13. Another Day Of Testing Gone By!

Another day of testing for the ABT-199 clinical trial to treat my Leukemia has gone by.

I didn’t have to be at the clinic near as early this morning as I did on Monday so the worst of the morning rush hour of Seattle had gone by and I made the drive in without a hitch.

When I checked in at the reception desk they saw I was scheduled for a CT Scan later that day after I got the MUGA test, and she told me they could do both tests a little closer together.  This way I didn’t have to wait for the four hours that was originally scheduled between the two tests.  This sure sounded good to me not to waste half of my day in the waiting room.

I was then taken into the prep room where they put an I. V. line put into my arm where they did a saline flush, I have gotten to the point now where I can taste the saline when they shoot it into my veins, and I got to tell you this stuff tastes terrible!

A little bit later the Imaging Tech came in and explained the procedure to me.

First they took a large vial of my blood and have you witness that they put your name on the vial. 

Then he went into a work area with the blood he took and has a nuclear grade radioactive agent mixed into the blood.

When he was doing this a nurse brought me a new type of pre drink for CT Scan, as at the Fred Hutchinson they have done away with Barium and use a new type of contrast mixed in water that has no taste what so ever.  YAY!   All you do is drink a half liter of it an hour before the scan. 

When the Imagining Tech was done mixing up the brew with my blood he came back for me and had me come back to where the imaging was done at.

He had me lay down on a bench and flushed the I. V. line again, YUCK!

Then another tech come to verify that the blood mixed with the nuclear radioactive  agent was indeed mine, and injected it back into the I. V. in my arm.  Then had me wait for the goodies to work their way into my blood stream.

Then they have you lay still for about 10 minutes while the first image is taken of your chest.  This is basically a very large fancy, and expensive camera that takes a picture of your heart where the nuclear radioactive agent has made its way to.

This is repeated 2 more times with images taken at 2 other angles. 

When he was all done he gave me a paper that I am required to carry with me everywhere I go for the next 72 hours, that states I have been injected with a nuclear grade radioactive medical agent.

I asked him if I was going to get super powers, but alas that is not a known side effect.

Darn and I really wanted to become “Super Leukemia Fighter”!

I then was put into a waiting area where I had a half hour while I downed the drink for the CT Scan, (so much better than Barium is that is for sure), and I got that CT Scan a half hour later, with all of that familiar dye that makes you so warm all over.

Then they had me sit for a half hour for observation then I was sent on my way.

I don’t know if it was all of the testing I have had to do recently these last few days or if it was the super juice that was put into me but I sure felt tired after this.

But I made it home where I promptly fell asleep on the couch for a nice nap!  

Now I am just waiting for a word from the clinical trial coordinator for word when the next step comes, which if all of our ducks are in a row will be early the week of the 12^th