Son’s scans tomorrow

Hi,

I am hoping and praying for clear scans! Glad to hear that he is doing well with the interferon, month 3! Way to go young man!!! Are you as a family receiving any formalized supports ie counseling?? Not saying that you need it but it could be beneficial as adolescence can be a difficult period and then you add in a serious illness ie melanoma. I worked for 10 years as a medical social worker/mental health clinician in a pediatric practice and I worked with many families with a child with a serious diagnosis.

Keep the faith!

Vermont_Donna, stage 3a,

currently stable after 4 infusions of ipi

Hi,

I am hoping and praying for clear scans! Glad to hear that he is doing well with the interferon, month 3! Way to go young man!!! Are you as a family receiving any formalized supports ie counseling?? Not saying that you need it but it could be beneficial as adolescence can be a difficult period and then you add in a serious illness ie melanoma. I worked for 10 years as a medical social worker/mental health clinician in a pediatric practice and I worked with many families with a child with a serious diagnosis.

Keep the faith!

Vermont_Donna, stage 3a,

currently stable after 4 infusions of ipi

Hi,

I would not worry about the scans being done so quickly at Maine Medical; different facilities will have different machines possibly and perhaps slightly different protocols…….here's how mine usually go at Dartmouth Hitchcock, and of note, mine are a PET and CT scan TOGETHER…..both done at the same time….probably has to do with the kind of machine Maine Med has for the CT scan to be done separately.

Anyways, my "prep" consists of IV placement (until I had my port put in, so now it is port access) then I am taken to a darkened room, put in a recliner, covered with a warm blanket, receive the radioactive glucose, sit quietly for 45 -60 minutes (no talking, reading, chewing gum, etc, so I nap), then get up, allowed to pee, and then get scanned…head first for 30 minutes then feet first for 20 minutes….then I am done! Then I have labs, and then go have lunch, then to the melanoma oncology department and see my doctor and he has the results of ALL the labs and the entire PET/CT scan he pulls up on his computer and he looks at it with me. Of course the radiologist needs to read it and give a formal reading and then I get mailed a copy of the final report.

As far as counseling…that was the beauty of me working directly in the pediatric practice…I was "inhouse" and not introduced formally as a therapist but "someone else I want you all to see" and then I was always able to engage the patient and family on some level after that……I often met with them in the same exam room as the doctor or also met with them in my office down the hall. We call it "stealth mental health", the emphasis on support not on "you need counseling"…kids so often interrpret that as "I am crazy". The other thing is most kids DO NOT say "I want to see a counselor"…….but will actually go willing once appointments are set up. Again, certainly NOT saying you need this. I have just found it is very helpful for families to get that kind of support. Perhaps your pediatrician has this arrangement in his/her practice or quite possibly it is a service through your melanoma oncology department at Dana Farber.

 Hope you feel better soon!

Vermont_Donna

Hi,

I would not worry about the scans being done so quickly at Maine Medical; different facilities will have different machines possibly and perhaps slightly different protocols…….here's how mine usually go at Dartmouth Hitchcock, and of note, mine are a PET and CT scan TOGETHER…..both done at the same time….probably has to do with the kind of machine Maine Med has for the CT scan to be done separately.

Anyways, my "prep" consists of IV placement (until I had my port put in, so now it is port access) then I am taken to a darkened room, put in a recliner, covered with a warm blanket, receive the radioactive glucose, sit quietly for 45 -60 minutes (no talking, reading, chewing gum, etc, so I nap), then get up, allowed to pee, and then get scanned…head first for 30 minutes then feet first for 20 minutes….then I am done! Then I have labs, and then go have lunch, then to the melanoma oncology department and see my doctor and he has the results of ALL the labs and the entire PET/CT scan he pulls up on his computer and he looks at it with me. Of course the radiologist needs to read it and give a formal reading and then I get mailed a copy of the final report.

As far as counseling…that was the beauty of me working directly in the pediatric practice…I was "inhouse" and not introduced formally as a therapist but "someone else I want you all to see" and then I was always able to engage the patient and family on some level after that……I often met with them in the same exam room as the doctor or also met with them in my office down the hall. We call it "stealth mental health", the emphasis on support not on "you need counseling"…kids so often interrpret that as "I am crazy". The other thing is most kids DO NOT say "I want to see a counselor"…….but will actually go willing once appointments are set up. Again, certainly NOT saying you need this. I have just found it is very helpful for families to get that kind of support. Perhaps your pediatrician has this arrangement in his/her practice or quite possibly it is a service through your melanoma oncology department at Dana Farber.

 Hope you feel better soon!

Vermont_Donna