PET Scan (positron emission tomography) Procedure June 9 2011

Jani and I arrived at PET Imaging in Fort Collins for my PET Scan procedure at noon. It was raining a bit and chilly. I had my plain water with me. You are not allowed to eat, but you can drink as much plain water as you want prior to the procedure.

It hailed in Fort Collins last night and the hail was still piled up outside PET Imaging.

Went in and filled out a history that took several minutes to complete. They explained that Jani could not wait with me because of the radiotracer medication that I was to be injected with prior to the PET Scan. So, Jani left and went shopping!

Stacey of PET Imaging took me back to a room and weighed me (138 pounds). Then we went to another room with a recliner where Stacey started a little IV (intravenous line) in my right hand. She covered me with 2 warm blankets as the temperature in the building was chilly (probably to protect the PET Scanner machinery).

Stacey checked my blood sugar with the first blood from the IV - it was 78 (quite normal). Stacey pushed the radiotracer housed in a tungston lined syringe in to my vein. There was no sensation from the radiotracer.

I was left alone watching television for 1 hour while the radiotracer made its way through my body. I actually fell asleep waiting.

Jarrod of PET Imaging startled me awake and took me back to the PET Scanner. I asked him if he would take my picture in the scanner and he said in his 6 years of working there, I was the first patient to make such a request! He was very cooperative with my request.

I first went in to the scanner feet first for the scan of my feet to my groin. I just had to hold still and it was not hard. As you can see, the scanner is quite open and the room is bright and airy. This part took about 20 minutes.

Then, I was reversed on the scanner table with my head going in first for the rest of the body. This scan did my whole body.

I had a bit of a coughing spell as the second part began. Stacey brought me a drink of water which cured that. The second part took about 30 minutes.

PET Scan completed. Jarrod explained the protein only diet the night before kept the radiotracer from accumulating in the heart.

I was advised not to hug anyone for 1 hour. They gave me a little bottle of water and some trail mix until I could get something to eat since I had been NPO (nothing per oral) since midnight the night before. The staff at PET Imaging could not have been nicer.

I can tell you that a PET Scan beats a Bone Marrow Biopsy hands down!

Jani was in the waiting room and we went out to the car where she made us delicious turkey sandwiches. We had packed the cooler with a picnic this morning because we knew I would be starving.