I must say today despite the aches and pains, I am in great spirits and feeling upbeat. I started my day quite early as has become some kind of norm where my day starts off at 6am to get to the 8am medical appointments on time. Today, I went in for a test called Cardiac Nuclear Imaging. If you are neurotic like me you are wondering what the hell? I did the same too, only my fears were alleviated by the Nuclear Medicine Physician who was so kind enough to spare a good chunk of time giving me a very informative Nuclear Cardiology 101 basically covering the what, how and why as well as what to expect. Here is what I learned today. That the test was called a MUGA scan (Multi Gated Acquisition Scan) designed to evaluate the function of both right and left ventricles of the heart. In my case rule out pre-existing cardiac conditions that may impede chemo. That there was good and bad radiation and I was going to experience the good radiation. And, that the amount of radiation from diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures is kept within a safe limit.Given, I have cancer and I need to know what stage it is in and how much A-adriamycin, in ABVD chemo baseline I will get given it can be toxic and damage the heart muscles, I guess at this point arguing is definitely out of the question or even entertaining the slightest idea of thinking about seeking alternative options that could possibly be explored to determine the functionality of my heart before I jump onto the chemo bus. I just extended my arm and said inject the nuclear waste if its part of the process! This test I am told is very important because chemo can be very harsh on the heart. Therefore, I am told I will be a frequent visitor at the Nuclear Imaging Clinic as this test will be done frequently to monitor how much my heart is able to withstand the hurricane chemotherapy. I am told the amount of nuclear medicine used in diagnostic imaging exams are quite safe. Really? He explained to me that a patient receives a very small amount - enough to provide sufficient diagnostic information. Nuclear imaging is a cardiac procedure performed on someone with Hodgkin's like myself to allow my Oncologist to determine the health of my heart by visualizing how blood is flowing through images of my heart. This test also evaluates whether chest discomfort, shortness of breath or unusual fatigue is due to heart disease. After the 101 class, I was injected twice different sessions with a radioactive substance into my bloodstream through the vein. The radioactive substance travels to my heart and releases energy where special cameras outside of my body was detecting energy and using it to create pictures of my heart. During the procedure, I was advised to remain as still as possible; mind you the huge machine was literally hovering over my face and chest. It felt like I was caught and stuck under this huge hanging rock almost crushing me. It stifled me. The proximity of the machine hanging above me was hoisted right in my face such that I was forced to close my eyes as it was too close for comfort. The full procedure takes about an hour with intervals in between. After the painless procedure, I was able to look at my heart and see it pumping on a computer screen. That was very fascinating!
After the test, I was advised to drink lots of water to allow the radioactive substance to be expelled from my body through urine. That got me thinking. No, it sent my brain into overdrive. I thought if its good radiation, why do I need to drink tons of water in order to expel it from my body? That raised a red flag for me. By the way, did you know that most of us don't think about how we are exposed to radiation annually from natural and man made sources. I learnt today that there is good radiation and bad radiation. As a critical thinker, I can't believe I just said that in the same sentence. I mean is there something called good radiation? Really? Anyway, did you know that major natural source of radioactivity in plant tissue is potassium? Meaning peanuts, bananas and others are culprits but, don't be scared now, exposure only lasts a few minutes after ingestion. Other exposure can be received from products such as colour television sets or yeah, the cell phones we all love so much. Now, join the neurotic bus and start wondering where else are we exposed on a daily basis. Dr. Oz my favourite guy on talk show television, recently conducted research on what exactly is in apple juice. “Dr. Oz Investigates" found that nearly one-third of the apple juice samples his show tested had higher levels of arsenic than is allowed in U.S. drinking water. Apple juices has traces of arsenic which is poison. How about that! Shocking? Click the Dr.Oz link and feed your imagination.
This cancer journey is indeed traumatic but, I am someone who views any change as an opportunity to learn and grow. So, I am embracing this as an opportunity to learn not only about myself, but learning to be an active participant in my treatment journey by not taking any information I am given at face value. I am challenging myself and putting my brain to work and asking a lot of questions. I am more aware of so many things that I have taken for granted. I listen to my body more and I care about what I put in my mouth. Its official, I am Obsessively Aware! For instance, when do we really ever have conversation about things like radiation? I am having this conversation with y'all because on my way home I started feeling funny. I felt weird like a kinda out of body experience. I was feeling pain but could not point anywhere if anyone asked me. I felt like a zombie. I did the ritual, took a shower and went to sleep. Three hours later, I still woke up feeling really strange and still fatigued topped up with a king sized blinding migraine headache. I continued to feel like a zombie, in pain and felt extreme fatigue which was preventing me from leaving my bed. I must say, I struggled to write this blog and decided to do my own research on nuclear cardiology stuff hoping to find some answers. I can't say I got the answers but it set my mind to rest just understanding that radiation is hazardous to the human body no matter what anyone can say, which for me made sense of how weird I was feeling.
Anyway, did you know that our most loved and convenient gadget in the kitchen "the microwave" has been found to not only impact the nutrition of the food but may be dangerous to those who eat the food.? I knew about this but never took it seriously. In my quest for wanting to know more, I just found out that Dr. Hans Hertel of Switzerland conducted research on food prepared in the microwave and found that the food became altered as well as the blood chemistry of those eating it. Now, check this out, when his findings were released, he was slapped with a lawsuit by the Association of Dealers for Electroapparatuses for Households and Industry. The court prohibited him from saying that food prepared in microwave ovens is dangerous to health - Yeah! so much for freedom of speech. He is appealing this decision. So, are you going to trade in your microwave for a toaster oven?
Let me introduce you to the international radiation symbol you can look for next time when you go shopping to identify food products that have been treated with ionized radiation - a process referred to as irradiation. What is interesting is that this symbol can easily be misleading because it resembles the American Environmental Protection Agency symbol. Very weird! Irradiation is one of the tools available to the food industry; a process of exposing food to ionizing radiation supposedly used to destroy bacteria or insects that may be present in food. In addition to sanitizing our food, irradiation can also be used to prevent sprouting, delay ripening, or increase juice yield–in other words, messing with a fruit or vegetable’s natural life process or progression. Irradiation increases shelf life by slowing the ripening or sprouting in fresh fruits and vegetables, thereby allowing for longer shelf life. In Canada, onions, potatoes, wheat flour, whole wheat flour and whole or ground spices and dehydrated seasonings are approved for irradiation and sale. Pre-packaged foods that have been irradiated display the international radiation symbol along with a statement that the product has been irradiated. Who knew? The Canada Food Inspection Agency have a great resource and fact sheet on food irradiation. They also have a disclaimer that food irradiation does not guarantee food safety. Which makes me feel very comfortable with my knew found unconscious neurotic desire to change my modus operandi. Its time, I am going organic and maybe vegetarian who knows. Remember to stay tuned.......
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