Mri

[estranged4life]

Originally Posted by Lee

Has anyone ever had an MRI? I had that done today. And I freaked out. The woman put me in head first; it is open at either end, but it's like being in a coffin. You are not supposed to move. I guess when she put me head first, the top of the thing was so close to my head that I freaked. I asked her to pull me out of it. She put me in it feet first instead. My feet were dangling over the table a bit (I had a pillow under my knees), but I didn't feel so enclosed. I told her that I was sorry; I didn't think I was claustrophobic. She said that it was OK. She kept checking on me. The machine makes a lot of noise so they give you headphones with music piped in. She asked me what kind of music I liked & I said anything but country & rap. So I heard some Motown, "I Heard It through the Grapevine" & I heard "Jeremiah was a Bull Frog". I don't think the music calmed me though because I was breathing pretty heavy through the whole thing. It lasted about 20 - 25 minutes. You can't have any metal on your body, so I had to take my dress pants off (zipper) & bra (hooks) & put a gown on. She said that I did good & then I had a back x-ray (@ no charge she said) to go along with the MRI of the lower back. Some other woman did that. I was glad to get out of there. My doctor should have the results in three days. I'm not going to wait until the 11th to get the results though. I'm going to have the doctor call me next week.

Oh, this all started back in May. I was a little over zealous in my gardening I guess & I wound up in the ER on May 20th. I was in severe pain. They said that it was a groin pull. My left leg wasn't numb then, but it was the next day & a little section still is & it aches to my knee. I can walk OK though. I have arthritis in my spine, so when my leg aches, it's just like arthitis, but the neurologist thinks it's a pinch nerve. So hopefully I'll know for sure next week.

Lee

and the first one was the worst experience of the few MRI's I have had, since I did not know at the time I was VERY allergic to IV Contrast - so when I was given the iodine contrast I had a very bad reaction (Thankfully I held on until the scan was complete to save the $$$$) and had to have a BIG syringe full of benadryl and I was hammered into 'la-la' land, thankfully I had someone to drive me home.

The second one scared me since it did indeed show clearly I have a mass growing inside my head (I thought it was my brain FINALLY growing, but alas... ). Sitting COMPLETELY STILL for a person who is chronically in motion was a pain, but I was told if I moved and the scan became blurred we would have to start over and I would spend another 30 minutes inside this complete MRI tube (I had the machine just one inch above my nose so I couldnt scratch my nose if it started to itch) and waste another $7000.00 (!!!!)

I relaxed to the modern jazz music being played (I like Jazz, hate to admit it since it ruins this 'metalhead' image I have) and sat perfectly still for 35 minutes - and once I was slided out of the machine, I asked, in a scared manner, "Did the images come out clear?" (I didnt care about the tumor at that moment, I'm clausterphobic BIGTIME and I DID NOT WANT to GO BACK inside for another 35+ minutes of torture in that CLOSED COFFIN!!!!). The radiologists said "The images appear fine, but have you ever had a massive stroke before?" - "If I did, that is news to me" was my reply.

So this tumor in my head is STILL growing and is more than likely one that cannot be removed unless I want to be paralyzed and/or braindamaged ("Too late for that"). Not to mention it affects you MENTALLY, and that has been a problem with me (Let's say I EASILY bet PO'd these days and I VENT bigtime when provoked - I think a certain LEDGIE knows that, dont ya 'nickay'??? hehehe!!!) From the time MRI #1 was performed until #2 several months later - this mass had grown from 2cm x 2.5cm to 3cm x 3.5cm - of course it is still growing and is now starting to effect my mobility. The first sign an arachnoid cyst is going bad is the pain one suffers in the back, so guess what has been hurting me as of late (Beside my pride of course) and now the pain in my joints has started so for the near foreseeable I am totally FUBAR'd.

I hope I do not end up suffering the same fate as guitarist Michelle Meldrum (Of the band Meldrum) who died recenly at the age of 39 when a cyst in her brain cut off her oxygen supply to/from her brain... I sarcastically ask myself this question, WHO THE HELL IS GOING TO GET MY MASSIVE MUSIC COLLECTION IF I BIT THE BIG ONE??? F**k that ****, I plan to stick around to keep ANYONE from inherting my music - they can buy/trade/download their own music!!!!

Brian "Cannot whirlwind headbang anymore to show those young un's this old man can hang at a death metal show" j.