This should have been an easy day, but it didn't start off so great. Steve and I got to the 1st floor of the Hillman Center and all was well. We checked in with radiology and filled out some easy paperwork and waited for my name to be called. After being called, it was time to place my IV. After an hour, 3 different nurses, and 5 needle sticks, my IV was placed. I got 2 sticks in my right arm, one in my right hand, one in my left hand and one on my left wrist. I am terrible with needles to begin with on the first attempt let alone 5!! THANK GOODNESS I AM GETTING A PORT TOMORROW-- NO MORE NEEDLE STICKS FOR MEEE!!!
After the IV was placed, it was time for the EKG and MUGA scan to make sure my ejection fraction was good and to also determine my baseline to base other MUGA scans off of throughout chemotherapy to make sure it is not greatly affecting my heart. The "A" of ABVD, Adriamycin, can damage the heart muscle. This risk is mainly when the recommended maximum dose of Adriamycin is exceeded. It is uncommon that the heart be affected, but good to take precautionary measures. For this procedure, 3 milliliters of my blood was taken, bound to tin and made radioactive, and re-injected into my bloodstream. The scan took approximately 15 minutes once I was on the table. The results were within normal range within the percentages of 55-65%. This will be considered my baseline and tests during chemotherapy will be compared to this.
After the MUGA, I got my PET/CT of my entire body done. This is used to determine my stage of lymphoma and we will have the results in approximately 1 week. For this procedure I had to drink a mix of tang mixed with something that made it taste funny, get injected with a radioactive sugar substance, wait 20 minutes, drink another tang cocktail, and wait in a dark room for one hour completely still (if I moved a lot the sugar substance would settle in my muscles that are moving and the results of where tumors are located would be unclear). The PET/CT were combined into one machine and I was on the table for approximately 25 minutes zooming in and out of a cylindrical shaped tube. I closed my eyes, listened to Miley Cyrus who was playing on Lite-FM and pretended I was on a Kennywood ride. First they did the CT and injected me with contrast that made me feel a hot flash and had the sensation of peeing my pants, and then they did the PET. The contrast for the CT wasn't so bad this time-- knowing what to expect from my last CT helped a lot.
Before I knew it, the 5 hours of testing was DONE DONE DONE and Steve and I enjoyed a great lunch at the Cheesecake Factory! If you haven't noticed, I enjoy going to get a nice meal after every procedure and test I go through. It makes me happy :)
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