Heavy PETting in Seattle

Friday was a good, long day. I left here at 5AM to make my 9:15 at UWMC. The drive was uneventful, dark, and speedy until I hit Seattle traffic at around mile marker 22. I was surprised I made it through on time, even with a wrong turn. I parked in Triangle garage, patient parking and proceeded to the hospital, Radiology Department.

I was checked in and a nurse promptly came and escorted me to a room where I changed into a gown and went through the check your vitals deal. I'm really getting to know this whole process. Then we placed an IV for saline, to check my blood sugar, and the Radioactive dye they would be using for the PET scan. They check your blood sugar so it's low enough that you'll take up the radioactive dye well. They also wanted to place a urinary catheter because the radioactive dye tends to pool as you process it, and since the region they are more concerned about is in my groin, they wanted to be sure and drain any of the dye that was pooling and not being taken up. This, oh gentle readers, I believe is going to be the thing I hate about hospital. It isn't pleasant when they give it to you and when they take it out it isn't any better, not to mention the few days afterward.

Following the catheter insertion I wasn't anxious to move, so just laid around until my injection came. Nurse Anna gave that to me and then I had to wait around another half hour while it traveled through my body. I got tired of laying there and figured I've got to get used to moving around with the catheter, so I got up and paced the room. The nurse came shortly after that and was surprised to see me up, saying most people are afraid to move with the catheter in... She was concerned that I hadn't laid down long enough, saying it helped to spread the dye. She then started me on an IV of saline to hydrate me and we moved down to the PET/CT scanner. She and another nurse/PET tech got me on the scanner bed and told me to hold still and that there would be instructions from the scanner. This was much the same as my CAT scan, but it took longer, almost an hour. Other than the time, it was equally uneventful save when the bed moved me to far out and the drainage bag was pulled off and spilled. This stopped the scan for a while while the tech came and cleaned up and replaced the bag. The scan finished and the tech came and got me up and out, removed the catheter, removed the IV and sent me on my way.

I'd been fasting, as required, prior to this so had developed a huge appetite and intended to go to Red Mill burgers, a favourite of my buddy Allan, who I also was aiming to meet up with and clue into my condition and ask him to visit me once in a while when I'm in hospital. The burger hit the spot, and I went to SCCA to check my schedule while I was in the area. Made some calls, thought about what next I need to do, and tried to enjoy the rain in Seattle. Allan was working to 5:30, so I doddled around Seattle until then and made my way toward his office building. Met Allan, let him know what was up, and we headed off to his favourite bar to chat, then off to his apartment to hang out. Now that I've told Allan, no one else remains to be told that I feel NEEDs to know. Whew!

Schedule:
10/6
9am SCCA, Sedation
11am SCCA, Port Placement
12pm SCCA, Recovery
01pm SCCA, Social Worker Visit

10/11 10am
UWMC, Check-in to hospital for first round of Chemo