PET Imaging

My support dog: Felix

PET imaging is not an image of your pet, even though it sounds like it…lol.  I remember it taking an hour and a half for the entire procedure.  I think I had to lay there for approximately 45 minutes inside the tube without movement just as done in an MRI, except I also had to wear what I call the hockey goalie mask.  Seriously, first ear plugs and then, this cage was fastened to my head.  It was humorous to me, thinking that I was like Devan Dubnyk, the goalie on the Minnesota Wild at the time.  If I didn’t say, I am a huge Minnesota Wild fan.  My husband and I had season tickets the year that I was diagnosed.  …back to the scan that my previous doctor didn’t request.  Even though I had sent my medical records, including results from scans and blood samples to the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Truty ordered a similar set of tests.  One difference was the replacement of an MRI with a PET scan.   I didn’t understand, but now I know why.  By the way, don’t eat a cough drop ahead of the scan or you will have to reschedule….lol.  PET imaging is a diagnostic imaging tool that involves a process where the biologic functions of the body are able to be imaged. By using a small amount of a biological marker the PET scan procedure can assess areas of abnormal glucose metabolism in the body.  That’s why the cough drop wasn’t a good idea.  That means sugar or glucose is consumed.

Looking back on how Dr. Truty became my doctor via less than a five-minute phone call made by my oncology nurse, Jessica, it increased my faith in God and confidence in the medical team. When receiving medical care at Mayo, I put my trust in the hands of the doctor who God assigned to my case.  Since then, we have been told by multiple medical professionals that Dr. Truty is considered the best at what he does, taking on complex surgeries others wouldn’t attempt.  I believe the care of Dr. Truty and his team along with my faith in God were critical to my outstanding outcome.