PET Scan... Time to find the facts

November 14th: PET scan: A Proton Emission Topography exam consist of injecting flourine-18 fluid into my veins and allowing this radioactive liquid to flow through my body for an hour. They allowed Carmen to sit with me during this time. After this they scanned my body from my shins to my head with a scanner that looked for the beta decay of the fluorine to map out the activity in my body. The mapping process took about 18 minutes during which they were kind enough to provide warmed blankets. This was nice because the process was COLD. The technicians offered blankets for my arms which I foolishly declined because they were freezing during the procedure. As opposed to a MRI scan, this process was very quiet. The radiation dose I received during this one procedure was TWICE the entire ionizing radiation dosage I had received during my 23 years of working in the nuclear power business. No results were available immediately after this exam. I did find it interesting that the results were being read as soon as they were available by technicians miles away from us. I noted to myself that a radiologist job was not safe from exportation.

Dr Joseph Meyer

November 15th: Results of the PET Scan. We went back to the Thompson Cancer Survival Center to talk with Dr Meyer and his staff about my PET scan and the path forward. Every member of the team that came to talk with us emphasized that what was going to happen was horrific. After getting briefed by his staff for over an hour, Dr. Meyer came into discuss our situation. I almost burst out laughing when he, in his best Bond villain impression, snapped on his latex gloves while stating that "what I, as your doctor, am going to do to you over the next few months is... TERRIBLE". I'm pretty sure the impression part was only in my mind, but his timing was impeccable.
Dr. Meyer noted that the mother alien of the cancer was in my tonsils, and still fully intact following my earlier surgery. Additional spawnings of the cancer were also still in place and positioned on the right side of my head and neck. He reiterated that a radical tonsillectomy was unlikely to be helpful and would likely cause more difficulty than solutions.

For those readers with a basic understanding of radiation dosage, my neck has been slated to receive a staggering 7,000 RAD over 35 treatments administered over 7 weeks. This amount of radiation will cook my throat, jaws, and skin. Because it has spread to my lymph nodes, which are bilaterally connected, both sides of my head down to my sub clavicle region will be treated. The most horrifying bit of news was that I was likely to lose my precious, and most impressive, beard....FOREVER!!!
The damage to my throat will make eating difficult and one of the chief concerns is dangerous amounts of weight loss. I am currently under doctor's orders to gain weight. As much fun as that may sound, it really isn't enjoyable when your heart and stomach aren't into it. Additionally, the radiation dosage will damage my jaws and teeth. To mitigate dental damage, I visited my dentist who provided prescription fluoride treatments for me.

After covering a litany of remedies and cautions for my upcoming treatment, we set a time to make my mask. This mask is required to ensure that my head and neck are properly aligned each time we conduct a radiation treatment. It was weird to have this latex webbed material pressed down around my head, but not overly uncomfortable. Over the course of my radiation treatment, this mask will be an integral part of my experience.