Amber and her bone scan adventures

Today Amber went to Nuclear Medicine at Saint Anthony's in Gig Harbor for a bone scan of her right foot.  She had pain starting Tuesday, Sept. 16 and saw Dr. Mandrell on Thursday, Sept. 18, including an X-ray.  On Friday we were told there was an old fracture on her big toe, just below the growth plate, but above the joint.

The arrow is located below the joint.  You can see a bright white line, and continuing above that another dark line.  That dark line is the growth plate.  The dip in the center of the white line is the old fracture. We have NO idea when it happened or how.

The second photo is from a side angle, so that's why it looks like there is another break just below the tip of her toe.  This is the "pulled" back version of the first photo.

Because of these images she was sent to Nuclear Medicine for a 3 phase bone scan.

Today we arrived about 9:20 a.m. at the Emergency entrance to St. Anthony's where we were checked in and told our portion of the bill would be $153.  We made the request to be billed.  Daryn and I are hoping we've met our cap before we have to pay this bill.  We are also estimating the X-ray to be about $143 (because that's what Ethan's X-ray cost us about 2 months ago).

Amber has received the IV port into her right arm, a small plastic catheter tube.

She was given this "beautiful" lace cuff to protect the port while she was ambulatory before heading into the room for the rest of the procedure.

Amber's feet have been sandbagged into a non-moving position and the machine is being put into place.

The technician is getting ready to add the radioactive materials into her blood stream.  

 The syringe is encased in lead (see the silver?). This is to protect the technician who is around this stuff all day every day.  Amber can feel it going it because it's cold.

 

 Now she is getting her tubing flushed out.

 This is the face one is allowed to make when the tubing is being removed from one's vein.  She was a very good sport.  She hates needles (a LOT) and when she got her flu shot a week ago she tensed up and cried.  Today she was a very brave soul and made a few faces like this one as the needle and tubing were inserted, and removed.

 

This isn't going to tell you much other than the fact that it is taking pictures of her feet (top two photos) and it is the soft tissue pictures.  There was also a blood flow set of pictures and then a bone set.

She looks so little and reminded me of Sleeping Beauty laying there.  

This was the end of the morning photos and adventures.

Going back in for the 2 p.m. photos this is now what we see (below).  The technician instructed her to drink LOTS of water before our return so she could go (to the bathroom) at least 2 times before we saw her again.  By the time we returned Amber had made 7 trips to go potty - I think she drank enough water!  She has to flush all this stuff out of her system.

And we are back.  Taking pictures the same as the last time.

The top three photos are the shots from this morning.  The middle (top and bottom) are the soft tissue, and the two on the right (top and bottom) are the bones.  The bright white at the ankle is normal - it's the end of her leg bone going into her foot, and is more defined on the screen (not my photo) and the technician wasn't sure if it was a growth plate or not.   The white spots just above her toes are the mysteries, as they are not highlighting at the sight of her pain.  In particular, the left one is brighter than the right!  We won't know any answers until next week (Wednesday).

The technician also did a side view of her foot.  The injured one is the right - so the one behind (or in the back) of the other in the pictures.

This is the room we were in.  The little table just to the right has a lead tube sitting on it and inside that is a syringe with the radioactive material.  This was taken out twice while we were there to mark the images by being placed in the picture area.  That tube is about 3/4 to 1 inch thick around.  It held the lead encased syringe from earlier this morning.

Each of this afternoon's pictures took 10 minutes each.  The multiple images will be compiled together to make one image.  She was tired and took a wee nap.

This is the screen from her side pictures.  The foot behind (in back) is the one they are going to be looking at the closest.

And that was today's adventures.  We go back to see the orthopedist on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in Gig Harbor.