MRI

 

I parked my car in the south garage, and as I was walking I felt like I owned the place.  I feel like I've been to so many parts of this hospital: the cancer center, mother-baby, labor and delivery, women's imaging center, radiology, outpatient check-in, etc.  I realized I'm definitely in fight mode now.  I haven't cried since Thursday, and as I walked in to the hospital it felt like I was going to work. 

There was no mystery in today, but I was not looking forward to today.  I hated my MRI last time, so I knew what I was in for.  Last time my face fell asleep in the face cradle, my arms were too high and REALLY fell asleep, and I was so paranoid my breathing was going to be too deep that I'd move and ruin the pictures. 

I was walked to a dressing room where I had to put on the classic open front, pink top and blue scrub pants that are approximately 10 sizes too large for me. 

Rock on.

I filled out some paperwork and was taken back pretty quickly.  There's no dietary restrictions or fasting orders, but I know my veins are hard for folks to find, so I made sure to drink a ton of water this morning to help us both out.  The tech took a little while to find my vein, but we were successful! 

I got situated on the table laying on my stomach.  It's basically like laying on a table for a massage, with the addition of holes for your breasts.  They told me I'd be in there for 30 minutes.  After 20 minutes they would administer the contrast dye, which would happen through the tube they had hooked up to the vein in my arm.  They also gave me a little squeeze ball to squeeze in case I needed anything.  They backed the table back into the tube and we were off.  I tried to just breath normally and not stress about it much. 

Anyone who knows me well knows I'm an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person).  Eric thinks I made this up, but I swear it's legit!  Here's a little glimpse: http://hsperson.com/  Needless to say, the noise was not my favorite.  I was trying to figure out a way to describe the sound.  Imagine you're stuck in a Pac Man arcade game, at a rave, and later a helicopter comes to save you.  That's what it sounds like.

I kept my eyes closed the whole time, and I'll admit, towards the end I think I drifted off a bit.  And then, it was over!  My arms didn't fall asleep this time, and my face only fell asleep a little bit.  And just like that, I was back in real clothes and out the door.  Bing, bang, boom.

I'm excited for tomorrow morning.  I'll meet with my oncologist, Dr. U, and then my breast surgeon, Dr. G.  I just want a plan and a timeline.  I've been at work scheduling meetings and events for weeks from now, and I feel like I have to add an asterisk to it all wondering if I can follow through.  I hate that feeling.  I just want to get this party started and tear it up.  Tomorrow I'll find out how to start.