First UCLA Appointments

I am exhausted. I was increasingly sick until I woke from my nap yesterday. The travel day was horrible, but who cares, I'm getting better and better!

Today I had my Dopa PET scan. Unfortunately, we blew out my vein on the first try so some of the radioactive liquid started burning horribly. The gentleman stopped and had to run back to the back room, the radioactive stuff can't be left out or it goes bad, so he had to switch it out, hurry back, poke my other arm, inject the new radioactive stuff and we were good to go. After the injection they had me lay down for 10 minutes while the dye moved through my body. Once in the scan, unfortunately, I had three coughing fits. It was uncontrollable, there was absolutely nothing I could do. Typically a cough will ruin the scan, but after reviewing the slides they said it was fine, which was FANTASTIC. I did not want to have to do another round of radioactive dye, or scan.

After the Dopa PET I had to literally run to another building because I was late for my pre-op physical. Every doctor, every technician, each receptionist and nurse - they were all incredibly kind, fun to be around, and they made my stressful, action packed day, as nice as it could be. The doctor checked me off and I'm good to go for a brain surgery. My general physician actually does rounds in the neurosurgery ICU on Fridays and he was excited to be able to check on me after my surgery he said with a sweet smile, "I will be doing rounds, and I'll come check on you. Of course, that is, IF you end up having to do the surgery." He knew that we were waiting on the Dopa PET scan results.

After the physical I went down several floors to the lab to get blood work done, the third needle of the day....rats. A little pee in a cup and I was off to another building for a lung x-ray - a formality. After that Dad and I went down to the film department to get copies of my Dopa PET. Within 20 minutes we had three copies of my scan. We have already reviewed it, and although we really don't know what we're doing, it's nice to see what the doctors are looking at.

There are several different scans of my brain, one does not light up ANYWHERE. There is another one that does, right in Hermie's house. I'm not going to make any snap judgements, but it looks like there is active tumor. At this point we are expecting to go through with the brain surgery. Bummer. We'll wait for an official nod from Dr Liau, but I'm mentally preparing myself for the knife.

Tomorrow Dad and I have to run to the hospital to get more medical records, and contact UW to send more medical records to UCLA. The details are never ending, you have to be on top of your game. You have to schedule so much of your own appointments, and you have to get all of the medical records, this is a very interactive situation. I wish I could just show up to appointments and have it all figured out, but oh well.

Off to bed.

If you look closely at the pen you can see a person laying on a bed, and when you turn the pen, the bed floats into the machine. Just a little gift from the Dopa PET scan department. A parting gift for subjecting yourself to radioactive fluid? :)