I'm going to see my oncologist tomorrow. He's going to do a PET scan (which stands for Positron Emission Tomography, Pamela!!) and blood work. I was going to explain exactly how the PET scan works. However, I decided against that and instead I copied and pasted "how the procedure works" from a website. So keep on reading!
How the procedure works.....Before the examination begins, a radioactive substance is produced in a machine called a cyclotron and attached, or tagged, to a natural body compound, most commonly glucose, but sometimes water or ammonia. Once this substance is administered to the patient, the radioactivity localizes in the appropriate areas of the body and is detected by the PET scanner.
Different colors or degrees of brightness on a PET image represent different levels of tissue or organ function. For example, because healthy tissue uses glucose for energy, it accumulates some of the tagged glucose, which will show up on the PET images. However, cancerous tissue, which uses more glucose than normal tissue, will accumulate more of the substance and appear brighter than normal tissue on the PET images.
Does that make sense??
I can't lie. I am a little nervous. I guess that's because I feel really good right now...and I don't want any bad news. Of course, I'm usually glass half full. I'm also realistic.
Time to tuck in. I love y'all!!
If this is your first time reading my journal, PLEASE go back to my first entry on 11-15-06 to read about the title MEET ME AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE!! Thanks!
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