MRI’s CT’s, PET’s and enough drugs to make Cheech and Chong Jealous: Friday, January 22, 2010
Wow! … here it is Friday again and I can honestly say I have no idea where the heck the week went. I do remember yesterday (Thursday) though, Sher and I, made the long trek to MGH in Boston for my first testing and scans since the original onslaught of proton treatments last fall and summer. Well, six weeks ago, I feel like I’m just over that adventure, and here I am voluntarily going again. We started out at three in the morning and after a few cups of coffee, hit the road before four.
The roads were in reasonable condition most of the way, with only a few spots that required slower and more cautious driving. Arriving around seven, we searched out the Founders Building (I’d never been in this building before) on the MGH Campus, and located the Radiology Departments, MRI section.
If you’ve never had a full MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) before, I’d suggest you don’t run out and try to have one … they’re nasty. Especially for those that don’t appreciate small, tight places … you know, that wonderful claustrophobic feeling you can get now and then, well ten-fold that, and you begin to understand the feeling that comes with an MRI.
The machine is basically a big, long, narrow tube that has a moveable shelf (that holds your body) and it slides you in and out. Sounds simple enough … and in some sense it is … but in another sense it’s a complete nightmare.
The time you’re actually in the tube varies (I assume) from person to person, but for me it was about forty-five minutes, in which during that time they have an IV tube hooked up to you and they inject different drugs at different times while the machine is running.
Now during this adventure, you can not move … not even a little, not even flex a muscle, or take a deep breath. If you do, the test starts over and the forty-five minutes does too. To give you a more realistic view of this test, you can add to this that the machine is one of the noisey-est machine you’ve ever heard. It bangs and clangs around as if it were literally falling apart … even with ear-plugs, the noise is over-whelming even for an experienced MRI-er like me. As you can see, there isn’t much wiggle room.
This thing would make one of the best torture devices on the planet if they needed it … as a matter of fact, I’m surprised they haven’t used one for that. Besides, all the MRI’s have the strongest straps to hold you in and on, as you go for the ride of your life! And if you have an itch on your nose, foot, leg … anything, forget it … you’re a goner.
A lot of folks have to be sedated to get through these … they can be tough. It’s definitely not something you want to have a lot of coffee before setting out to do. But me, being the cool experienced idiot I am, never except the sedatives they offer. I don’t know why … but I always think I can “handle” it, just before sliding in … and I’m always sorry afterwards … this week was no exception.
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