PET Scan

I was too sick with bronchitis last Thursday when the PET scan was originally scheduled, so it's rescheduled for today at 12:30 p.m. at Huntsman Cancer Institute.

It's a beautiful building with amazing materials and gorgeous stone that high on the mountainside behind Primary Childrens and the University of Utah hospitals. Just walking in seems like entering a place of authority that knows what it's doing and calm assurance.

I get to third floor radiology and am almost immediately taken back for the PET scan.

Whoops, but my port isn't accessed and the technicians haven't been trained how to access ports. Weird, because I swear that last time, they accessed it okay.

But they have to find someone else that can access ports, so I'm wheeled off to mammography or the breast health department (trying to balance a large oxygen tank and it's cart on top of the arm rests) that's just down the hallway.

I'm amazed to watch as the nurse in the lab has to use sterile technique to access the port and even comment about it. It's interesting to see the different protocols that different medical facilities use, because Dr. Wendy's clinic (which is part of Huntsman Cancer Institute) doesn't use sterile technique, just a fresh pair of gloves to access my port.

The port is successfully accessed, so I'm wheeled back to radiology where the radioactive isotope is injected and the long waiting period begins.

The lights are dimmed, I'm covered with two warm blankets, and I proceed to rest quietly (without moving) for 75 minutes. I'm getting pretty good at accounting for the passage of time because just about when I think it's been 75 minutes, the doors open and I'm whisked off to the CT/PET machine.

No oral or IV contrast, and the scans are complete in about 35 minutes.

I'm free for the rest of the day. Well, as free as I can be with a walking boot on my left foot and dragging a large oxygen tank and its cart behind me. I even manage to snag a fun size Twix bar from the valet attendants that's left over from Easter (because I've been fasting since 6 a.m. and it's now after 3:00 p.m.).

Now to drive back home.