Bone scan & CT scan

4:15 is just too early for ANYONE to wake up!!! lol But, my first appointment today is at 7:30 for a bone scan. It started with getting an IV post thingy on my arm and she shot in some radioactive saline. Was very cold as it went up my arm. The post will stay in until my next appointment this afternoon as they will "shoot me up" too! So, now I wait for 9:30 when they do the actual scan. My neighbor, who has gone through several bouts of cancer assured me of the equipment used. The first machine was a table with a large rectangle on top that moved over your body. She said it would come down very close to your face, so not to be alarmed. So I'm looking at it and it is about 6-8 inches away and I'm thinking...that's not so close! I close my eyes for the duration and when I open them about 30 seconds later, the machine is like half an inch from my eyes! I did startle and closed my eyes again!! lol Then peeked out carefully. :) So I just close my eyes as I am SOOO tired. I open them a few minutes later and realize the machine is already down by my chest and moving ever so slowly down my body. The room is very loud..not a deafening loud, but motor sound. The machine ON you though, is so quiet you don't know it is moving. Every time I drift off to sleep it alarms me cause I feel as though I am going into a DEEP sleep and I know I'll start twitching!!! lol So I tell myself to stay awake. The test takes about 20 minutes. And then it's off to the waiting room to join Graland. I do ask the guy as I'm getting off the table if he saw anything good there....as usual the reply was Yes, I did...lots of good pictures that your doctor will go over with you tomorrow!! never hurts to try, eh?

Now, keep in mind that I can't eat after 8am, so we run down to the cafeteria and grab a bite. Then look through the gift shop and Appearances "a wig/scarf/garment" shop in the Mays clinic.

Now we leave the building and go to the Radiation Building down the street at Holcombe and Braiswood. Little building with a ton of construction going on all around it. They call me to the back and chat a little. Then she tells me I have to drink barium. Dang, I haven't done this before and didn't realize I was going to be doing it! Which, of course, was a good thing...as I didn't have to think about it beforehand. :)

She gives me my choice of flavors and choose the "berry". I use that word loosely!!! Says I have 40 minutes to drink it in...THREE large cups!!! I tell her I am a VERY VERY slow drinker. I AM!!! I can't drink 3 WATERS in 40 minutes, much less barium! I take a sip and tell her it's not so bad....then take another sip as she walks me to the waiting room to drink...and tell her Truth be told, this is really nasty!! lol

So I'm in the waiting room and taking a sip, holding it in my mouth for a while, then swallowing it. It is THAT THAT THAT BAD!!!!! I'm just looking at Graland with the "there is NO way" look on my face. Try reading magazines to pass the time...ugh, it is torture. I get through the first cup....oh, and there is the second one!!! I suffer through most of it. In time, Graland leans over and prays with me that I'll be able to finish the cup.

My time is up, she calls me to the back for my THIRD cup of gasoline, er, barium. She looks at me and says Please tell me that's your second cup and not your first!! I tell her proudly that YES it IS my second cup, but show her it's not all the way empty. She tosses the cup and says we still have a third to go. I look at her pathetically (I'm ok with that!!) and tell her I'll puke it back if I have any more!! She looks at me sympathetically and asks if I am nauseous and takes me to a chair. She checks my blood from the IV and says it looks good, does some on her computer and turns around to tell me that two will be good enough. OH PRAISE GOD!!!!

She also says that the machine is just about ready to go. So I make a bathroom run and come back.

The machine looks like a bagel. Just a giant bagel with a bed for you to lie down on. They did a run to start with. The machine talks to you and has these little happy face guys on them. The one green guy has a smiley face. When the green guy is on the machine says "Breathe in...breathe out..." Then suddenly the red guy with a hold your breath expression on his face comes on and it says "Don't breathe!" A timer is on that you can see that lets you know how much longer you have. Then the green guy is back on and says "BREATHE!" They do several runs with that machine. THEN, they use the port in my arm and inject iodine. Obviously I am not allergic..though I did not know previously...never had it! She says it will make me feel flush, hot from head to toe, and perhaps like I'm going potty. So, she does the injection and asks if I feel anything....well, no....oh! YES I sure do!! lol Whoa...from my head to my toes and YES, it DOES feel like I just wet!!! Actually I have to resist the urge to put my hand down there to check myself!! Then I go into "hold it" mode!! lol The feeling passes and I eventually realize that NO, thankfully, I have NOT wet myself. whew!! They do several more passes with green guy and red guy, then it is time to FINALLY head home!

I am soooo hungry!! About Cleveland, we stop for McD. and I eat. Julie D. from school and a fellow LIFT sister came over and got the kids to take them to McDonalds as well!! We got home before she came and the kids were so excited to go out for dinner! When is she getting here? When is she coming?!

So Julie gets here and I show her our wonderful new home...I just love my new home!! :) The girls clean room is of course now, NOT clean. Oh well. We stand at the front door and talk about what I missed at school and suddenly I'm like...Uh, Julie...Zach get in here!!! Zoe get down here!! Come on girls!!! ... Uh... I think my barium is about to hit...you mind leaving now??!! lol How embarrassing!! Julie is sooo good....COME ON KIDS...WE'RE LEAVING!!! I make a run for it and... after reading that it may constipate you...this was just a shock!! But I made it! YIPPEEE...no clean up on aisle 3! lol

The kids had sooo much fun and came home with Madame Alexander Wizard of Oz witches...and lots of stories from their fun night out!