PET scan

Today's procedure wasn't bad.

For those who don't know, I'm having brain surgery. Epilepsy and all.

So last week I had my MRI. What a nightmare.
Today I had a PET Scan and a CT scan.

So a PET scan = Positron Emission Tomography. It's commonly used for cancer patients to image cancer tumors and stuff. It's also used for seizure patients to look for brain abnormalities and anything different. So, say, they found a scar or a spot on my brain, they would know then where exactly my seizures originate from. Last week's MRI came back normal so this was next. They will then take these images and the ones from the MRI to see if anything is different/abnormal/whatever.
With an MRI often people are dosed with a contrast. So the tech takes several images of the brain without contrast and then injects it and takes more images. To explain better, here's an actual doctor's explanation:


"MRI dyes work by altering the tissue's local magnetic field. Normal and abnormal tissue will respond differently to the slight alteration, giving doctors differing signals. These varied signals are transferred to the MRI images, allowing doctors to visualize many types of tissue abnormalities and disease processes. " -Thanks random health page.

Anyway, for a PET scan, what I had today, I was injected with a radioactive tracer. Awesome right? I'm radioactive now! Well, I was earlier. It's likely all out now. I didn't turn into a superhero or a ninja turtle. Bummed. *I did get a nap though.* (From here on, random thoughts and musings will be within *asterisks*. Because it's my Blog and I do what I want)




This is how it went:
Nuclear medicine is in the basement of the hospital. No sunlight. Just buzzing florescent lights and pale technicians. Good times. I went and checked in and then read People magazine. *Seriously, we have made some super STUPID people famous. We should stop* When called back the technician let me know I would be there for at LEAST 2 hours. *Dylan, who came with me, read like half a book. It was forever.*
He took me back to a room and started an IV line (ONLY TOOK ONE STICK!!) and then said he needed me to lie quietly and he would be back to inject the tracer. I could not read, or touch my phone, or talk or anything. In a dark room. For 25 minutes. So I took a nap.
He came back in, injected the tracer, which was in a scary metal tube thing so he wouldn't be exposed to it. It went directly into my IV line. He told me to lie quietly and he would be back in 45 minutes. *By this time I am bored and want a book or something. Nope* I lay there, bored. Listening to shoes squeaking on the floor outside the room. He brought in another patient and left her behind a curtain for her quiet time. I fell back asleep and woke myself snoring. *I was on my back sleeping. And I snore. Ain't no shame in my sleep game*
FINALLY he comes to get me, takes me to the bathroom, *finally* and takes me to the imaging room. It's a machine less scary than the MRI machine. Pretty open. Didn't fill me with utter fear. My head wasn't caged in. I didn't mind. You just lie down with your head in this cushioned holder thing and the bed rolls into the machine. Easy stuff. It's a CT machine also so it's two things in one. I was in there for 20 minutes and good to go. I was advised to stay away from pregnant women and to drink a lot of fluids to flush the tracer out.
If you are interested, here's the Wikipedia on PET scans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? Because my doc needs to find out EXACTLY where my seizures originate from in my brain. We know it is in my left temporal lobe, but for the surgery to be a success they need to pinpoint exactly where. If my seizure center can't safely be removed because it is too close to my language center or something, then that's bad. That would mean different options would need to be discussed. We've discussed them before and discussed them. Partial Lobectomy is the thing that makes the most sense for me. My doctor agrees.

WHAT'S NEXT? I go see my Neurologist on Feb 12. We will go over the results of the MRI again, as well as the PET scan and the CT scan. From there we will decide when I will go on to Neuropsychology testing *Just wait, the things I have to do for THAT procedure actually makes me want to weep* THEN we can find a surgery date and this can all be over. Well, you know...

HOW ARE YOU FEELING MIMI? You know, right now, at this moment- I'm fine. I really am. What has been helping me is to look at it all clinically. To be unconnected. I took some photos of my brain today. That's cool. Brains are neat. I don't know if this approach will be good or bad. I guess I will figure it out.

Till next time
-Mimi


OH! Here's a super smart SHORT description on how a PET scan works. Because I am not a doctor and can't explain it totally well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHLBcCv4rqk