Monday, April 28, 2014

MRI follow-up scan of right leg.

Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!


Baby Shower Fun

On Saturday, I was able to help throw a baby shower for two highly-deserving parents.  Baby showers are SO much fun!  It is a time to celebrate before the baby arrives and you can feel the anticipation in the air!  I can tell that this baby is already so loved!!
 

MRI

Last week I had the follow-up scan on my right leg. The last time I had an MRI on my right leg was last October - when Dr. O'Donnell ordered it.  Since then, I have had surgery, and radiation!  I have been waiting for this scan for a long time!

Wednesday morning, my Mom showed up at my house to drive me to my appointment.  I really don't like the the small, confined MRI 'tube' that I lay in for 1 1/2 hours.  Dr. O'Donnell prescribed me Valium to relax me.  This is why my Mom or my husband will drive me to my appointment.  I must say that I always look forward to my scan days because my Mom is with me (I think this part of her plan)!!

We got there early and I filled out more paperwork - hey, I'm getting pretty efficient at filling out paperwork!  I was called back to the MRI room, where I changed into my sweatpants and top that I brought with me.  It's important that what you wear into the scan has no metal on it.  The MRI machine uses magnetic resonance to create the images.  Having metal in a magnetic machine would not be good.


About 75% through the scan or about 1-hour into the appointment, the technician will stop the machine to administer an IV with Gadolinium.  The Gadolinium is a rare earth metal.  After it has been injected into the blood stream, the technician will start more scans and finish out the session. At this point, I essentially I have metal in my veins, this will produce a contrast image where my blood vessels appear to 'glow' on the remaining MRI images.  This 'glowing' effect is helpful for Doctors to be able to diagnose Cancer using the MRI images - partly because Cancer needs nourishment in order for it to grow.  The nourishment is provided through blood vessels.  So when a tumor is advancing and is being nourished it will typically glow bright on the contrast images due to all of the blood flow... make sense?

You can read more about Gadolinium HERE.


Conversation with MRI Technician

When the technician came in to administer the IV - the conversation went like this...

Technician:  (not making eye contact) "Soooo when is your follow-up appointment with your doctor?" 
Me: "On May 6th."
Me: Oh, you must be asking because of the Seroma in my knee area..?
Technician: (silence)
Me: "Did you see that pocket of fluid in my leg?"
Technician: (making eye contact) "Ummmm, yeaaa, just a little bit." (quickly looked back down)

Of course I'm totally reading into everything - I mean who wouldn't!?  I wish she never said anything!  It freaks me out because she had been watching the scan images as they appear in the outside room.  Typically, they know a LOT more than they will ever be allowed say - they see these images all day long!

Images and Reports

When the scan was complete, I always wait around afterward to request a copy of my images.  I take the images and I've compiled them into "My Cancer Binder".  IT has all my records - I mean everything!  This is helpful because if I ever needed to get a second opinion, I have them all in one place.  It is also helpful to get a copy of the images because I've learned that it takes an extremely long time for them to upload the images to my Oncology Surgeon. When I get the images - I immediately overnight them to my Surgeon.  Dr. O'Donnell is very thorough - regardless of what a radiologist's report says - he will not tell me ANYTHING until he sees those images for himself!

Would it surprise you if I told you that I called my surgeon 5 times the next day (last Thursday), and I overnighted the images.  I called the imaging center on Friday morning and they told me that they already sent the report to Dr. O'Donnell.  I then verified that the overnighted images were signed for before,  I called Nurse Carol 3 times on Friday.  She called me back a few different times to tell me that the images were received and they should be uploaded on Monday but, that they still didn't have the report.  She told me that she would have Dr. O'Donnell review the images on Monday and they would tell me what they think.

Long Weekend

Typically, it is a really GOOD thing when you consider the weekend 'long'.  Well let me tell you, not when you are waiting for MRI results!!  The funny thing is, I have been waiting 3 months after radiation to get this scan done in the first place... whats a couple more days?  I guess it is just that there are a few people out there in the world that already know the results - and not one of them is ME!  lol


Please pray that I find out something on Monday - good or bad!!  I can deal with the facts, its the not knowing that eats at you.  Please pray for my patience in God's timing.
 

1 comment:

  1. Praying Jen. God's timing is always perfect.

    ReplyDelete

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