Northern Lights: Having A PET/CT Scan
Recently, my myeloma specialist sent me for a PET/CT scan. I have had many annual skeletal X-ray scans, but since I now have had two cancers (multiple myeloma and breast cancer), and the PET/CT procedure scans more deeply into the bones and tissue than regular x-rays, this seemed like a good idea.
Results of the scan will provide a baseline for my health going forward. If there were any hotspots of fast- growing cancerous tissue cells in my system, the test would show them.
My husband accompanied me to my appointment late on a Friday afternoon. As advised by the medical staff, I had not eaten or had anything too drink for six hours previously.
After I checked in, a nurse measured my pulse, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. All was normal! Two young technicians who I know stopped by to say hello, and I felt reassured to know that I was in good hands.
Soon I was put into a small examining room, where I sat in a reclining chair. A needle was inserted into the back of my right hand. I can no longer use my left arm or hand for any blood draws or infusions since I had lymph nodes tested on that side during breast cancer surgery (there is a risk of getting lymphedema after that procedure). A radioactive sugar solution was injected into my hand, taking less than a minute. It felt cool.
After that, I had to wait for almost an hour while the solution circulated around my body. I dozed off for a bit, and then my mind started to wander. I thought about how amazing it is that I live in an era where it is possible to get information about the cancers in my body from a procedure that doesn’t take too long, does not involve surgery, and is painless.
Since I am by now a bit of a chronic worrier, I also wondered what the test would find out. Since I know from blood tests that I have a low level of myeloma (monoclonal) protein in my blood, there could be some cancerous locations, especially in my bones. That could be in the ribs, vertebral column, hips, legs and arms, and the skull. I know that I have lytic lesions in those locations.
Thankfully, the technician interrupted this reverie by turning up the dimmed lights in the room. Since my clothing had no metal parts, such as buttons or zippers, on it, I didn’t need to change into a hospital gown, and I was taken to the room where the scan would be performed. On the doors in this area of the hospital, the Nuclear Medicine Department, all of the doors have triangular warning signs indicating that radioactive substances are used.
Another pleasant technician got me to lie down on a narrow exam table and strapped me onto it so I would not fall or move around. I had hospital blankets put on top to keep me warm during the test. The scanner was shaped like a doughnut, and was about five feet long.
After getting me set up for the test, I was first scanned back and forth as the exam table moved through the scanner. This was the ‘CT’ (computed tomography) part of the test. A low dose of radiation would show where the internal landmarks, such as the skeleton and organs, were located. This would be helpful for the radiologists reading the test to match up the PET (positron emission tomography) scan results to the CT results.
The CT part of the scan took about five minutes, but the PET part took much longer, about 30 minutes. This is the test where the radioactive sugar is scanned. It seemed like a long time, and I started to try to remember half memorized songs and psalms during this time to calm myself. My husband and the technician came into the room at one point and I could hear them talking, but I did not talk to them since I was supposed to be very still during the test.
I was relieved when the test was over and the technician said that the scans had come out alright.
At that point in time, we went home. It was about 6:30 p.m., and since I did not have any restrictions on what I could do or eat, we treated ourselves and picked up a pizza to eat at home.
Almost two weeks later, I got the results back at an appointment with my oncologist. I almost fell off my chair when she told me that all had turned out to be normal. Even though innumerable lytic lesions can still be seen on the scans, there were no metabolic findings to suggest multiple myeloma.
This was definitely the best news I could have expected from the baseline PET/CT scan. I left the appointment and went out into the sunshine with a spring in my step!
At this point, I do not know when I will be scheduled for another PET/CT scan.
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The quotation for this month is from an anonymous source: "We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails."
Nancy Shamanna is a multiple myeloma patient and a columnist at The Myeloma Beacon. You can view a list of her columns here.
If you are interested in writing a regular column to be published by The Myeloma Beacon, please contact the Beacon team at .
Nancy, so glad to hear that your PET/CT scan were negative for cancer. Because my husband is considered high risk, he has a scan at least annually. He had his first scan five years ago, and the image was like a lighted Christmas tree. There was myeloma everywhere. We were horrified and scared to death. After his induction therapy, most of the myeloma was gone. It would take the autologous stem cell transplant for the myeloma to disappear completely. Again, so happy for your good results from your scan.
Thanks for sharing your story too, Patty! I hope that your husband continues in good health! Obviously in my case I had bone disease, but after the initial treatments, I also had 'no further lesions, or signs of fractures.' This was almost a decade ago now! This was known by the annual skeletal X-rays I had. However, PET/CT scans can give more information than x-rays do, and since I do have a low level of myeloma protein in my blood, I was happy to know that there are no areas of active cancer.
What awesome news! So glad to hear. Enjoy!
Thanks Susan! I felt that having this PET/CT test was worthwhile since even though it showed no signs of cancer, it is a baseline for my health moving forward. My multiple myeloma and breast cancer will be checked upon routinely, especially the myeloma. I have had more blood tests than I can count now, but am grateful to be closely monitored, since in the last decade I have lost many friends to myeloma and know that it is a dangerous disease. I hope that you are well though!
Dear Nancy, I’m very pleased indeed to hear the results of your scan. So good to get some positive news, and hopefully this means that you will be spared aggressive treatment meanwhile. I share your anxiety about test results, it’s not exactly surprising given the various horrible scenarios we can easily imagine. I’ve just returned from Singapore where Graham has been working for a few weeks. While in Singapore, I went to see my former myeloma specialist, and I’m now awaiting the results of all the tests which I had. It’s relentless and inescapable! I hope you can relax for a while and celebrate in the Canadian springtime.
Dear Marjorie, thanks for your comment! You are right, the disease is quite unrelenting! But I am hopeful. That's nice that you were able to reconnect with your original myeloma specialist in Singapore, which is where you got your treatments to start with. I hope that the results of those tests turn out well too.
Dear Nancy, Such great news, and I am very happy for you. I have been in remission after my autologous stem cell transplant, seven years ago, but as of February this year, my M-protein is showing up again in my blood work. This has made me anxious once again. I do enjoy your writing and quotes. Once again, I am so happy for your good results, and keep that skip in your step. I wish you the very best going forward on this journey to staying healthy.
Hi Nancy. Always a pleasure to read your articles. You certainly are a beacon of hope. I don't think anything can prevent our worries about what the future holds, but it is wonderful to have these victory milestones along the journey.
Thanks so much, Diana and Colin!
Diana, Sorry to hear that you went off remission, but after seven years that is quite remarkable. Compared to seven years ago, there are more treatments available now, so hopefully when you need to go back onto them, you will get good results.
Colin, I have a great life apart from myeloma, so that certainly helps with avoiding worry!
What wonderful news, Nancy! It always gives me happiness and hope, whenever I hear such good news of cancer being trounced even a little. Wishing you all the best always. And may good health be yours to claim.
Thanks Terry! That is kind of you, and it is nice to get good news concerning this cancer.
Nancy, thank you for taking the time to write this article. Your summary of the test procedures are helpful and reduce anxiety experienced by fellow patients. I have heard of the PET scans, but not from a patient’s view. Grateful for your results and would have had the same initial reaction to run outside and stand or skip in the sunshine.
Thanks Marcia, I did write this column since I thought it would be informative to others who were having a PET/CT scan. I had heard about this test for years, and I was a little apprehensive about the procedure. It turned out to be one of the easier tests to take. I was pleasantly surprised by the results too, and I think it was good of my doctors to recommend the test for me.
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