sounds a little dramatic, but that is what i feel about cancer testing. you read about positive living, positive thinking, making the most of your life, looking for the good in every single day and i honestly try to do that. i am basically a pollyanna- type of person at heart. along with that, though, in the back of my mind- well not too far in the back since i am a worrier , is the constant thought "what if i have a recurrence?"
so today i had a CT scan with contrast dye. even though the breast cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes, my oncologist said that the type that i had ( invasive lobular) could spread to my chest and bones without lymph node involvement. that is why my doctor wanted to do the CT scan- to check to see if those cancer beasties had moved to another location. the radiologist will read the scan and send the results to my oncologist. my doctor will then contact me after he has reviewed them, and we shall go from there.
i will say that the CT scan machine is much improved since i last had one- which was several years ago. it is an open scanner, shaped like a doughnut, so not nearly as scary as the MRI machine. i was somewhat worried about the contrast dye, though. i have a really bad sulfite allergy- if i eat or ingest anything that contains sulfites, i have an anaphylactic reaction. for those who do not know about sulfites, they are a group of preservatives, and go by different names. it took my allergist and me a long time to diagnose what was making me so sick. most people do not have as severe of a reaction as i do. for the most part,some people are just "sulfite sensitive" and what that usually means is that if a sulfite sensitive person ingests sulfites, they will have mild to moderate stomach issues.
last week, i called the diagnostic center, where i was to be having my scan, and asked for the name of the dye they would be using. then, i called the company and asked them to send me a package insert so that i could check all of the ingredients. the clinical representative assured me that the Isovue( the name of the dye they use) does not contain any preservatives. i must have relatives in missouri, because when it comes to sulfites, i am a "show me" kind of person.
the technician started an iv and i had an infusion of the Isovue before my scan. the dye makes you feel uncomfortably warm inside, but this only lasts for a few minutes( also an improvement). i am happy to say that i have not had a reaction as yet to the dye. it takes about 48 hours the technician said for the dye to clear your system. if i was going to have an anaphylactic reaction, it would probably have happened immediately, but let's just say that i will feel truly better about things 48 hours from now.
now i wait. i have a lot of practice waiting for cancer test results, both with my thyroid cancer and now with my breast cancer. i am going for a walk with my husband this evening and tomorrow, we are both spending time with one of our precious grandsons. life goes on- be sure that you make the best of it.
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