Radioactive Fashion
Today I had one of those "only in vet school" moments.
We were doing a bone scan where we inject radioactive isotopes intravenously and observe with a gamma camera to monitor the vascular, soft tissue and bone phases for areas of uptake which indicate pathology (in short). There is about an hour time lapse between the soft tissue and bone phases during which time the radioactive isotope is partially excreted by the kidneys in the urine and the rest is taken up by bone. Since we don't want a bladder full of radioactive isotope to show up on the scan, we give a diuretic. So, we gave the dog the diuretic and brought her outside to pee... no pee. We walked around on the grass with her for five minutes... no pee. Finally, we give up and decide the dog isn't going to pee and bring her back to the nuclear medicine department to start the bone scan. As I'm lifting her up onto the table... she pees. On me. Well, not me so much as my pants and my shoes, sprayed with radioactive urine.Out came the Geiger counter and it said, "beep beep beep beep beep" with the meter pinned on maximum. So off went my clothes into the nuclear medicine lead shielding room where they will live for the next two days as the isotope decays (all the while being impregnated with urine smell).
Oh vet school... you are such a fickle friend.
posted by Anne @ 7:02 PM
1 Comments:
If only you could've soaked it in spray n wash the entire time..
Erin
Post a Comment
<< Home