WBS, new machine edition

I've just come from my whole body scan (WBS), and all I can say is: wow. This was my first WBS here at M.D. Anderson, all of my others have been in Phoenix; this was a huge improvement.

There's a brand new machine here, so instead of having a narrow plank to lie on, with flimsy velcro straps helping to hold your arms in place, there's a nice, still narrow, but comfortable bed, with two "wings" that they snap into place for your arms to rest in. Awesome. I was actually comfy, and my arms didn't fall asleep, even though I almost did.

Second major improvement: instead of spending 90 minutes in the machine, I was out of there in 45 minutes. Granted, they only took one image of my neck (20 minutes), but the WBS part of the scan only took 25 minutes instead of an hour. That's a huge, huge difference.

My only problems were minor. My toes were cold but that was my own fault, I had brought socks to put on, but I forgot them when I put my bag in the locker. The tech brought me a blanket but it didn't help; I'm used to that, which is why I brought the socks. The other thing, I'm having problems swallowing when upright, so having to lie on my back didn't help that, but I made it through OK.

My thoughts were cycling, weirdly, between two extremes: I hope it's negative and I hope that if there's cancer there it shows up this time!

I'm nervous that my Thyrogen-stimulated Tg numbers won't be back from the lab by this afternoon, and I'm not willing to put all my eggs into the cancer-free basket on the strength of negative u/s and wbs, especially given how much my throat hurts, post-Thyrogen shots.

Seeing Dr. W this afternoon, and will post the news when I have it. In a fit of optimism, I checked the airline's website to see I could possibly get out of here earlier tomorrow, but I'm already booked on the first viable flight after my early appointment tomorrow. I can't wait to get out of here.