Pet/CT scan

Mary Jo · 06-24-2011, 08:15 PM

Totally understandable but try to remember to take it one day at a time! TODAY you are NED! Rejoice in today! Will be praying for you friend!

Jackie07 · 06-24-2011, 08:47 PM

Joan,

Ever since my recurrence was found after four years' misdiagnoses, I've lost confidence in the scans and my doctors.

I've been paying more attention to my own 'feelings'. For example, my lips always reflects my health. When they are dry and peeling, I know something is wrong. The challenge is to figure out which part of my body is wrong.

Even my lab work fooled the doctors. My chronic iron deficiency anemia turned out to have been caused by excessive blood loss during menses - and that was caused by disrupted sleep - which was caused by the life-long brain tumor pressuring on my head.

I asked my oncologist to give me a urine sample test when I had my 6 month check last month. It was almost five days before the oncology nurse called me and told me to pick up the antibiotics they just ordered for me. Usually we'd get the result back within a couple of hours. I guess the cranberry pills I had been taking must have 'masked' the lab reading and they had to either 'culture' it or send the sample away for further testing.

Not sure how this might help you. I do know that I have to take deep breaths when I'm inside of the 'tube'. It has to be an age thing because I was never 'clausterphobic' when I was younger.

michka · 06-25-2011, 12:07 AM

Joan I understand what you feel but I will be thinking of you hoping your next message will be NED! I had a PET/Scan 10 days ago and I am going to have a MRI of my sternum in 4 hours. I was always worried of the results but these exams were easy. Now I just can't stand going in the tubes. I even get claustrophobia now. I have to take something to calm me down before otherwise I may not be able to stand the stress. I wasn't like that at all before. This time is terrible because a spot lit up on the Pet. I am hanging on to the idea it is the same place on my rib near the sternum where the surgeon scrapped the cartilage and the bone to pass an artery when I had my breast reconstruction. That place always hurts when I press on it since surgery. I already had that checked after a Pet 7 months ago but this time, they seem much more concerned even speaking about a biopsy of the sternum.
In my tube I will think of you. You are my reference. You helped me so much. "Joan did it, so I can also" and I will be hoping for another NED for you.
Hugs, Michka

Delaney · 06-25-2011, 02:07 AM

Joan, and Michka, and anyone else going thru scans, I know how you are feeling and I hope NED is not too far off (for all of us!). I had brain/ct scans last week, I took half an ativan to get through it, the nurse said it would be like taking a stiff drink - she was right - it meant I got thru the day kinda sane. I got the results the same day for a change, they were good, brain clear, everything else decreasing, so I will remain on Gemzar/Herceptin/Tvverb and Zometa for another while.
Joan, it must be even harder when you have been NED for a while - but you got to NED - so you will probably still be NED- YES YOU WILL! Use ativan if you have to, visual imagry works well in the tube too. Let us know how it goes and very best wishes.