.

I haven’t been to the Dentist since, oh, 2009.  That’s right, you heard me, 2009…something to do with the Great Recession, I expect…that and my dislike of going to dentists plus maybe seeing that movie Marathon Man.

If you saw the movie, you’ll remember how cloves are involved. Photo by K15 Photos on Unsplash

So, deSPITE having been since 2009, the Dentist was VERY impressed with my teeth.  Asked me if I bleached them!  Said there were no stains, no cavities!  Just needed a cleaning, but there was very little plaque!  I do have a broken tooth, no pain from that, how weird.  I’ll be getting a root canal and a crown before I can have the various therapies.  Cr*p  Btw, I am crediting my great teeth (a change, since I’ve lots of fillings) to using Hydrogen Peroxide daily, swishing it around for 60 seconds or so.

The irradiation at my neck/jaw will cause a salivary gland to likely fail forever and the salivary glands help keep cavities at bay, so more dental cleanings are required.  Yippee

Overall, we have more info to add to the pile.  I guess that’s all the news that’s fit to print. 

I’m off to pack for our trip to CO, attending an Alfa Romeo National Convention and, conveniently, helping one of our kids finish his basement. Take THAT cancer and back injury, you aren’t the boss of me 😉

SOMEthing like this one Photo by Aleks Marinkovic on Unsplash