PET Scan

On Thursday, October 6, 2005, I had a PET scan done. It took much longer than I thought it would. Since the PET scan uses glucose, tagged with a radioactive isotope, to measure cancer (cancer feeds on sugar), I was told to eat a high protein meal the night before the test. I wasn't to eat anything after midnight until the test was finished. The first thing they did when I got to the imaging center was to test my fasting glucose level. Mine was 84, which meant I could continue with the test. Anything above 199, and I would have been sent home. They injected my arm with the radioactive glucose and had me rest quietly for 35 minutes while the dye circulated. The test seemed similar to a CT scan. They had to redo part of it because some of the dye leaked under my skin and covered up my innards. The PET scan technician was horrified at the huge bruise on my arm from where the port was put in two days prior. She was afraid it was infected and sent me to see the doctor after my scan was over. Turns out it wasn't infected, it just looked bad. It was only bruised. Please pray for a clean PET scan (that the cancer hasn't spread).