#7033 03-01-2006 06:29 PM | Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) |  Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Not weird at all- many hospitals timeshare this kind of major capital equipment and rotate it to different locations according to their schedules.
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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#7034 03-01-2006 06:49 PM | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 261 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 261 | My original response stands to Amy's question. It's a similar table, similar looking machines, etc. The physics behind the two scans are very different, for sure. My scan today was from top of head to just above knees. 1 Ativan chilled my ass out, 2 quarts of barium phosphate solution w/pina colada twist. Injection of some isotope via IV. About 45 minute nap in the dark. Scan took about 35 minutes. Piece of cake! I get results tomorrow morning. Minnie I think I felt your chants when the Ativan kicked in!
dx 2/11/04 scca bot T3 IU 2B MO poorly differentiated, margins ok, 3/16 modest, jaw split, over half of tongue removed, free flap from left forearm - finished chemo & rad treatment 5/20/04
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#7035 03-01-2006 07:33 PM | Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 136 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2006 Posts: 136 | I hope your results are negative for cancer or "hot spots"! Good luck and thanks for the info on what to expect for mine.
SCC Right Lateral Tongue T2N0M0 Dx 01/12/06, Surgery 01/25/06. Partial Glossectomy, Bilateral Neck Dissection - 22 lymph nodes - all clear. No radiation.
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#7036 03-02-2006 01:50 AM | Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Feb 2005 Posts: 2,019 | Sending "all clear" vibes, Erik!
Gary, I think that's exactly right about why this equipment is in a trailer. The hospital has two imaging facilities, one one each side of our small city, and I think another one at a facility in the next county over, and I suspect they rotate it.
Even if not, the hosppital is undergoing construction for expansion and has been very low on space anyway, because the construction temporarily closed off some space they had been using. So I didn' t think it was all that wierd. But I was glad it was a beautiful early fall day--not too hot or cold out-- when I went!
SCC(T2N0M0) part.glossectomy & neck dissect 2/9/05 & 2/25/05.33 IMRT(66 Gy),2 Cisplatin ended 06/03/05.Stage I breast cancer treated 2/05-11/05.Surgery to remove esophageal stricture 07/06, still having dilatations to keep esophagus open.Dysphagia. "When you're going through hell, keep going"
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#7037 03-02-2006 02:58 AM | Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2005 Posts: 624 | Hi --
Darrell mentioned the importance of getting an experienced reading of the PET/CT scan -- this is of course important for any scan -- if the radiologist is used to looking at a lot of head and neck cancer patients, there will be far fewer false positives. When Barry had his first PET/CT scan, we talked to the radiologist who does primarily HNC and brain cancers -- he said they get few false positives because lots and lots of experience has taught them what is cancer and what is inflammation, healing tissue or active tissue. That doesn't mean the rate is zero, however -- if they see something suspicious they might do an MRI, or if area is accessible, would do a biopsy. Or wait a month and re-scan.
Barry's first PET/CT showed no activity in area where he had the cancer but here was activity (that is, uptake of the radioisotope) associated with residual inflammation and some scarring in his right lung where he had the pneumonia, also in some muscle groups like the ones which move arms (they do the head/neck scan with arms at side, full-body scan with arms above head).
He was told to limit activity in the day before the scan, no food for 4 hours before. I have also seen directions (from other hospitals) to limit eating foods high in sugars for 24 hours. This is to get the body a bit glucose-starved so the labelled sugar will be absorbed. The nurse will do a blood-sugar reading beforehand. The label was given by IV -- first saline for hydration and then, the radioactive-labelled sugar injected into the IV tube. Once the isotope is injected, Barry was left in a darkened room for 45 minutes, NO talking, NO reading, no nothing which might involve muscle activity and which might compete for glucose.
The scans themselves took about 45 minutes to an hour. We got the results that day. Barry has another week after next (3 months) so naturally our fingers and toes are crossed until then!
Erik, hope your scan came through clean and wishing you the best!
Gail
CG to husband Barry, dx. 7/21/05, age 66, SCC rgt. tonsil, BOT, 2 nodes (stg. IV), HPV+, tonsillectomy, 7x carboplatin, 35x tomoTherapy IMRT w/ Ethyol @ Johns Hopkins, thru treatment 9/28/05, HPV vaccine trial 12/06-present. Looking good!
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#7038 03-02-2006 07:14 AM | Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 261 Gold Member (200+ posts) | | OP Gold Member (200+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2004 Posts: 261 | My ENT, who has been my customer for like 10 years, called me this morning & was laughing because my scans wer'e all clear & he was relieved because he did not want me out of commission so I could continue to take care of his audio/video/home theater stuff! We had a good business relationship before dx, but since all this, we have become friends.
dx 2/11/04 scca bot T3 IU 2B MO poorly differentiated, margins ok, 3/16 modest, jaw split, over half of tongue removed, free flap from left forearm - finished chemo & rad treatment 5/20/04
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#7039 03-02-2006 01:00 PM | Joined: May 2003 Posts: 928 "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts) | | "Above & Beyond" Member (500+ posts)
Joined: May 2003 Posts: 928 | Congratulations to you and your family Erik!
Marica
Caregiver to husband Pete, Dx 4/03 SCC Base of Tongue Stage IV. Chemo /Rad no surgery. Treatment finished 8/03. Doing great!
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#7040 03-02-2006 02:36 PM | Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 316 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 316 | I'm having my first PET next Tuesday (I'm 2 years since the end of radio), and it was handy that this discussion arose now. The CT scans haven't really shown why my parotid is enlarged, on the side of the tumour. Gail, I haven't heard about reducing sugar intake prior, but it sounds quite logical...so no banana smoothies or fruit juice on Monday?  Not really looking forward to the PET, but I do want to know why I'm sore and swollen in that area. Anyone else had such a problem? Cheers! Tizz
End of Radiation - the "Ides of March" 2004 :-)
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#7041 03-02-2006 04:21 PM | Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 1,627 | Erik,
YOU ROCK!!! I'm SO happy for you, your wife and your girls. My third year chest Xray came back clean so we're celebrating ourselves. The results came in the mail, believe it or not. Didn't even know what I was opening. Did a hoopty dance when I read it!
Isn't life Grand??
Love,
Minnie
SCC Left Mandible. Jaw replaced with bone from leg. Neck disection, 37 radiation treatments. Recurrence 8-28-07, stage 2, tongue. One third of tongue removed 10-4-07. 5-23-08 chemo started for tumor behind swallowing passage, Our good friend and much loved OCF member Minnie has been lost to the disease (RIP 10-29-08). We will all miss her greatly.
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#7042 03-05-2006 05:33 PM | Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Dec 2003 Posts: 2,606 Likes: 2 | Erik,
Congratulations! Always good to hear such great news. Wishing you many more in the future.
Give the mailman a peck on the cheek for me, Minnie and congratulations to you, too.
Ed
SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023
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