ONCOLOGY INSTRUCTIONS:

  • We will call you between 9am and 12pm the business day before your scan. It is required that we speak with you so that we can order your special medication for your scan.  If you miss our call, you must call us back before the end of the day. If we do not speak with you, we will not be able to perform your scan. 

  • Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time.

  • If you have any questions about these instructions, please call our office at the number above.

  • Click here to print the instructions on this page. [English]

  • Haga clic aquí para imprimir las instrucciones de esta página. [Español]

How to Prepare Before Your Appointment

  • No strenuous exercise for 24 hours before you arrive.

  • Dress warmly with clothes that preferably do not have any metal or zippers. You will need to remove jewelry and hearing aids before your scan. We have small trays to keep those belongings in the room with you while you are being scanned.

  • Please bring a Photo ID and your insurance cards with you.

Food and Drink

  • No food or drink except water for 6 hours before you arrive. This includes coffee, tea, soda, gum, hard candy and tobacco.

  • Drink 3 glasses of water at home before you arrive, unless this is against medical advice.

  • Avoid carbohydrates and sugars after 4PM the day before your scan. In other words, follow a low carb diet the evening before your scan.
    Foods to eat:

    • Proteins: beef, pork, chicken, fish, seafood, eggs

    • Green vegetables: broccoli, spinach, asparagus, collard greens, etc

    • Hard cheeses: parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese

Foods to avoid:

    • Bread, crackers, tortillas

    • Starchy foods - potatoes, rice, pasta/noodles

    • Sweeter/starchier vegetables like corn, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes

    • Sugary or sweet foods like baked goods, 

    • Fruit and fruit juices

    • Soda, added sugar to coffee or tea

Medications

  • Take your morning medications at home with plenty of water.

  • If you have diabetes, DO NOT take your diabetic medication as normal. Instead, please call the office at least 48 hours before your scan for specific instructions.

What to expect while you are here

  • You will have a small IV placed, and an extremely small amount of a special form of sugar will be given through your IV. There are no side effects to this medication, you will not feel any different after receiving your dose.

  • You will wait in a comfortable room for about 90 min followed by a 30 min scan on a machine that is similar to a CT scanner.

  • Plan to be here for about 3 hours total.

Visitors

  • You may bring one visitor with you into the private patient room.

  • Pregnant women are not allowed in the private patient room.

  • Children under the age of 18 must wait in the waiting room with a guardian.