Pet scan Thursday

JoanieP
JoanieP Member Posts: 573
I have a Pet scan tomorrow at 1pm. I haven't had one in 14 months. The person in charge of PET scan told me to drink a gallon of this kind of red tea afterward to get out the radiation. I never heard of that. I will let you all know what it is called.
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Comments

  • merrywinner
    merrywinner Member Posts: 626 Member
    Oh Good luck!
    I will send some prayers your way and also pray for positive results. I hope you won't have to wait too long. Hmm...red tea, interesting. I'll also look forward to hearing about that. Mary(FNHL-1-4A-8/08)
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    Good luck tomorrow
    Joanie,
    Good luck with that pet scan tomorrow. I know you are on pins and needles. I am sure the reults will be great. Keep us posted. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)
  • vinny59
    vinny59 Member Posts: 1,036 Member
    COBRA666 said:

    Good luck tomorrow
    Joanie,
    Good luck with that pet scan tomorrow. I know you are on pins and needles. I am sure the reults will be great. Keep us posted. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)

    pet
    Good luck on that PET Scan!!! Good thoughts your way........ Vinny
  • allmost60
    allmost60 Member Posts: 3,178 Member
    Good luck!
    Hi Joanie,
    You said you were feeling good and haven't had any new signs or problems, so I can only imagine that your scan is going to be very, very good! . Maybe you will have a "hottie" radiologist doing your scan....hahaha! I'll be thinking good thoughts and sending prayers your way!...Love...Sue (FNHL-2-3A-6/10)
  • tcvine
    tcvine Member Posts: 174
    Good Luck!
    Good luck tomorrow, Joanie.

    I'm looking forward to hearing great news!

    Tom (DLBCF-4-7/10)
  • britta
    britta Member Posts: 107
    Pet Scan
    Joanie,

    Praying for good results tomorrow. Does anyone know why sometimes they do pet scans and sometimes cat scans. My doctor told me you actually get more radiation from the cat scan, and yet that's what he orders???

    Darlene
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    britta said:

    Pet Scan
    Joanie,

    Praying for good results tomorrow. Does anyone know why sometimes they do pet scans and sometimes cat scans. My doctor told me you actually get more radiation from the cat scan, and yet that's what he orders???

    Darlene

    pet vs.cat
    Darlene,
    the ct scan is good for pin pointing exact location of anything that does not belong. The pet scan shows more detail in a 3-d view.You can tell exact size of any abnormality. The pet scan is a combo of an MRI and CT scan. I asked that question of the radiologist when I had my 1st PET scan. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)
  • truckingalong
    truckingalong Member Posts: 445 Member
    COBRA666 said:

    pet vs.cat
    Darlene,
    the ct scan is good for pin pointing exact location of anything that does not belong. The pet scan shows more detail in a 3-d view.You can tell exact size of any abnormality. The pet scan is a combo of an MRI and CT scan. I asked that question of the radiologist when I had my 1st PET scan. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)

    Good luck and thanks john for clarifying the info
    Joanie, I will be thinking of you with good news!

    John, always a challenge to remember which is which so I will use CAT scan to remember like as a cat going for the rat - to the exact location as opposed to PET as a general 3-D view. That helps.
    Thanks!

    Liz
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member

    Good luck and thanks john for clarifying the info
    Joanie, I will be thinking of you with good news!

    John, always a challenge to remember which is which so I will use CAT scan to remember like as a cat going for the rat - to the exact location as opposed to PET as a general 3-D view. That helps.
    Thanks!

    Liz

    PET SCAN ADVANTAGE.
    Liz,
    Another point to make about the pet scan is it can actually tell an abnormal cell from a normal cell. It is measured in the SUV's. The pictures are taken so rapidly its like a moving picture of still shots. The more rapid the SUV's tells them the cells are abnormal. The normal cell has a high uptake as well, but no ways as fast as an abnormal cell. SUV (sugar or standard uptake value). The ct scan would show about the same thing but it would be a little more difficult to tell exactly how quick the cells are responding to the sugar and radio-active shot we get before the test. That would mean a lot of hot spots,if there are any would be missed. The scans are read by a computer and interpeted by the radiologist. The bad news is the pet scan emits a bit more radiation thru the body. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)
  • yesyes2
    yesyes2 Member Posts: 591
    COBRA666 said:

    PET SCAN ADVANTAGE.
    Liz,
    Another point to make about the pet scan is it can actually tell an abnormal cell from a normal cell. It is measured in the SUV's. The pictures are taken so rapidly its like a moving picture of still shots. The more rapid the SUV's tells them the cells are abnormal. The normal cell has a high uptake as well, but no ways as fast as an abnormal cell. SUV (sugar or standard uptake value). The ct scan would show about the same thing but it would be a little more difficult to tell exactly how quick the cells are responding to the sugar and radio-active shot we get before the test. That would mean a lot of hot spots,if there are any would be missed. The scans are read by a computer and interpeted by the radiologist. The bad news is the pet scan emits a bit more radiation thru the body. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)

    PET or CT
    Hmmm, I've been told that CT scans give off more radiation than PET/CT. Both are not good for you, but we need them. My Oncs use CT to follow after a remission is reached. They us PET to stage. False positives are common with PETs as any inflamation will be picked up as increased SUV. I had SUV of 25 in the lining of my stomach on an otherwise clean PET, after biopsy told just normal but inflammed tissue. So not so cut and dryed as if it lights up its cancer. I also have a spot on sacra which has always lite up but is normal bone and tissue. We are all different.

    Leslie
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    yesyes2 said:

    PET or CT
    Hmmm, I've been told that CT scans give off more radiation than PET/CT. Both are not good for you, but we need them. My Oncs use CT to follow after a remission is reached. They us PET to stage. False positives are common with PETs as any inflamation will be picked up as increased SUV. I had SUV of 25 in the lining of my stomach on an otherwise clean PET, after biopsy told just normal but inflammed tissue. So not so cut and dryed as if it lights up its cancer. I also have a spot on sacra which has always lite up but is normal bone and tissue. We are all different.

    Leslie

    Pet orCT
    Leslie,
    I don't really know anymore. They could tell me the moon is green cheese and I would wonder how it taste. I hear so much stuff. I even ask them the same questions and get 5 different answers from 5 different experts. Even a simple x-ray is not good for people. As long as they keep us in the dark about certain things the more experiments they can do. I know what you mean about the SUV's lighting up. I had lighted hip bone marrow, but it was determined as normal because of the neulasta shot stimulating the marrow cells. It makes me hope they know what they are talking about.
    I know when I had my ct scan about 8 months ago the enlarged nodes were seen. They scheduled me for a pet scan so they could size and stage the lymph nodes. They said the pet scan will give them a 3-D look at the nodes which will allow them to measure lenght,width and depth of each node. The contrast and radio-active isotope will highlight the uptake of the SWEEEEEET contrast (pint of sugar and 3 tsps of water mixture) they have us drink an hour ahead of time. This aids them to tell the density of the node. John
    (FNHL=1=4A-5/10)
  • yesyes2
    yesyes2 Member Posts: 591
    COBRA666 said:

    Pet orCT
    Leslie,
    I don't really know anymore. They could tell me the moon is green cheese and I would wonder how it taste. I hear so much stuff. I even ask them the same questions and get 5 different answers from 5 different experts. Even a simple x-ray is not good for people. As long as they keep us in the dark about certain things the more experiments they can do. I know what you mean about the SUV's lighting up. I had lighted hip bone marrow, but it was determined as normal because of the neulasta shot stimulating the marrow cells. It makes me hope they know what they are talking about.
    I know when I had my ct scan about 8 months ago the enlarged nodes were seen. They scheduled me for a pet scan so they could size and stage the lymph nodes. They said the pet scan will give them a 3-D look at the nodes which will allow them to measure lenght,width and depth of each node. The contrast and radio-active isotope will highlight the uptake of the SWEEEEEET contrast (pint of sugar and 3 tsps of water mixture) they have us drink an hour ahead of time. This aids them to tell the density of the node. John
    (FNHL=1=4A-5/10)

    PET
    John,
    I agree, I think we are all canarys in the coal mines, some giant experiment. Just hope I don't turn green and glow, lol. I've never been given anything to drink with my PET, only receive the radioactive sugar as a shot into a vein. They can't use ports for this injection as I was told it could destroy the port and the sugar would stay more around the heart. But I know some centers do use ports for theiir injections. Wish everything was standardized, drives me CRAZY.
    Leslie
  • forme
    forme Member Posts: 1,161 Member
    yesyes2 said:

    PET
    John,
    I agree, I think we are all canarys in the coal mines, some giant experiment. Just hope I don't turn green and glow, lol. I've never been given anything to drink with my PET, only receive the radioactive sugar as a shot into a vein. They can't use ports for this injection as I was told it could destroy the port and the sugar would stay more around the heart. But I know some centers do use ports for theiir injections. Wish everything was standardized, drives me CRAZY.
    Leslie

    Me too
    I have only had it as an injection. Never drank anything.
    BTW a ct scan of the abdomen is equal to about 400 chest xrays in radiation dose. Very LAME
  • yesyes2
    yesyes2 Member Posts: 591
    forme said:

    Me too
    I have only had it as an injection. Never drank anything.
    BTW a ct scan of the abdomen is equal to about 400 chest xrays in radiation dose. Very LAME

    Scary Huh!
    Wonder what a ct of chest/abdom/pelvus totals. See, I will turn green. And it's even scarier for us that have had radiation. I had 6 1/2 wks of radiation to my right breast and 15 days of rads to my underarm for breast cancer in 1992 and am at increased risk for lung cancer and sarcomas because of this radiation. When I was diagnosed with BC to my other breast in 2008 I refused to do radiation. Never again. But I am getting these darn CTs every 4 months. Feel like I'm a petri dish just waiting to grow more cancer cells.
    Sorry to go off just that kind of day. Need to get off of this darn computer.
    Leslie
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    yesyes2 said:

    PET
    John,
    I agree, I think we are all canarys in the coal mines, some giant experiment. Just hope I don't turn green and glow, lol. I've never been given anything to drink with my PET, only receive the radioactive sugar as a shot into a vein. They can't use ports for this injection as I was told it could destroy the port and the sugar would stay more around the heart. But I know some centers do use ports for theiir injections. Wish everything was standardized, drives me CRAZY.
    Leslie

    PET
    The sugar drink was 16 ozs. of very very sweet pineapple flavored sugar water. It didn't taste that bad, just hard to swallow being so sweet. The radio injection was in a lead coated box with a needle on one end and the plunger on the other. It was a little longer than a matchbox. The amount was so small I hardly saw the plunger move. Even though the amount was small it made my arm feel cool for about a minute. It is supposed to attach to the sugar mix I had just drank. They wait about 10 minutes and put me on the gurney in front of the pet machine and then hook a dye solution drip to the needle they placed in my arm earlier. I lay on the gurney for another 10-15 minutes to be sure the dye is circulating thru the arteries and veins and the organs and then they start the photo session that only last 15 minutes. They go from the head to the knee. They said its 1000's of pictures that are sorted and put together by a computer. The info is then printed out along with the compiled pictures and left for the radiologist to interpret in language we can't understand. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)
  • yesyes2
    yesyes2 Member Posts: 591
    COBRA666 said:

    PET
    The sugar drink was 16 ozs. of very very sweet pineapple flavored sugar water. It didn't taste that bad, just hard to swallow being so sweet. The radio injection was in a lead coated box with a needle on one end and the plunger on the other. It was a little longer than a matchbox. The amount was so small I hardly saw the plunger move. Even though the amount was small it made my arm feel cool for about a minute. It is supposed to attach to the sugar mix I had just drank. They wait about 10 minutes and put me on the gurney in front of the pet machine and then hook a dye solution drip to the needle they placed in my arm earlier. I lay on the gurney for another 10-15 minutes to be sure the dye is circulating thru the arteries and veins and the organs and then they start the photo session that only last 15 minutes. They go from the head to the knee. They said its 1000's of pictures that are sorted and put together by a computer. The info is then printed out along with the compiled pictures and left for the radiologist to interpret in language we can't understand. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)

    HUH
    Hey John
    Very interesting. Not very much like my PET/CT scans but guess the results are similar. I do not receive an IV with any type of dye nor drink anything. Need to eat only protiens for 24 hoours, fast for at least 8 hrs with drinking only water and receive the radioactive injection same as you. My understanding isn't that the PET is lots of different pictures but could be. Have you ever seen your PET scan. It's interesting as it compiles your entire body, plus organs, over a ct scan. You can see your organs and exactly how many and how hot the active areas are Way cool.
    Leslie.
  • dixiegirl
    dixiegirl Member Posts: 1,043 Member
    yesyes2 said:

    PET
    John,
    I agree, I think we are all canarys in the coal mines, some giant experiment. Just hope I don't turn green and glow, lol. I've never been given anything to drink with my PET, only receive the radioactive sugar as a shot into a vein. They can't use ports for this injection as I was told it could destroy the port and the sugar would stay more around the heart. But I know some centers do use ports for theiir injections. Wish everything was standardized, drives me CRAZY.
    Leslie

    Drinking
    I've only had CT's where I have had to drink stuff. I just get the shot for pet/ct.
  • tcvine
    tcvine Member Posts: 174
    Any Results?
    Hey Joanie,

    Get any results yet?

    Tom (DLBCL-4-7/10)
  • tcvine
    tcvine Member Posts: 174
    COBRA666 said:

    PET
    The sugar drink was 16 ozs. of very very sweet pineapple flavored sugar water. It didn't taste that bad, just hard to swallow being so sweet. The radio injection was in a lead coated box with a needle on one end and the plunger on the other. It was a little longer than a matchbox. The amount was so small I hardly saw the plunger move. Even though the amount was small it made my arm feel cool for about a minute. It is supposed to attach to the sugar mix I had just drank. They wait about 10 minutes and put me on the gurney in front of the pet machine and then hook a dye solution drip to the needle they placed in my arm earlier. I lay on the gurney for another 10-15 minutes to be sure the dye is circulating thru the arteries and veins and the organs and then they start the photo session that only last 15 minutes. They go from the head to the knee. They said its 1000's of pictures that are sorted and put together by a computer. The info is then printed out along with the compiled pictures and left for the radiologist to interpret in language we can't understand. John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)

    Tests
    Hi Guys!

    I'm surprised at the amount of variability that is discussed with "standard" testing.

    My PET/CT are even more different.

    I have to first drink 2 or 3 16oz bottles of contrast material over a 3 hour period. The last hour has to be in a dark room with zero movement, no crossed legs or arms, no music or any other diversion. (They tell me that is because any movement, even eye movement, will attract the material to the area of movement.)

    Then I go into the machine room and they provide me with a bonus enema of contrast material.

    Then I assume the test position, enema tubes and all, and the machine starts. About half way through they let loose with the injection. For me it is heat, not cold, and it starts at the injection site and I feel the wave of intense heat making its way down my body. By the time the heat reaches the enema site (and other areas) its a downright otherworldy experience.

    I have no idea how many years worth of radiation that might be, but it is what it is.

    Tom (DLBCL-4-7/10)
  • COBRA666
    COBRA666 Member Posts: 2,401 Member
    tcvine said:

    Tests
    Hi Guys!

    I'm surprised at the amount of variability that is discussed with "standard" testing.

    My PET/CT are even more different.

    I have to first drink 2 or 3 16oz bottles of contrast material over a 3 hour period. The last hour has to be in a dark room with zero movement, no crossed legs or arms, no music or any other diversion. (They tell me that is because any movement, even eye movement, will attract the material to the area of movement.)

    Then I go into the machine room and they provide me with a bonus enema of contrast material.

    Then I assume the test position, enema tubes and all, and the machine starts. About half way through they let loose with the injection. For me it is heat, not cold, and it starts at the injection site and I feel the wave of intense heat making its way down my body. By the time the heat reaches the enema site (and other areas) its a downright otherworldy experience.

    I have no idea how many years worth of radiation that might be, but it is what it is.

    Tom (DLBCL-4-7/10)

    radiation injection. and radiation scans
    Tom,
    The last pet scan I had they had a little music playing. I guess because of all the waiting time in the room. Oh yea, You are gonna love the song. "You light up my life" John
    (FNHL-1-4A-5/10)