Whew, what a couple of days it has been! Tuesday was chemo class, Wednesday I had a bone scan and today I had a CT scan and a visit with my oncology radiologist. I've already gone through describing the chemo class. I'm glad I went. Just to get my brain in gear for the rest of the week, if for no other reason.
Yesterday I had the bone scan. Nothing to prepare for. I walked down to Kaiser, arriving about a half an hour early. Just before 11 a.m. I was summoned for my injection. Then I was told to come back at 2:30. I could eat and drink. No problem. I went to Starbucks, called Andy to pick me up, we had lunch, went to the post office and then I drove back to Kaiser. At 3 p.m. I was escorted to the Nuclear Medicine area and told to empty my bladder and then I was introduced to the bone scan machine. I had left all my metal jewelry at home as instructed but I still had to take off my hair flower. On one end of the room was a cute white machine with a narrow cot centered in front of it. The machine itself had a flat plate parallel to the floor and above the foot of the cot and then just beyond that was a circular portal that the cot could slide through. I lay on my back with a pillow under my knees. My shoes were still on but the technician put a rubber band around them to keep them steady. A cradle was inserted next to my arms on either side of me to keep my body steady and something was placed on either side of my head to keep me still there too. Before I closed my eyes the technician slid the cot to the point that the plate was just above my face. She said the plate would lower a bit but wouldn't touch my face and I shouldn't be nervous. I was cool with that but decided I would be happier if my eyes were closed. The technician said I could go to sleep but it was just too interesting to do that. I could feel the vibration of the table as it slid into the machine and even with my eyes closed I could see first dark blue and then yellow light as the scan began. It didn't take very long. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes. I'm really not sure. But after the table slid out the technician asked me if I had broken my foot or my ankle. I said no. She asked again, are you sure? I had to just stop and think.....am I losing it? Could I have forgotten having broken something like a foot or an ankle? Wouldn't I have had a cast or something that would remain forever, indelibly marked in my brain? No, I said again, I am sure. But for whatever reason they had to scan just my left foot again. I'll have to ask about that when I see my doctor again....Anyway, that took another 5 minutes or so and then I was done. And that was that for my bone scan.
The next morning I had more of a challenge. No food after 5 a.m. At 7 a.m. I had to drink a bottle of what they called a "Banana Smoothie" but had a label that prominently displayed the words "Barium Sulfate Suspension" 450 ml. Now I'm not saying that the stuff was disgusting. It wasn't. But when someone calls something a smoothie, well, I'm thinking smooth, creamy, thick, tasty....you know, a smoothie, for heaven's sake. This was sort of a non fat milk texture and a faint taste of banana. And then at 8 a.m. I had to drink another bottle of the stuff. It was okay. I survived. Then I drove down to Kaiser bright and early so as to assure myself of a parking space. Parking is downright difficult at Kaiser nowadays. I prefer to walk there from my home, 3 miles away than battle the slowly snaking line of cars going up to the fifth floor of the parking structure, hoping against hope that someone, somewhere on a lower level will be vacating a parking space. Anyway, I left so early that I managed to get a spot on the 4th floor. I presented myself at the CT scan area and filled out a few forms. Then I was asked to change into one of those three arm holed gowns again. I went into the cat scan room and I think it looked very much like the room I had been in the day before. I climbed on the cot, they injected me with some kind of dye and then I slid into the machine. A mechanical voice said BREATHE, then HOLD YOUR BREATH, then the cot slid out and the voice said "BREATHE". This happened 2 or 3 times and then I was done. Very quick. Very efficient. I was done in less than an hour. I then decided to scout out my next appointment's location. I had driven a friend of mine to the cancer radiation center in Concord about 17 years ago but I didn't remember anything about it. So off I drove to Concord and Maria's (at the center) instructions were perfect. I found it on High School Street just as she had promised. So then I went to the post office in Alamo and just as I was about to head on home, there was my friend Mary. It was wonderful. I needed a cuppa and so did she and we needed to talk. So we did. Then an hour or so later we parted and I drove home. Had lunch. Then Andy and I drove out to Concord again. I filled out some more papers. We waited a few minutes. A nurse took us on a brief tour of the facility. Very neat, open and inviting. She showed us to a exam room where Andy and I waited. Michael Levine, my new doctor, arrived and then our education started. I guess partly because the law requires the patient to be fully informed and partly because he obviously enjoys his job and likes to share his enthusiasm, we were lectured and regaled for a good hour on the history of radiology and breast cancer treatment. My goodness! It really was fascinating. He talked about Marie Curie and toxic radiology and Harvard studies and chemo and chemo and radiology combined and skin reactions and cancer travelling the lymph system, side effects and on and on. And I really, really was enthralled. So he ended our talk by pointing out that since I am trying to get into a trial for chemo and since their procedure usually is to let chemo go first, I wouldn't be seeing him again until after my chemo was finished. But I'm glad I got to meet him. He praised Kaiser for their state of the art technology that transmits my charts and info to them so easily. He says my oncologist is very smart and earnest and enthusiastic. I'm glad he has met her. He was interested in the clinical trial I'm hoping to get in so we sent him the protocols for him to look at. All in all, I was very satisfied with the visit. Tomorrow I go in to sign the papers saying I want to be part of the trials! And so, to bed.....