Scintigraphy. A new word I learned today.
“Skeletal scintigraphy helps to diagnose and evaluate a variety of bone diseases and conditions using small amounts of radioactive materials called radiotracers that are injected into the bloodstream. The radiotracer travels through the area being examined and gives off radiation in the form of gamma rays which are detected by a special gamma camera and a computer to create images of your bones.” (radiologyinfo.org)
In other words, I had a bone scan. They injected me with some radiation (didn’t know it was gamma rays! HULK SMASH) then I had to wait about 3 hours for it to settle so it would show up on the scan. The main goal is for them not to see any spots on the bones. It is common for certain cancers including prostate cancer to spread to bones, especially in the pelvic region. If it ends up somewhere else other than the original tumor location it is said to have metastasized. So, if it were to show up in the bones it would be called metastatic prostate cancer.
Three more days until I find the results. More of the waiting game.
