MRI day

Today I had to have another MRI on my spine. I'm hoping for good results. Last time they saw a spot at L5 that was almost surely cancerous. Three radiologists saw and confirmed it was spreading cancer, but when I was sent for a PET scan followup, nothing was there! I am confident that was the result of much prayer and I praise God for it! I've been having a lot of mid to upper back pain and my radiation oncologist wanted to have it checked out...therefore another MRI. I guess the first 5 years after a cancer diagnosis, the doctors are always on edge.

The technician at the hospital was so short! It's rare for me to ever find anyone shorter than I am and I was a whole head taller than she was. She was so sweet and so kind. I was thankful for that. I was also thankful that I'd remembered to take 1/2 a Xanax before going for the test. I get so claustrophobic in those little tubes. Piedmont Newnan doesn't have the open MRIs like they do in Atlanta, but boy, I wish they did.

I put my things in a locker and Nancy, the short MRI tech, gave me the key. We walked up to the machine and she helped me lie down on the platform. She placed a large wedge under my knees and asked me if that helped relieve some of the pressure from my back. I told her it did. Then she fastened some sort of contraption over my chest, chin and head. She said it would help me remain still. I hadn't ever had that done before and it made me feel a little leary. I tried to relax as she handed me the foam ear plugs to insert in my ears. I'd forgotten how loud those metal marble things are in the MRI tube. Nancy patted me on the leg and said I'd be in the tube about 30 minutes. I prayed the time would go by fast.

As I slid into the tube, panic set in. The walls of the MRI were touching my sides and there wasn't much clearance over my head. With the restraint contraption on too, I felt like I couldn't move even if I needed to and I didn't like it. I closed my eyes and tried to focus. As I began to pray, the metal balls started whirring around me and the MRI machine was doing its thing.

The test seemed to take FOREVER! At one point I felt like I couldn't breathe because there was no air circulating in the tube. That was a very uncomfortable feeling. Nancy slid me out of the tube at one point and I thought the process was over, but it wasn't. She immediately slipped me back in...DARN! I closed my eyes again and tried to think of song lyrics that had a beat similar to the bopping metal balls.

Finally, I was ejected from the MRI machine. I was SOOOO VERY THANKFUL to be out of that narrow space. I sat on the table for a few minutes as I allowed my blood pressure to calm down. Removing the ear plugs, I told Nancy I appreciated her being so kind to me. She smiled and said she appreciated me being such a nice patient. Kindness does matter.

When I walked back out into the reception area, I saw the waiting room filled with people. It looked like Nancy was going to have a busy day. I'm glad that test is finally over. In a few days, I should get the results. I'm praying they come back clean as a whistle. The next test I have lined up is an EGD. At least I'll be sedated for that one!

I'm thankful for medical technology and all the various ways doctors can perform tests to look at our insides. It's amazing how things keep advancing for the better. I had a friend ask me today how long I've been in remission and I didn't know what to tell her. I haven't had a single doctor in the past 18 months tell me that I was in remission...that's something I'm definitely going to bring up at my next appointment.

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