Results in a Couple of Days...

The combination PET/CT scan this morning went off without a hitch. And I was informed by the technician running the machinery that the results would be available in a couple of days -- and would be FAXed to my doctor. (I guess that means my radiology guy, since he was the one who ordered the procedure.)

(ASIDE #1: The setup at Chester County is really interesting: rather than a sliding "bed" moving in and out of a tube, the "bed" moves in and out of two tubes. I'm assuming that one is the PET machine and the other is the CT machine, but forgot to ask. In any case, I spent time in both of them.)

(ASIDE #2: Sliding in and out of tube #2, I started to wonder who, if anyone, has done a serious Freudian analysis of the psychological/physiological effect of sliding human beings in and out of a tube like that. It's interesting where your mind goes wandering sometimes, you know?)

So my doc should know the results of both scans by mid-week, and -- I would certainly hope -- call me as soon as he gets the information. I have an appointment with him this Friday anyway, so I should definitely have a complete picture by Friday afternoon at the latest.

Some of you may recall that I managed to avoid a claustrophobic panic several months ago in a scan at Johns Hopkins by telling myself: "Diane wants me to lie still." "Lisa wants me to lie still." "Hal wants me to lie still." "Deb wants me to lie still." And so on for the 45 minutes that the scan took. So I felt that I had a workable "tool" in case the panic re-appeared. But it turned out that another "tool" appeared in its place:

I found myself being grateful. Grateful for:

-- the technology that will tell so quickly whether my body needs additional treatment for cancer,

-- the nice young technicians who took such good care of me before, during, and after the procedure,

-- the Hospital which has provided unfailingly good support for any and all ailments when I've needed their facilities and people,

-- the thousands of people who've made the Hospital a reality,

-- my immediate medical staff, who inspire me with their confidence and competence,

-- all the wonderful people who have kept me in their thoughts and prayers for month after month [including all of you, of course!],

-- my spouse, whose support for me has been so solid for so long, and all the wonderful things she and I have done together,

...and on and on. The dual-scan procedure (which was considerably shorter than 45 minutes!) was over long before I was through with my list of things and people for whom I am grateful.

In short, it's been a good morning. And I will, as promised earlier, let all of you know the results of the scans as soon as I get the word myself.

Stay well.