MRI

I had my MRI done yesterday.  I had never had one before, but I have gone with my mom before when she had one, so I knew, generally, what to expect.

 

Mine needed to be a contrast MRI.  The contrast dye would be injected into my shoulder joint.

 

I don’t like needles.  I am basically a big, wimpy, scaredy cat when it comes to PAIN, and I am even worse when it involves needles.  I blame this entirely on Dr. Krupp, who removed a plantar wart about 4 years ago.  I thought I had been in pain before, that I knew pain and could handle it fairly well, until Dr. Krupp gave me a shot in the bottom of my foot.  That incident gave me a new definition of PAIN.  And now I don’t like needles.

 

I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking – don’t you have a Lap Band?  Isn’t that adjusted by having saline injected through a port?  Using a needle?  And yes, you would be correct. The very fact that, even with my aversion to needles, I chose to have this surgery, should be some indication of how necessary I thought it was for me to have that surgery.  

 

Anyway, my MRI.  Thankfully, my wonderfully caring Hubby took the afternoon off to go with me. 

 

The nurse asked me if I was claustrophobic.  I am a little, depending on the circumstances.  Like, I don’t think I could go in a submarine, and I know I would not be able to go caving (sorry Hubby) without some major distress.  But elevators don’t really bother me (and not just because I am afraid of escalators), closets don’t bother me.  But small rooms with lots of people give me mild anxiety.  I knew with the MRI that I would be slightly enclosed, but still in the middle of really big room.  I thought I would be ok, but I wasn’t sure.

 

So the nurse asks if I want to go to the MRI and try it out to see if I would go through with it, before I had the dye injected.  I didn’t say anything right away and I must have looked puzzled because Hubby laughed and said that wasn’t necessary, because even if I didn’t like it, I was going to do it anyway because I had to know about my shoulder.

 

Yep.  I didn’t care if I laid in there crying the whole time, I was doing it.  I want to know what I need to do to stop the hurting so I can get a decent nights sleep again.

 

Hubby held my hand while they stuck a giant needle in my shoulder.  Ok, I don’t really know if it was giant because I wouldn’t look at it.  But it felt giant.  And I only cried a little.

 

Then off to the MRI room.  I got positioned and a sandbag on my hand to help hold it still and strapped down to the table.  Plus, earphones with my choice of radio station.

 

They moved the table into the tube.  Since it is my shoulder being imaged my head was right in the middle of the tube.  My legs were sticking out from about my knees down.  I was squished against the one side of the tube and I felt like I was in a coffin.  I hollered and asked to be pulled out for a minute, which the very nice attendant did.  Hubby helped reposition me a bit so I could pull my right arm in across my body and they slid me back in.  This time I wasn’t touching the side and I was able to stand it a lot better.  The air was blowing across my face, and I kept my eyes closed and listened to the music.  But the thing that helped the most was that Hubby stood by my legs and kept patting and petting me.  I knew I wasn’t alone.

 

It was the longest 45 minutes ever.  And what naturally happens when you are trying to be still and not move?  My nose started itching, I had a tickle in my throat that wanted to turn into a cough.  I realized I was completely tensed up from nerves, but then I was afraid to relax, I was afraid to breath too much, I didn’t want it to look like I was moving, because I didn’t want to have to do it again.

 

 I survived it, and they said the images were good.  They pulled me out and wanted me put my hand behind my head and put me back in for 5 more minutes.  HA! My hand doesn’t go behind my head right now, and after being held down for almost an hour without moving it, I could barely lift it to shoulder height.  So I was declared done, and I see the doctor Wednesday afternoon to find out the results.

 

I feel for anyone having to have that done who actually does have claustrophobia.  And if I was still 100 lbs heavier, I don’t think I could have stood being squished in there.  Even with Hubby petting my leg.