Thursday, 8/2/07
Went in to sign consent form for study participation. Then I was sent up to have a echocardiogram (sonogram) of the heart. Blood drawn. Vitals taken. I'm 120/110 (stress). Vetoed, with the help of my Dr., my appointment for a Mediport on Tuesday. Today, Monday, I had a full body CT scan and the research nurse asked me to "think about" getting a mediport, under the advice of the Head Infusion Nurse . Mediport is surgically implanted delivery port. They never need to search for a vein after that. You have to be knocked out for implant procedure.
They wanted me to have one the first time around and I refused. The nurses were OK. We are suspicious that they want to do it b/c it makes their lives way easier. The chemo can damage veins and they warned me about a specific one but I'm gonna do some research. Just don't fully trust them. I believe the Infusion nurses relaxed once they saw my veins on the first go around. Hopefully I'll be OK. There's something very demoralizing about having a port attached to me the whole time I go through chemo. It's a constant reminder that we don't need.
Update radioactivity 11/05-8/07:
1mSv = 100mrem
PET = 7mSv
CT = 10-12mSv (whole Body scan)
MUGA = 8mSv
1 MUGA = 8mSv
4 PET scans = 28 mSv
8 CT scans = 80-96 mSv
Total = 116-132 mSv
Background radiation exposure in the US is ~3mSv/year.
A chest X-ray = 0.02mSv
1 CT = 500 x-rays
1 PET = 350 x-rays
1 MUGA = 400 x-rays
5800 x-rays and counting
Now I have to go and see what GVD is as opposed to ABVD
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