Day 371 - CT Scan, KC & Smith's

Today was the big CT scan. I was dreading it. I would far rather have a PET scan than a CT. With a CT scan they inject a contrast dye that makes you feel like you just pee'd your pants & you have to hold your breath for an uncomfortable length of time. And unfortunately I was having my abdomen scanned too, which means I would have to drink a terrible liquid called Telebrix. It's about a litre & a half & you have 2 hours to drink this horrible stuff. Ick. I really wasn't keen to have my entire body zapped with radiation equivalent to 500 chest x-rays. Adding the fact that I felt the entire scan was kind of useless. Why?

Well, I can still feel lumps in my neck, which I believe to be only scar tissue. A CT scan is only going to show masses, not active growth. A PET scan will show active growth. I know I have 'masses' in my neck. I want to know if they are actively growing cancer or not. (Let's opt for NOT!) Thus, why I feel the CT scan is unnecessary. (VERY) Adding to the fact that I don't believe the cancer has spread elsewhere & I really don't see the need to nuke the organs below my diaphragm. Capisce?

To make matters even more ridiculous, they wanted to give me a few chest x-rays prior to my CT scan. Huh? I changed & went into the x-ray room. I thought perhaps they were checking my Picc line again. After the first x-ray, she turned me to the side. I asked why I was having these x-rays. She said the Radiologist always has the patient to chest x-rays prior to a CT scan. I told her that I had just had one 2 days ago with my Picc line & I was about to have 500 with the CT scan. If the CT scan wasn't going to give them a good enough look at my innards, then we were in big trouble, as a few chest x-rays certainly weren't going to either! Luckily the Technician was kind enough to let me refuse the remaining chest x-rays.

At this point I returned to the waiting area to drink my Telebrix. Or not. There were two empty-ish glasses on a small table next to my chair. I was alone in the waiting area. I filled both glasses with my very full glass of Telebrix & found the nearest waste bin. Yes, I'm a bad, horrible person with a few good taste buds left. I poured another big glass & walked to the Picc line girls. My line had a little blood & I wanted to make sure all was well. The boss lady was there & she was horribly rude. They were just returning from lunch. They looked at me & walked right past. As they passed, I said, 'Excuse me, could someone take a look at my Picc line for me?' To which the boss lady replied, 'We're closed. We're not taking patients today. What is it?' I asked about the blood & she didn't even look at it. She just said it would bleed for about 2 weeks & that it was fine. Wow. Thanks for coming out!

I headed back to the waiting room & chatted with a few ladies that were waiting as well. One of the gals was also having a CT scan & was trying hard to drink the last of her Telebrix. A Nurse came out with a fair bit of attitude & topped up the gal's glass. Oh boy. This was going to be a fight. And it was. I told her I wasn't going to drink anymore Telebrix. She told me I would have a suboptimal scan. I told her I was fine with that, as I didn't think the cancer was there anyhow. She says, 'So you're refusing the scan?'
'No, I want to do the scan. I'm just not drinking the rest of the Telebrix. I can't. It's awful.'
This carried on for a bit & I could tell I wasn't going to make any progress with her. I told her to come back in 1/2 an hour & I would drink some more. I dumped one more glass in the trash & then chugged one glass. Done. Let's do this thing.

I found the Dictator Nurse & told her I was ready. She injected the contrast dye twice. It was awful. I'm going to check the dosage, as I've NEVER had the dye twice. I could feel my breath running away & I was gasping for air, the burning in my lungs was awful & I felt light headed. Usually they check up on you, but not this chick. She told me where to change & which way was out. Thanks for coming out.

I find out the results next round. Wish me luck. Ick.

After the scan we went to visit Al & Wilma. I had taken some photos of KC last time we were there & I dropped off a cd & some prints today. They were very pleased with the photos. We had a great visit & they told us of their next travel plans. I hope when I am their age I still have the zest for travel & adventure. They are an incredible couple.

Our next & final stop for the day was at Jacqueline's parents place. We were having a long overdue dinner with her Mom. My Mom was coming & Jacqueline's Dad was there as well. In fact, her Dad made the meal! What an amazing cook! We thanked them for the Flames tickets - actually, Jaco ran into Jacqueline & her friend, Adele, at the Flames game. Adele had invited Jacqueline to go. Jacqueline played hockey when she was younger.

Her Mom just returned from Arizona & is off to India soon! She is an avid photographer & loves to attend workshops in all sorts of amazing places. We had a wonderful meal & a wonderful visit. Talking travel & photography - this is my kind of visit! Before I knew it, it was 2300! Whoops! Time to go!

What a great day! It started out a little sketchy, but thankfully it ended with great friends & great times!

xxxxMJV&O

The African Trio reunites once again!

Day 109 - CT Scan

Oh my. Is it really necessary to wake up this early? Really? Apparently it's time to change the batteries in my alarm clock. It sounded mighty ill this morning. Had I not been paranoid of over sleeping, I may have completely ignored the faint flickering of a beep!


Up & at 'er, I was out the door on time! Yes, ON TIME! Poor ol' Contemplate did not want to start this morning. I don't know what the temperature was, but it was 'Crunchy Car Seat' cold. Away we went. Luckily it wasn't foggy. Until I hit Priddis. What's that? Freezing fog? Great. Here comes Granny! I slowed down to about 80 km/h & I could feel the adrenaline pulsing through my body. I just don't enjoy winter driving! 


I decided to take the long way, rather than the back roads. At least I knew there would be a lot of traffic & help if I needed it. I don't have a cell phone, so if I'm in trouble, I sit & wait. Luckily I made it to High River only 20 minutes late. 


I wasn't allowed to eat 6 hours prior to the test & could only drink clear juices. Luckily there was a vending machine with some apple juice in the entrance to the hospital. I was planning on heading to Jenn's right after the test, so naturally I had Valentina with me. Since it was so cold out, I didn't feel I could leave her in the car. I packed her into her carrier with her little red jacket on & plopped my pink fuzzy blanket over her carrier. No one was any the wiser. She even shook a few times in the carrier, her ears & tail rattling the sides of the carrier, but nobody even glanced our way! Lucky! 


Blech. They made me drink this awful drink named Telebrix. Since they were scanning my abdomen, I needed to drink the contrast in order to make the scan look better. They really ought to consult a few folks with tastebuds before they approve these drugs. First, I'm a water snob. I don't drink chlorinated water, always bottled & mineral water. I don't care what you say about tap water being just as good. Hogwash. Do they monitor everyone's pipes? No. Does every town have the same chemical cocktail? No. Anyhow, this drink is mixed with chlorinated water. Gross. Then the drug itself has a nasty taste. The worst of it is, I have to sip, not gulp, this concoction for the next hour and a half! I think I gagged the last portion of the 1 litre bottle! Then the Nurse offered me more right before the scan! Can't I be the Designated Driver or Scanner or something?!? Enough already! 


I took Valentina out to the car right before the scan. Luckily it didn't take long. About 20 minutes in total from change time to out the door. And she was still in her coat & under the blanket. She climbed into my jacket as soon as I got in the car. She's a great heater!


Anyhow, back to the scan. It wasn't that bad. I have had one before. This time they injected the contrast dye a little slower, which was great. For whatever reason, it makes you feel like you just peed your pants. I am completely serious. You don't, but if feels all warm down there. This time the feeling came on a little slower, which was good! Secondly, the first time they did the test, they made me hold my breath & the contrast dye made my chest feel like it was going to explode. In fact, had they not said 'Breathe', I'm sure they would have scraped bits of me off the ceiling 2 seconds later! But this time, I told them I wouldn't hold my breath any longer than felt comfortable. When I started to exhale, the Doctor got cranky & sternly said, 'DON'T SWALLOW, DON'T BREATHE, DON'T MOVE'. I told him, 'Sorry, but it hurts.' They did one more scan & thankfully that one didn't hurt my chest at all. 


The Nurse that helped me was really nice. She has fun at her job, which makes it that much more enjoyable for the rest of us! They monitored me for 10 minutes to make sure I was okay. Apparently 1 in 25,000 people die from the contrast dye. It can cause serious allergic reactions. Luckily I beat the odds! 


Feeling extremely fatigued & the fog having not lifted, I decided not to visit Jenn :o( & made my way home. I was bummed to miss out on a visit with a friend I've hardly seen in the past ?? years, but I'm glad I went home. The roads were extremely icy & I could NOT stay awake behind the wheel. I barely made it home. I fell asleep 6x. I hit the rumble strips & the snow on the side of the road. I have never been so out of it. I was wide awake one second & the next my head was snapping up. I called the Diagnostics Department as soon as I got home to check the side effects, but they claim diarrhea is the only side effect. Needless to say, I called Jenn to tell her I would have to take a raincheck & headed back to bed. I slept until 1830!


I woke up when Mom got home, only to have her leave 20 minutes later. She had been riding all day & then headed off to her Toastmaster's meeting. I answered a few phone calls, made some dinner &, what's that? Yes, I cooked! I made some pasta with clams & spices... Mom makes it from time to time & I quite like it. Apparently Valentina loves pasta too. She went manic for the penne! 


Anyhow, I headed to bed shortly thereafter, but I couldn't sleep. I am so stinking itchy these days, it's crazy! I put stuff on it & it burns. I itch it & it burns. No matter how I lie in bed, it itches! I try & try to not touch it, but sometimes the itch is so intense I just can't take it! I will be very excited for the treatment to take away the itch!!!


Oh, I also heard from Jaco's Mom. Sadly there place was broken into on the weekend. They only took a TV & no one got hurt, but nonetheless, I can only imagine how scary it would feel to be woken up at 0400 to the alarms going off. It frustrates me that people get away with these petty crimes, let alone the serious crimes. I suggested a big ol' Rottweiler or Doberman to take care of would-be criminals, but she told me they just throw poisoned meat to the dogs & they die! How awful! Anyhow, if you come up with any great ideas to solve crime in SA, let me know! So far my best solution is to feed them the same birth control corn as they do the pigeons in San Marco's Square in Venice, Italy. Any other suggestions?? :o)


Sleep well, stay safe & here's a hug!
Maria & Valentina
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Finished that awful drink & my smuggled dog! I think she has her nose mashed up against the screen!

My friendly scanner!

Hoarfrost

Heavy Hoarfrost

Winter wonderland!