PET Scan, what to expect

JanJan63

I've always been wimpy abut things like needles and pain. Having cancer and then the PE didn't make me tougher, it made me wimpier, if anything. So I have the PET scan coming up on Thursday morning and I'm wondering what's involved. They said they inject sugar and see where the cancer grabs it and then it lights up if there are enough cancer cells there. He aid it takes at least a million to show up.

Any better information you can give me or share with me exactly what the procedure is? I'm imagining something like the CT scans, does that sound about right?

Thank you!

Jan 

beaumontdave

48 hours before the scan you

48 hours before the scan you stop eating carbs and sugars, no dairy, no breads, just proteins, hard chesses and the like. You can't exercise or work hard 24 hours before the scan. You go in an a hour early, they inject the slightly radioactive solution into your arm, and you relax for the hour in a dimly lit area. It takes a little longer than a CT, after which you go to pee again, and stay away from kids and pregnant women for eight hours, until your body gets rid of the solution. It's not any harder than a CT with contrast, just a little spookier with what their putting in you. I had one after each CT scan last year, and it would be nice to avoid that this year, but who knows. Good luck to you, Jan.....................Dave

Trubrit

Darn it! Let me re-think that

Now that I think of it, maybe I was on some kind of diet before my scan. So, if you read my previous post which I have now deleted, I'm sorry. 

I've always had a CT Scan immedietely prior to my PET. So they just use the IV from the that. 

For me, after the infusion of Sugar, I have to recline in a comfy chair in the dark, in a room all on my own for 45 minutes to an hour. Then they take you into the scan room and have you void your bladder.  GET EVERY LAST DROP OUT.

I have bladder problems, and the sugar solution just makes me produce a vast amount of urine. So much so, I void and then about 15 mintues into the scan, I need to go again, but you're not alowed to move. By the end of the scan I am literally shaking with pain, as I try to hold on. If I ever have another scan I am wearing a diaper, and I will release whatever is there. I just can't do that again. 

But, it looks like the procedure goes differently at other facilities, so who knows what they will have you do. 

I am also having a scan on Thursday, but mine is just a CT Scan; and yes, I too HATE HATE HATE the needle. No matter how many I have had over the year, I do not get used to them. 

Oh, don't wear any metal. So no jeans buttons or buckles or rivets on your shoes. Bra comes off. Basically just like a CT Scan there. I always wear elasticated waists on CT days (most days, as I'm rolly polly).

Good luck on Thursday. When do you get your results? I don't get mine unitl February 5th. 

Sue - Trubrit

 

JanJan63

Thanks for the help you guys!

Thanks for the help you guys! I was told to drink 4 glasses of water in the hours before I go but nothing to eat 6 hours beforehand. It scheduled for 10:15 so just no breakfast. They didn't say anything about not exercising or anything else. I guess I should take a book? I'm booked to see my family doctor Friday morning. I hope he gets the results that fast. Then Friday afternoon I have to go with my husband to his colonoscopy. He's been having blood in his stool so he's been fast tracked. Faster than I was.

 

NewHere

It Is Pretty Easy

Not so bad as other mentioned. The best part?  I was given a card saying that I just had a PET Scan and I am radioactive. I always knew I was hot, but now I have a doctor's note saying it

lizard44

NewHere said:

It Is Pretty Easy

Not so bad as other mentioned. The best part?  I was given a card saying that I just had a PET Scan and I am radioactive. I always knew I was hot, but now I have a doctor's note saying it

Good one

You are on a roll lately, New Here I'm jealous, I didn't get a card!

 

Sharronoffaith

Not painful, spooky yeah

Hi Jan,

 

i've seen the other comments, and they are spot on.  Though, I had mine several months ago, and it was a PET/CT combination.  The only restriction I had was not being able to eat since the prior evening.  I am adding my two-cents here as the PET scan isn't so bad, no pain, but eerie with this box like thing they wheel over to you (looked to me like some weird carpet cleaning machine) and they just run the radioactive isotopes into you.  They then left me alone in a comfy recliner to "incubate."  Nothing hurts, no pain or weird fluid effects!  No worries!

I had wished I had taken my lorazepam med prior to this though (I advise that if you have any anti-anxiety meds prescribed to you) as it was just a little stressful with the time involved.  And, of course I was anxious over the scan and results anyway.  Definitely take the pee-break prior to entering the scan machine, as you will be there a little while. I think mine took two hours or a little more, but if you have PET alone, it should be less.

I laid in a CT machine for the scan, and just kept going over Psalm 23 in my head.  It helped to have some positive thoughts, as then they did two doses of the contrast.  Hopefully they will not do that, but again it wasn't so bad.  Though I had a lot of contrast which was ridiculous, as they dosed me 100cc's and then another 60cc,s.  I share that, so when you are in that machine, you can be glad you are not getting that--lol.  I have never had that much contrast at once since then, thank God.  So, PET alone is a breeze!  

 

Good luck, and well wishes

sharron

 

lizard44

It wasn't too bad

I was  instructed to stick to a high protein/low carb diet and to avoid  carbs & sugars (including foods like carrots, beets corn,fruits, juices, etc.)the night before.  The high protein diet allows for the reduction of cardiac uptake normally seen on a PET scan. I was also instructed not to  do any strenuous exercise 24-48 hours before the scan. I was told that  physical activity causes  the muscles to  take up the tracer and  may trigger a potential source of false-positive results in about one out of eight patients. I was  also told not to eat anything, not even gum or breath mints,  5 hours before the  scan and to drink plenty of water  two hours before the exam.
Like Sue,  I was told to empty my bladder, but that was before  the injection. Then I was injected with the radiotracer, left  in a recliner in a quiet  room for about 45 minutes and told to be as still as I could.   I was told it takes that long for the tracer to  travel through the body and be absorbed by the tissues and organs. Then I was  taken into the scan room and told to lie perfectly still while the scan was being conducted. Mine didn't take  that long, as I recall. The technician told me that was because I was so small, but I don't know if size actually detemines duration or not. The machine makes some very weird noises- more so than the  CT scan, as the table moves through the  doughnut hole.  Then it's over!   They told me to drink plenty of water afterwards to flush the tracer out of my body.

NewHere

lizard44 said:

Good one

You are on a roll lately, New Here I'm jealous, I didn't get a card!

 

So Wrong

The most expensive part is the card for crying out loud.  (I actually carry it in my wallet.  Weird souvernoir.  Got the medi-port implant card also, but not as much fun  Plus in New York City, NYPD Hercules teams have a ton of equipment to monitor for radioactivity.  Was told people have been stopped in the past.)

Sharronoffaith

Sitting still?

Hey Jan,

 

it's not a big deal, but I do recall that after they do the PET scan infusion, you sit in the comfy chair as everyone noted, but i was told I needed to just be PERFECTLY STILL.  Again, no pain or awful feelings from the injection, but I think the part that bothered me was the stillness.  I remember calling out to them as I was uncomfortable with one position, and asking if I could just shift my arm a little.

Again, no big deal, but I thought maybe an Ipod would be better, as flipping pages in a book is probably a no-no.

Now that I remember that, I realize why I wished I had taken my lorazepam prn.

 

best well wishes,

sharron

 

 

Trubrit

Sharronoffaith said:

Sitting still?

Hey Jan,

 

it's not a big deal, but I do recall that after they do the PET scan infusion, you sit in the comfy chair as everyone noted, but i was told I needed to just be PERFECTLY STILL.  Again, no pain or awful feelings from the injection, but I think the part that bothered me was the stillness.  I remember calling out to them as I was uncomfortable with one position, and asking if I could just shift my arm a little.

Again, no big deal, but I thought maybe an Ipod would be better, as flipping pages in a book is probably a no-no.

Now that I remember that, I realize why I wished I had taken my lorazepam prn.

 

best well wishes,

sharron

 

 

No stimulation of any kind

So no music allowed, at least when I was doing my 'sitting' before the scan. 

Thats when a good imagination comes into play. I think I pretended I was an Elf and went galavanting (in my head) through Lothlirien.

Sue - Trubrit

Trubrit

Fun

The fun thing now, about this post, is that Jan has probably had the scan and is just as wise as the rest of us. 

And thats how it all goes. We anticipate, we participate we get over it and wait for the next set. 

Sue - Trubrit

JanJan63

Trubrit said:

Fun

The fun thing now, about this post, is that Jan has probably had the scan and is just as wise as the rest of us. 

And thats how it all goes. We anticipate, we participate we get over it and wait for the next set. 

Sue - Trubrit

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still a PET scan virgin at this point. What's with the radioactivity andnot being around people? I have to be with my husband the next day for his colonoscopy.

JanJan63

JanJan63 said:

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still a PET scan virgin at this point. What's with the radioactivity andnot being around people? I have to be with my husband the next day for his colonoscopy.

I guess this explains why

I guess this explains why they're so reluctant to do them. When they signed me up for one I was wondering why they didn't just do that to start with.

lizard44

JanJan63 said:

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still

No, it's tomorrow! I'm still a PET scan virgin at this point. What's with the radioactivity andnot being around people? I have to be with my husband the next day for his colonoscopy.

Jan

There shouldn't be any problem with being around your husband unless he's pregnant or nursing . I found this on the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discussing  travelling on public transportation:

"There is no danger to other travellers on public transportation following a PET scan with due attention to pregnant women and children as in Qn. 7. However, in some countries, radiation detectors in public areas and specific locations such as airports can be inadvertently activated by even small amounts of radiation. Radiation detectors are now more sensitive than ever before. Nonetheless, the isotopes used for PET imaging decay so rapidly that after only 24 hours there is no danger of activating a radiation detector. However, it may be a good idea for the patient to obtain a document from the PET Centre stating that they have undergone a PET/CT scan, in case they are questioned."

 

And this on exposure  to pregnant women:

"Can a pregnant woman accompany a friend, partner or child who is having a scan?

It is not desirable. Although the radiation dose from the person undergoing a scan is fairly low, it is desirable to keep the radiation exposure to the foetus as low as reasonably achievable. Should a pregnant woman’s presence be necessary to comfort a small child, specific advice to keep their distance from the child and from other patients who have undergone PET scans or other diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclide procedures should be provided. In such a case, the contact time should be as short as possible."

 

 

JanJan63

lizard44 said:

Jan

There shouldn't be any problem with being around your husband unless he's pregnant or nursing . I found this on the website of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discussing  travelling on public transportation:

"There is no danger to other travellers on public transportation following a PET scan with due attention to pregnant women and children as in Qn. 7. However, in some countries, radiation detectors in public areas and specific locations such as airports can be inadvertently activated by even small amounts of radiation. Radiation detectors are now more sensitive than ever before. Nonetheless, the isotopes used for PET imaging decay so rapidly that after only 24 hours there is no danger of activating a radiation detector. However, it may be a good idea for the patient to obtain a document from the PET Centre stating that they have undergone a PET/CT scan, in case they are questioned."

 

And this on exposure  to pregnant women:

"Can a pregnant woman accompany a friend, partner or child who is having a scan?

It is not desirable. Although the radiation dose from the person undergoing a scan is fairly low, it is desirable to keep the radiation exposure to the foetus as low as reasonably achievable. Should a pregnant woman’s presence be necessary to comfort a small child, specific advice to keep their distance from the child and from other patients who have undergone PET scans or other diagnostic and therapeutic radionuclide procedures should be provided. In such a case, the contact time should be as short as possible."

 

 

Thanks! I'm done and home

Thanks! I'm done and home now. They said no dog cuddling until the evening so I'll hold off on that. It ended up being about an hour and a half altogether. Between the glucose test beforehand, the hour wait in the dark room after getting the 'stuff' put in, and a good 20 minutes in the machine. They said I could move enough to make myself comfortable during the hour in the room but not get up and walk around. it wasm't bad at all.

Thanks everyone for your information and advice! 

Trubrit

JanJan63 said:

Thanks! I'm done and home

Thanks! I'm done and home now. They said no dog cuddling until the evening so I'll hold off on that. It ended up being about an hour and a half altogether. Between the glucose test beforehand, the hour wait in the dark room after getting the 'stuff' put in, and a good 20 minutes in the machine. They said I could move enough to make myself comfortable during the hour in the room but not get up and walk around. it wasm't bad at all.

Thanks everyone for your information and advice! 

Ah!

No longer a virgin. 

Glad it all went well. Now for the results. 

Sue - Trubrit

Trubrit

When do you get your results, Jan? 

Sue - Trurbrit

JanJan63

Trubrit said:

When do you get your results, Jan? 

Sue - Trurbrit

Thanks for asking Sue. I got

Thanks for asking Sue. I got them this morning. The spots are mets. The good news is that nothing showed up anywhere else. They haven't grown so I have the option of either leaving them for now and doing something if they do grow or going ahead with radiation. I'm leaning towarsd radiation just to not have to worry about them anymore but I don't like the idea of being radiated again. On the other hand I don't want constant ct scans to check on them. I'm sick of having poisons in me.

My husband's colonoscopy showed 7 polyps which were all removed including one that they think is precancerous. It's being sent off for a biopsy. So I'm happy about that. I need him to lean on and I don't know if I could be strong if he had to go through some of what I did.

Jan 

beaumontdave

Sharronoffaith said:

Sitting still?

Hey Jan,

 

it's not a big deal, but I do recall that after they do the PET scan infusion, you sit in the comfy chair as everyone noted, but i was told I needed to just be PERFECTLY STILL.  Again, no pain or awful feelings from the injection, but I think the part that bothered me was the stillness.  I remember calling out to them as I was uncomfortable with one position, and asking if I could just shift my arm a little.

Again, no big deal, but I thought maybe an Ipod would be better, as flipping pages in a book is probably a no-no.

Now that I remember that, I realize why I wished I had taken my lorazepam prn.

 

best well wishes,

sharron

 

 

I read the newspaper during

I read the newspaper during the quiet time, interesting that they were telling you not to move.......................................Dave

Trubrit

beaumontdave said:

I read the newspaper during

I read the newspaper during the quiet time, interesting that they were telling you not to move.......................................Dave

Wow!

I was told no moving, no music, no nothing. 

It always fascinates me how Doctor's & facilities do things so differently.

I remember the time my Oncolgist said absolutely NO laxatives when I had constipation. Then he was gone one week, and his stand in Ocologist said take a laxative every day to cover yourself. Really?!! Can you get more oposite information. 

Sue - Trubrit