MRIs are LOUD

Well, I made it through this MRI!

All my prep paid off. I wasn't laughing through the insertion of the IV, but I wasn't whimpering and tense, either. Also, I should remember that insertion of an IV catheter doesn't hurt as much as a shot does. I think that's because injection doesn't happen at the same time the needle is inserted. By the time I got the injection, I was safely in the MRI tube, where no one could hear me whimper.

I brought my Nook with me for some reading material in case I had to wait, but as it turned out I didn't wait in the outside waiting room at all. Instead, I waited in the MRI area, where electronic devices were prohibited. I guess the strong magnetism can wipe out the memory, which would suck.  The next time I have one of those, I should bring some actual paper reading material. As it was I had to make due with People (Ashley Judd is getting a divorce!) and Architectural Digest (pretty!).

I have had two MRIs before, one previous breast MRI and one for low back pain. Each time I was offered a choice of either music over headphones or earplugs, and I chose the earplugs both times. This time they had Pandora (as opposed to a commercial radio station), so I decided to try it.

Mistake!

I knew the machine was loud, but without the earplugs it was REALLY loud, especially in the upper registers. Klaxon is the word I would use to describe it. I got through about three of the half dozen scans they were taking before I pushed the panic button and stopped the machine so I could ask for earplugs. I was starting to fear I was going to have hearing damage (I already have some hearing loss in the upper registers. I don't need more).

It's a good thing I didn't wait any longer. When the technician pulled me out of the machine she said she had been just about to inject me with the contrast fluid. If I had stopped after she injected me, I would have had to reschedule and go through the whole scan again. I would have been royally pissed!

Life was much better once I had earplugs.  I was able to relax and meditate. I did two types of meditation. One was The Microcosmic Orbit, which is a method of concentrating on circulating energy around the body. The other was to silently repeat my calming mantra with each breath. It was really interesting that when I performed either of these meditations I was able to relax, but as soon as I stopped the concentration, I became agitated and anxious to be done. This is the power of meditation. It calms the nervous system, making difficult situations easier.

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That was Tuesday. It's Saturday now, and I haven't heard anything about the results of the MRI or gotten a call for another consultation. They didn't tell me how long it would be for the results, but I assumed I would hear something by the end of the week, at least. Monday is a holiday. If I don't get a phone call Tuesday morning I'll call after lunch and ask when I can expect the results. I still don't have a date for the surgery. I'd like to have that so I can plan when I need to take off work.