The MRI is where?

Posted by Deliberately Evolving on Wed, 30 Nov 2016

(Before)
 

Have to have a scan on my shoulder. The joint is wobbly, keeps coming out of its socket.

 
The MRI 'centre' is not part of the main hospital, I was told: 
"Drive past the car park, round the back, buzz in at the barrier. It's a set of porta-cabins". 
 
It certainly was.
 
We found it fine 
but I felt a sense of foreboding entering.  
MRI reception;
small waiting area 
with 4 other people, who might have been together but no one was talking.
A table of drab magazines placed to entertain, sat untouched in the corner,
canvas prints of rainy city scenes adorned the peeling, pale blue walls. 
The jolly tones of Tom Jones, piped in "it's not unusual to be loved by anyone",
while the other people sat looking grim,
giving the scene a feel of absurdity.
It was pretty depressing.
 
Everyone looked worried and I felt a fraud.
Maybe they are here to have scans to decide how bad their cancer is, 
how long they have to live. 
While I'm here to see if there is another reason other than hyper-mobility for my recusant limb. 
I need the toilet but not sure of; 
a) the state one here might be in, and
b) whether it's just nerves and my bladder was fibbing.
 
A couple of months ago I tried on a magnetic nose stud and dropped it, couldn't find the magnet. 
Maybe it went into my nasal passage and is now sitting there like an insolent child ready to scream. 
I'll go into that big magnetic tunnel and the tiny piece of metal will come tearing through my face like a bullet in reverse....
 
I sit there cowering.
 
(After - no rogue pieces of metal came ripping through my skin).
 
When my mum had an MRI, 
it was in a reasonable sized room, she was offered a choice of music and had to wear a gown, nurses fussing round her.
 
My experience wasn't quite the same.
I went into a shed the other side of the car park where two men dressed like night watchmen shuffled some stuff out of the way as if I had popped over for tea unexpectedly and hadn't called first, showed me a small locker room about the size of a loo and told me to remove my bra. They gave me the key to my locker, put it just inside the doorway of the MRI room. 
 
Then they had a laugh about all my stories of Hugh Laurie in 'House' and confirmed that it was all true and laughed some more to see the colour draining 
and a look of horror on my face. 
 
No music choice for me, 
just some foam ear plugs and a headset so they could tell me what to do. 
Wedge my shoulder uncomfortably into a metal cast, 
lay on a conveyor belt and with my eyes screwed tight and my fist clutched to my face, 
buzzed me in a tunnel about the size of a toilet roll tube (or similar). 
 
After a long series of buzzes where I imagine the magnetic nose stud whizzing painfully towards the tunnel, I think - it must be nearly over...
then hear them say "Holly - we're ready to begin". 
I spent the next 12 minutes trying to write a sonnet and count iams on my left hand while trying not to twitch,
(I didn't get to finish). 
Then it was done.
Face intact, they buzzed me out and bra back on, 
I left. 
Just like that.
 
It made me wish like mad I could call my Mum 
and tell her how bloody proud I was that she'd done it. I hope she knew.
 
She had terrible claustrophobia. 
 
I wanted to again, congratulate her now that I knew exactly what she went through. 
 
(Except I didn't get any classical music.)

Comments

Submitted by celticman on

ha, experience comes at a price. And when you get older you're bladder is alway fibbing. We were talking about MRI the other day and how somebody needs to get knocked out before he enters the tomb. 

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Tell us when you know more about the shoulder.

There does seem a big difference between many of such places. Is it just finance and age of the rooms, or is it the personel involved that sometimes seem to make a place more cheerful, friendly, and relaxing?? Rhiannon

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

you have a real talent for comedy - the word picture of you lying there thinking magnets would burst out of your nose really made me smile. I also remember Bee's description - she faced a lot of hard stuff with grace and dignity, and like you here, she tried to see the absurdity in it all.

 

Submitted by thornwood on

How did we cope before we had hospitals. What happen.people sick say pre 16 century I wondered.

Ok.I read.

They were charity in concrete form and faith was central to everything. Lots has changed since then. Hospitals frighten people they should try and make them more welcoming. The thought of being in a hospital is not good thought. But is a reality at some point for most. Unless your with bupa you get better class of hospital. Money again rules. But this life is pretty short in the bigger picture and I dont think in the afterlife u buy yourself to better place.

Stephen d

Submitted by jolono on

Loved this AE. Could picture the scene because the writing was so good. I had an MRI about two years ago. I was well prepared, even took my own CD with me. I gave it to the nurse before I got undressed. I had the MRI but there was no music. When I came away the nurse gave me back my CD. "Sorry" she said, "Forgot to put it on."