May 6, 2004
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Do I Glow?
At noon I received a shot of Thallium, a radioactive isotope that produces gamma rays for about six hours. Obviously, to answer my own question, this isn't enough to produce even a feeble glow. It is used to produce an image of the paths the blood flow takes in the vessels feeding my heart.
The instructions said I would wait 30 to 60 minutes after the injection before being placed on the scanning machine. The technician said two hours but told me to come back at a time that was two and a half hours after the shot. He still wasn't ready for me. I didn't get scanned until more than three hours had passed.
The scan involved being placed flat on my back on the table of a machine that bore a resemblance to a miniature MRI machine. It also reminded me of the torpedo tubes on the submarines I used to ride, except that it was a clean white color instead of the dirty, greasy, dark gray metal color I remember from so many trips.
I was asked to grab my belt with my right hand. Then a broad, thick plastic band was wrapped around my body and that hand just at my waist. I was told to grab the top of my head with my left hand ... and if I moved in the next 25 minutes, the scan would have to start all over. I assumed I was allowed to breathe.
I have mild allergic rhinitis. This is normally not much of a problem. It becomes a problem when my nose is dripping back into my throat for an extended period of time. A few times I felt like I was choking. But I held on for the full period without moving enough to have to start the scan over.
Have you ever tried to move after remaining perfectly motionless for a long time? It hurts. My left rotator cuff was particularly painful.
Thallium isn't cheap. Normal people who weigh 240 or less get about 1 cc of the stuff for $250. I needed a larger dose but they haven't yet informed me how much it will be.
A week from tomorrow I go back for round two, in which they stress my heart before looking at it. They are going to inject some kind of witches brew that will produce the effect of vigorous exercise when I get on the treadmill and do mild exercise. Then they will pump the Thallium into me and make me pretend to be petrified.
I'm not looking forward to that experience.
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