6 month checkup

My Mase monster

Last week I had to go in for my 6 month checkup. This would be the first PET scan after I have finished both chemotherapy and radiation. I had to go on an all protein diet the day before getting my PET scan. It's not that bad but hard to stay away from sugar or any carbohydrates. EVERYTHING has either or both of the two. The morning of my PET scan I didn't realize I didn't drink any water. I was too nervous to think straight. I kept doing things over and over again like look in my bag and put it down then come back to look in my bag again to move it. Had no idea what I was looking for but needed to do something to keep me distracted.

My appointment was at 11:00am so I couldn't eat anything in the morning. Why is it that once you are restricted you want it even more? I'm usually not into breakfast but that morning I could only think of how good an omelette would be or a bowl of cereal.

As I check in for my appointment I'm super calm. I'm not nervous or have any kind of anxiety. They call my name and bring me to the prep room. We do the usual routine of explaining the procedure, getting me to change into hospital clothes, and what locker will be assigned to me for my belongings. After changing I have to get a prick on my finger to test my blood sugar level. Same thing someone with diabetes would have to do. Then I get to lay down while I wait for them to start an IV and get me prepped. Everything is going as planned and I'm still calm. They give me a valium to make sure my neck and shoulder muscles are relaxed. Sometimes if you're too cold or too tense when they shoot whatever nuclear dye they shoot in for the PET scan then it doesn't allow the dye to go into those muscles causing a false negative. So, I ask "what does valium do"? I'm thinking of vicodin..lol The nurse replies "it's for anxiety and muscle spasms. I'm a little surprised and feel actually a little good because of my anxiety of getting the IV. Then my PET scan tech comes in to do the IV.

Well ladies and gentlemen this is where the drama begins...
The tech comes in and gathers everything he needs for the IV. I'm cool because the valium is supposed to help with this right???..WRONG! Anyway, I'm laying in the bed and they ask to see my left arm. They put the tourniquet on and start slapping away to see what vein is going to pop up and scream "poke me." (Ok I'm getting woozy just typing this..haha) So after a while he feels like the middle of my arm is good. Everything is going well and then he sticks me. OUCH! I'm turned the other way and notice he's still doing stuff and then I turn over to look and ask "is it ok" but before I do I see his head shaking like he's saying no. Oh my! Then he says "I had it but now I don't. I'm sorry I have to do another one". Oh great! So we do the whole tourniquet thing and the whole slapping thing and he decides he wants to do it on the side of my wrist. ya ok..wherever..whatever. Turning the other way he goes in again. OUCH again. Still no "I got it" or "there we go". I'm scared now. He's still digging around. I don't even want to ask. I'm getting a little lightheaded. Then he says "I didn't get it". NOOOOO...that means I need to get poked another time. He goes and gets another tech to do it. She comes in and is talking to me to try and distract me. On the other arm she does the same thing. First the middle of my arm. No luck! Then the side of my wrist. No Luck! That's four attempts with no luck. She asks me if I drank a lot of water. Oops! I forgot to drink any water that whole morning. That's what I get for not hydrating my veins. Note to self: drink water or else they'll stick you multiple times and torture you. They make a call to the IV nurse but sometimes they're so busy that they don't come until an hour later. Because timing is very critical during a PET scan the first tech comes back and says "the IV nurse might take too long so we have to try it in your foot". WHAT???? He already had the tourniquet on my ankle and off getting supplies when the IV nurse walks in with her cart. THANK YOU! I was really scared about the foot thing. She waltzes in and and has the IV in in no time. He secret weapon? Numbing medicine. It's awesome. Actually the numbing medicine hurt but worked so quickly that I didn't even feel her doing the IV.

Now that I have the IV in I get the nuclear dye shot in me. After I get that I have to wait 45 minutes for the dye to work it's way through my body. This is so boring. I lay there and can't read, cross my legs, put my hands over my head. I try to sleep but who can sleep when so many scenarios are running through your head about getting the results.

After a long wait I walk into the PET scan room. They have you lay down with your hands over your head as they tuck you in and strap you down so you don't move. Another 45 minutes of not moving. You go in this machine similar to a CT Scan and it first does a scan of your whole body and then moves you slowly back until your whole body is scanned.

**THE RESULTS**

A week later I go into see my oncologist for my PET scan results. Usually when you check in the nurse hands you a lab slip so you can draw your blood before you see Dr. It's so he can check on your bloodwork before your appointment. This time I get the slip I'm familiar with and then another slip. I'm confused and scared. Anything out of the ordinary is bad right? I walk into the lab and hand them my slip. Then I get a confused look and he says "oh I need to call about this. I don't know the exact procedure." This cannot be good at all! He gets on the phone and still looks confused. The he asks me "are you getting a transplant"? WHAT??? I say "Oh I didn't see Dr. yet but I guess so. I'm tearing a little because my dr. had mentioned that if the cancer does come back my next step is a stem cell transplant. I'm confident at this point I still have cancer. I have to give 8 vial of blood. I seriously almost passed out. Luckily I have the chemo nurses draw my blood so if I do faint I'm reclined on the chair.

I get called in to check my vitals and get put into a room to wait for my dr. He comes in smiling and nonchalantly in one breath says "Hi Ashley..How you doing..PET scan was clean...are you feeling any new symptoms?" WHAT..Wait HOLD UP! I had to stop him and ask him "So, my PET scan was clean" and he goes 'ya..you don't have any evidence of disease". Whoa..that's huge news. I told him "I almost had a breakdown back there because the lab asked me if I was having a transplant." He goes on to explain that the reason I had to give that much blood was because during my last transfusion the girl who I got blood from did not inform the blood bank that she had a piercing so they have to retest my blood to make sure I didn't get anything. He said I have less than a 1% chance of actually having something from her. That's a little scary but I'm pretty confident that I'll be ok. Actually I know I'll be OK. I'm in REMISSION!!!! YAHOOOOOO!

Life is just awesome for me right now. We're leaving to go to Disneyland in a week. I'll be turning 30 in less than a month and this is has been the best early birthday present ever. I know I still have checkups and there is a real reality that I'll have it come back or another cancer from my treatments but right now I'll deal with it when it comes. I'm just happy to know I'm going to be here for a long time watching my boys grow up and getting old with my Keoki.

Because my blog might get a little boring (as it has for the past couple months) I've decided to start blogging about random things, everyday life or whatever I'm thinking. Hope you still come visit. I just want to keep it exciting while waiting for other tests and checkups.